14 April 2014

Costain is supporting World Creativity and Innovation Week (April 14-20), an annual initiative that tries to get people to use new ideas, make new decisions and take new actions to improve their lives, their work and their communities.

Innovation is central to Costain’s Engineering Tomorrow strategy, the Group’s commitment to identifying, developing and implementing innovated ideas in order to meet the UK’s national strategic infrastructure needs. At its heart is an emphasis on sharing knowledge and promoting best practice. In support of this, Costain has appointed an Innovation & Knowledge Exchange Champion (IKEC) on each of its projects. These Champions are responsible for promoting the transfer of innovation and knowledge internally within Costain and to the customer on behalf of the team.

During World Creativity and Innovation Week, an Innovation Champion will send out a flyer with tips on how to be more creative and innovative. On Monday, the flyer explains what innovation is and what it looks like. On Tuesday, the flyer talks about asking the right questions and making associations. On Wednesday, the flyer focuses on observing, even the things that we take for granted, to see how something works, if it can be improved and then sharing that knowledge. And finally, on Thursday, it’s about experimenting, putting ideas into practice and trying them out.

WCIW started out in 2001 and has grown to be observed in over 50 countries by businesses, communities, associations, schools and families. The week gives people an opportunity to do something differently, to find new solutions and understand how creativity works.

“We welcome everyone in the Costain to join in and learn more about creativity and innovation at Costain. If you have any thoughts or ideas about this then don’t hesitate to get in touch with your local Innovation and Knowledge Exchange Champion,” said Andy Fielding, a Performance Manager and an Innovation and Knowledge Exchange Champion based in Manchester.

Barry Woodman, the Programme Director on the Hammersmith Bridge Refurbishment Project, says Innovation Week is a great opportunity for contract leaders to encourage their teams to reflect on how Costain conducts its business and then generate ideas that can deliver value to its customers.

“In today’s economic climate, all of our clients are facing increasing pressure to do more for less. Finding new way to help our clients meet this challenge is the key to the future success of Costain. Innovation Week is a great opportunity to highlight and reinforce the importance of innovation in the future competitiveness and success of Costain,” said Barry.

Since starting on the project in 2013, Barry’s team have identified over 40 innovations that have helped the project overcome a number of technical challenges in a difficult safety environment.

“As a company, we are a very capable and enthusiastic team, with a really positive solution focused approach to project delivery. We work hard to understand our customer’s needs and to find new ways of exceeding their expectations. World Creativity and Innovation Week is a great way for us to come together and think about what more we can do,” said Barry.

For more information about World Creativity and Innovation Week, please click on the link:

http://worldcreativity.wordpress.com/

Ends