7 March 2024
Romain Rampa, Assistant Professor in the Systems Engineering Department at ÉTS, specializes in creative engineering methodologies and innovation management and their application within organizations.
His curiosity for new things, or rather for the mechanisms that bring about disruptions in how the world works, was triggered by the financial crisis of 2008. The young Romain decided then to focus his studies on management to understand social and economic change better and perhaps become a vector of this transformation.
Academic Career
After earning a double degree in Applied Economics from Paris-Dauphine University and a bachelor’s degree in Administration from UQAM, he continued his studies in Québec. “I fell under the spell of both the city and the University’s academic model,” confides Romain. He completed his master’s degree in International Business and a PhD in Business Administration at HEC Montréal in 2020. A few months later, he received an offer to pursue a post-doctorate at Grenoble-Alpes University, where he helped validate a scale measuring the creative capacities of organizations.
He realized that looking at the world through the prism of innovation encourages the exploration of new avenues, hybridization, knowledge and the pooling of varied experiences.
He explains that many companies and organizations are under pressure from the accelerating pace and intensity of innovation in their sector. Maintaining their competitive edge depends on their ability to develop innovative products and services.
C-K, an Innovative Tool Deployed at Hydro-Québec
ÉTS professor Romain Rampa
Romain gives the example of Hydro-Québec, which used the C-K method to rethink its approach to energy efficiency. The Hilo solution stems partly from this innovative theory, which encourages interaction between the worlds of creativity (Concept) and awareness (Knowledge).
“The creative process requires a cognitive effort for the brain to identify and connect elements that it is not accustomed to linking together,” he explains.
His long years of research are finding a concrete outcome in teaching. Professor Rampa passes on a certain level of knowledge to ÉTS students fuelled by his thoughts and experiences within companies.
“It’s difficult to meet today’s social and environmental challenges without innovation,” says Romain.
ÉTS and Innovation
Romain Rampa observes that engineering training encourages students to react to a problem by moving quickly into solution mode. Sometimes, however, taking the time to explore a broader spectrum of possibilities leads to a more appropriate response, often by combining several ideas. This is what motivates him to teach: bringing students to ask themselves the right questions.
Several projects await him on his drawing board, including coaching start-ups experiencing sudden growth phases and undergoing significant transformations.
The biggest obstacle to innovation remains resistance to change. The tunnel vision of an organization that explores only one solution to a complex problem can cloud a company’s future.
Innovate, yes, but intelligently and in harmony with the community.
