Ingenuity is an integral aspect of engineering. In fact, "ingenuity" and "engineering" are linked etymologically. However, it seems to me the latitude for engineers to inject imagination and creativity into their work has been steadily diminishing. Why is this happening? Greek philosophers recognized three distinct knowledge categories:"epistime," knowing that something is the case; "techne," knowing how to achieve a predefined outcome; and "phronesis," knowing how to act in a contextually sensitive, appropriate way.
The first survives today in terms like "epistemic" (of or having to do with knowledge) and "epistemology" (the study of knowledge), while the second is familiar as the root of "technical," "technique" and "technology." But the third has not found its way into English at all, which is consistent with the cultural trend of increasingly embracing theoretical knowledge and technical rationality—i.e., science and technology—while downplaying practical judgment.