The research engineer and the screw

An empirical law of innovation may be stated as: `All engineers tend to innovate unless prevented by a superior force¿. This applies over virtually the whole range of engineering activities, from exploratory research to the operation and maintenance of established equipment. In the training of engineers, the problem is not so much to attempt to teach engineers to innovate. They will do that anyway. Rather the problem is to train them in developing and guiding their innovative instincts to best further the interests of the organisation and the community at large