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The business of batik proceedings 2005 (pp.49-55). Selangor: MPH Group Publishing (M) Sdn Bhd. R & D FOR BATIK: BUILDING CREATIVE EXPERT IN DESIGN Dr. Khairul Aidil Azlin Abd Rahman. Design Technology Program, Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). 94300, Kot...

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Research and Development for Batik: Building Creative Experts In Design. Khairul Aidil Azlin A Rahman

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The business of batik proceedings 2005 (pp.49-55). Selangor: MPH Group Publishing (M) Sdn Bhd.

R & D FOR BATIK: BUILDING CREATIVE EXPERT IN DESIGN

Dr. Khairul Aidil Azlin Abd Rahman. Design Technology Program, Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). 94300, Kota Samarahan Sarawak. [email protected]

Keywords; Research and Development, Expert, Creativity,

Abstract. Research is a creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of the stock of knowledge to devise new application (OECD). The pressure to innovate, to find a new products, new market and new ways of doing thing is intense. The designer creates new knowledge. They have to deal with a high degree of tacit knowledge because the social needs of products are complex. Success or failure in the creativity stakes reveals itself in data or productivity rates, market shares, profitability and economic growth. Batik industries today should enhance designer’s knowledge conversion flows in order to build sustainable creative experts in design. Furthermore the emphasis on research and development activities is the critical success factor for Malaysian batik. This presentation will discuss the model of knowledge creation for batik industries, human capital development of designers and futures strategies that will strengthen the level of creativity.

Introduction The scenario of batik in Malaysia is based on art and craft activities as painting technique, idea of motif development and material application. Today, from daily wear to accessory products, batik had become an important commodity. Batik as an industry had

The business of batik proceedings 2005 (pp.49-55). Selangor: MPH Group Publishing (M) Sdn Bhd.

contributed much to people’s need in the form of dress, gowns, table napkins, curtains, chair cushion etc. Batik has big potential for the international market. Batik can easily embark to industrialize process method. We have already seen it in the market where a lot of Malaysian motif printed batik produced in Indonesia and sold with reasonable price in here. The concerns of consumer for batik, which stated by Morrows (2000) are: 1. Price 2. Whether the textile is hand made or not (batik tulis tangan, cap, or silk screen) 3. The dyes used are traditional natural dyes or synthetic dyes. 4. Textiles were made in a place from which the design originates. 5. The quality of material used (pure silk, crepe de chine, cotton, rayon etc.)

The market of batik could be easily be divided into two following segments: the mass market approach, especially for cheap range of textiles, mainly cotton, polyester and rayon; and the high end approach for more expensive materials like woven silk, printed silk and linen. Furthermore, these two segments could be divided into three types of market; the local market (daily clothing and utility like curtains, upholstery, bed sheets and etc.; The specialized market area (artist / textile collectors) and the tourist market (local and foreign). (Zulkifli Mohammed, 2000). Malaysia has many local manufacturers of batik, which are from cottage industries to mass production manufacturers. They are mainly owned by family business and operate within their home compound. Most of them are not much of specific training of design, but handed over to one generation to another by learning from experience. Some of them are design graduates from the local university too. Normally, companies that have qualified designers produced better batik products. It shows that, with proper training of design knowledge the company reflects a new identity of its own. Each and every manufacturer has an own target market. The batik making was segmented into two divisions. The traditional hand drawing method continued to produce quality batik in a smaller quantity while the mass production printing method turned out inexpensive batik in much larger quantity. Alviero Martini (The Star, 2005) had stated that every piece of batik is different from the other, which is our specialty, but this does

The business of batik proceedings 2005 (pp.49-55). Selangor: MPH Group Publishing (M) Sdn Bhd.

not work any longer. However, one could however, argue that whatever innovations might have been added to batik making since the last century, the art of hand drawn batik that preceded them remained significant (Sekimoto, 2000). There are still very minimal activities in research and development by the manufacturers. Any new product developments are based on market demand and technology. Therefore the technologies have to come in hand to enhance the production of the batik. May be it is too expensive to buy the technology, but the creative ideas of the designers are the most precious of all. Therefore, how to build these creative experts in design that can be most available in order to create the variety of batik design and products in the market? Apart from the above consumer requirements and batik making, the big issue is WHAT DESIGN that sells? The author will be discussing the design knowledge aspect that resides in designers who create wonderful batik designs and artifacts.

Design Knowledge Cross (2000) stated that, design knowledge resides in people, especially designers and everyone to some extent. Designing is a natural human ability. People have the mind and the creativity. It relates strongly to consideration of how people learn to design. Design knowledge also resides in products, which embody design attributes. Products are explicit knowledge that is tangible to be shared, used and upgraded. In craft based, products are usually copied very literally from one generation to the other. Next, design knowledge resides in the process. These are the tactic and strategy of designing. A major area of design research is methodology, study of the process of design, and the development and application of techniques, which aid the designer. The process will create the experience of knowledge and skills.

