The aim with this study is to get a better understanding of creativity initiatives in efficient product development. The empirical base consists of a field study at a mechanical company in Sweden influenced by -lean product development thinking-. Ten interviews (all men) with engineers, project leaders and product development managers were conducted as a first step with a focus on how creativity was initiated and in what situations. As a second step, to explore the various sources of creativity more in-depth, five established and rather successful innovations were selected and studied. The answers were analysed and categorized by using a model inspired by Van de Ven and Poole-s four-field model. The paper shows that creative ideas may origin from a variety of sources. For companies it is necessary to be aware of this variety in order to be able to adjust working methods in product development accordingly in order to encourage innovation in the right way.