Operationalizing Sustainability

6From Knowledge to Context and Back: The C-K Theory and Methodology

6.1. Introduction

Throughout its chapters, this book had made a number of references about a design thinking theory called C-K theory from Ecole des Mines in Paris (developed by The Scientific Management Center at Mines ParisTech in Paris). This chapter provides a background for understanding why this theory is important in improving and maturing an innovation capacity in organization. General references are primarily found from the authors Hatchuel, Weil and Masson [LEM 06, LEM 10].

The theory has been incubating since the mid-1990s and formally came into light around 2003 at a moment when society was already moving through a strange phase: a situation where things that were deemed impossible only some time ago were rather unexpectedly becoming urgent, necessary or fashionable. The reasons for this: sudden changes in the environment, not only in systemic effects, but also the capacity to alter the identity of products and services increasingly faster, due to technological evolution, including the bouncing effects of networks. Companies were quickly urged to rethink their vocabulary. The power of terms such as “unthinkable”, “impossible”, “unfeasible”, “unimaginable”, “incredible”, etc. that were sometimes purported as a mark of research & development (R&D) in silos were severely shaken under the pressure of alternative ways of innovating: “increasing the pace of innovation is no longer enough” [HAT 10].

This ...