The business of batik proceedings 2005 (pp.49-55). Selangor: MPH Group Publishing (M) Sdn Bhd.

Trend Lifestyle Market Need Design Attributes

Tactic and Strategy Methodology of designing

Technology and Technique Tools Application Production.

Figure 1: Resides of Design Knowledge

Tacit and Explicit Knowledge Knowledge can be categorized as explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge. Explicit knowledge is knowledge of rationality. It is a readily codified and recorded somewhere. It is sequential and available in a tangible form. Explicit knowledge comes in the form of books, documents, databases and anything that can be understood tangibly. This type of knowledge is digitized, which means it can be changed and upgraded easily. Meanwhile, another category is tacit knowledge. This knowledge resides in the individual mind. Tacit knowledge is acquired mainly from experience. Many batik craftsmen with highly skills do not document their knowledge explicitly. It remained in their body as individual knowledge. Tacit knowledge is personal, context-specific and therefore hard to be formalized and communicated (Polanyi 1966). Tacit knowledge is hard to catalogue because it is not tangible. People tend to take tacit knowledge for granted. Recently tacit knowledge has become a hot topic among those who are interested in the new grounds of business competition. Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) offered a model of organizational knowledge creation in which the socialization of individual, tacit

The business of batik proceedings 2005 (pp.49-55). Selangor: MPH Group Publishing (M) Sdn Bhd.

knowledge drives a virtual cycle of continuous innovation. Therefore, it is very crucial factors of our national batik heritage explicitly to be documented.

Hierarchy of Knowledge. Knowledge starts from data, where a collection of facts, images and sounds from which interpretations meanings and conclusions may be drawn to become informed. Secondly, the information, which is normally formatted, organized, filtered and summarized data for application will become knowledge. Third, knowledge is also instincts, ideas, rules and procedures that control actions and decisions. Knowledge is information that has been organized and analyzed to make it understandable and applicable to problem solving or decision-making (Turban 1992). Therefore, knowledge is the psychological result of perception and learning, and reasoning. At the higher level of the hierarchy, the trait of utilizing knowledge and experience with common sense and insight is known as wisdom. At the same time, another category of skillfulness by virtue of possessing special knowledge, fast and accurate advice, explanations & justifications of results is called the expert. Knowledge is a state of being active where interaction of both tacit and explicit knowledge leads to innovation; therefore, design is the most important activity in the organization. Human resources and technology competencies in many areas of discipline in the organization should be justified and recognized to make the total use of expertise.

Distinction Between Knowledge Transfer and Knowledge Conversion. Knowledge transfer is a process of moving knowledge from a person to another person. The person will adopt the knowledge what he received to become his experience. The person followed whatever knowledge that had been transferred and have the same knowledge forever. These phenomena are currently happening in the batik industry because the same process secures them. The difference between knowledge transfer and knowledge conversion is where knowledge transfer has just disseminated knowledge without enhancing to develop and upgrade, but knowledge conversion is a process of transfer, development and upgrade it into new knowledge. As a result the conversion process is creating new knowledge.

The business of batik proceedings 2005 (pp.49-55). Selangor: MPH Group Publishing (M) Sdn Bhd.

Figure 2: Hierarchy of Knowledge.

Knowledge

Knowledge

Knowledge

X

X

X

A

B

Adopting Process

Adopt Knowledge

B

Knowledge Transfer Develop Knowledge

XZ Knowledge

Knowledge

X

X

A

B

XY Conversion Process

Create Knowledge

X B

Knowledge Conversion Figure 3: Distinction Between Knowledge Transfer and Knowledge Conversion.

The business of batik proceedings 2005 (pp.49-55). Selangor: MPH Group Publishing (M) Sdn Bhd.

Designer and Knowledge Conversion. Designers create new knowledge. They have to deal with a high degree of tacit knowledge because the social needs of products are complex. The role of designers is as a mediator between organizations and consumers. New product development is concerned with the total process of idea generation and development to the point of successfully marketing a new product. It was defined explicitly that designer’s functions are to give such form of objects and services, which render the conduct of human life efficient and satisfying. The depth of the designer’s responsibility may range from the original conception of the product’s mode of use to its visual and tactile finish and involves the correlation of it functional, cultural, social and economic contribution to the betterment of the human environment. Many batik entrepreneurs hardly hire designers to create focus design of their product range. This has resulted similar of follow me design in the market. The competences of designers are not fully utilized.

Figure 4: Designer as a Mediator.

