A study of creative tension of engineering students in Korea

The aim of this research was to study the nature of creative tension of engineering students in South Korea. The creative tension was analyzed according to relevant competences in project managers' work role. Most of the subjects who participated in this study were part‐time students who worked as managers in manufacturing and industrial companies. The application used for collecting and analyzing data was the project managers' work‐role–based competence application, Cycloid. Data were collected on the Internet by self‐evaluation. The constructed competence model of the Cycloid application was added into the Evolute self‐evaluation system utilizing fuzzy logic. The application was able to identify students' current state and personal aims and the creative tension essential for their personal development. The Cycloid application can be utilized in developing the professional competencies of individuals, teams, and organizations. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 17: 511–520, 2007.