Staff lead the way in UK engineering innovation

The British GM automotive brand says that its research into creativity and innovation within UK businesses has been conducted to help it to gain insight into the way people live, work and use their cars, prior to launching its innovative new car, the Signum.

The study revealed that 58 percent of the British workforce believes that tough business conditions are causing them to innovate and think more creatively - but many feel restricted, or even positively discouraged, from voicing their ideas.

Some 60 percent of engineers identified driving to and from work as a prime time for coming up with new ideas. More than a quarter (28 percent) claimed that creativity is often sparked when they are stuck in a traffic jam.

The 'Vauxhall Signum Great Minds Survey' also reveals that the afternoon is the worst time for feeling creative (57 percent of engineers think so). Almost half of engineers (45 percent) think that financial rewards are the best way to get them thinking 'outside the box'. A similar number (43 percent) would like their firm to provide creative thinking spaces. Being alone is the best way to get the creative juices flowing, said 77 percent of engineering staff, followed by a brainstorming session with colleagues (64 percent), walking in a park or the countryside (47 percent), or working out in the gym (26 percent). And the majority of UK engineering workplaces have never had a suggestion box.