The importance of knowledge conversion refers to the process of transformation and the associated activities, namely Reciprocation, Exteriorization, Integration and Assimilation (A. Rahman KAA, Sugiyama, Watanabe 2001). Reciprocation is a mutual interaction with two parties in the activity of interchanging knowledge and information. The alternating back and fourth movement is a process of negotiation to understand closely. Designers are advised to reciprocating with the consumer and organization of

The business of batik proceedings 2005 (pp.49-55). Selangor: MPH Group Publishing (M) Sdn Bhd.

upgrading and create new knowledge. For example, designers who have mutual interaction with consumers/users to understand their needs, the sharing of experiences, accumulation of data, information and knowledge will create benefits to both parties. Exteriorization is embodying ideas to an outward form. The idea is transformed into tangible form that can be understood and shared with others. To realize a better exteriorization, stimulating agents are vital to spark the designer's mind. Integration is the act of combining into an integral whole. The conceptual knowledge is transformed to realization as a functional product. The process of integration anticipates existing knowledge as well as experts to make the product to be realized. Assimilation is a process of assimilating new ideas into an existing cognitive structure. This is where designer absorbs new knowledge physically and mentally and transforms into tacit knowledge. To enhance conversion from integration to assimilation, practice is the key to the success. Accumulation of academic experience at the university will not enough, but the understanding how to upgrade own design knowledge is a vital. Learning is a continuous process and this concept supports long life learning. A learning designer is skilled, creative, acquiring and transferring his /her knowledge and modifying behaviors to reflect new knowledge and insight. The principles of knowledge are sharing. The interaction of both tacit and explicit knowledge leads to innovation; therefore the driving force of the knowledge conversion process itself has to be human. Key functions of the organization are based on space to interact knowledge, stimulation to create knowledge, expert to integrate knowledge and practice to assimilate knowledge. These attitudes will be the basis typology to correlate with the organization’s structure, control mechanism, standard and policies. By understanding these factors, it will help the top management to plan a total strategy for knowledge conversion process especially dealing with designers. In order an organization to succeed there should be a mixed of practices where tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge merged together. As a comparison, design process creates values in designing products; meanwhile knowledge conversion process creates values in knowledge. Therefore the values in knowledge are powerful weapons for designers in the competitive battle forever.

The business of batik proceedings 2005 (pp.49-55). Selangor: MPH Group Publishing (M) Sdn Bhd.

Knowledge Conversion Process

Knowledge

Reciprocation

Exteriorization

Integration

Assimilation

Tacit to tacit

Tacit to explicit

Explicit to explicit

Explicit to tacit

Value Design

Value Design Input

Design Stage

Design Output

Design Validation Release

Design Specification

Sketches & development

Drawing for production

Testing

Mock-up models prototype

Bills of materials

Benchmarking

Production method

ISO 9001 Design Process

Figure 5: Relationships between Knowledge Conversion process and Design Process

Designer Models According to general perception, design is viewed as a highly vocational skill rather than thinking. Here, the authors classify designer models into four types; designer as an imitator, designer as apprentice, designer as a collaborator and designer as thinker. In this part, we view the designer models in relation to knowledge conversion process.

Table 1: Design Pedagogy. Designer Model Designer as Imitator

Knowledge Conversion Process Integration Explicit to Explicit

Designer as Apprentice

Assimilation

Designer as Collaborator

Reciprocation

Designer as Thinker

Exteriorization

Explicit to Tacit

Tacit to Tacit

Tacit to Explicit

Learning

Design Studio/ Lab Activities

Examples

Acquisition of know-what

Learning by doing, practice, exercise, repetitions

Workshop, Cad training, drawing

Acquisition of know - how

Books, magazines lectures, factual & principles

Design principles, history Manufacturing processes,

Collaboration and negotiation, management Know-why

Discussion groups, reciprocal learning, management

Field research, interaction with user & producers, Industrial training,

Critical & reflective thinking for innovation, care -why

Discovery learning, journals, critique, concept creation

Degree project, experiments, design competition.

Goals

The business of batik proceedings 2005 (pp.49-55). Selangor: MPH Group Publishing (M) Sdn Bhd.

Designer as Imitator. According to Locke (1987); tabula rasa - A young mind which is not yet affected by experience, for example fresh student that embarked into design course will be given a complete opportunity to start new experience without prejudice to any constraint or limitation. Designers are seen as imitative learners and the goal of learning is the acquisition of know – what. They repeat the behavior or appearance until success is achieved. This is to acquire the total skill by referring to the existing knowledge. Generally, in the lab or design studio activities are learned by practice, exercises and repetition. The examples of these types of courses are workshops, drawing skills and CAD training that involves hand on learning. This type of knowledge conversion is called explicit to explicit. Designer as Apprentice. The designer learns from instructive and excessively exposure. The designer should be presented with facts and principles and rules to be learned, recalled and applied. They must have the capacity to acquire new knowledge by employing mental abilities. This is the acquisition of know-how. Generally, books, lectures, facts and principles are the learning activities in the labor design studio. The examples such as design principles, history of design and manufacturing processes. This type of knowledge conversion is from explicit to tacit. Designer as Collaborator. Designers are seen as a knowledgeable individual. They work with others as associate toward a common goal. This is the act of attainment with negotiation and managing the design process smoothly. Furthermore, they are the manager of objective knowledge and they understand where the appropriate knowledge that is needed for constructed and negotiation with others resides. Generally the lab activities will be grouped project, reciprocal learning and management. This is an acquisition of knowwhy. The example exercises are, field research, interaction with...