SMM10703 INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE SKILLS

Chapter 1: Introduction to Creativity and Innovation

1.1 What is Creativity?

• Creativity is a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts. 
• An alternative conception of creativity is that it is simply the act of making something new.

1.2 The Needs for Creativity

• Creativity can be used when confronted with a decision-making problem
• People differ in their inherent creativity
• To overcome from routine

1.3 What is Innovation?

• Innovation is about creating value and increasing efficiency, and therefore growing your business. 
• "Without innovation, new products, new services, and new ways of doing business would never emerge, and most organizations would be forever stuck doing the same old things the same old way.”

1.4 Distinguishing between creativity and innovation

• Creativity is typically used to refer to the act of producing new ideas, approaches or actions 
• Innovation is the process of both generating and applying such creative ideas in some specific content
• In the context of an organization, therefore, the term innovation is often used to refer to the entire process by which an organization generates creative new ideas and converts them into novel, useful and viable commercial products, services, and business practices.
• While the term creativity is reserved to apply specifically to the generation of novel ideas by individuals or groups, as a necessary step within the innovation process.
• innovation "begins with creative  ideas,„
• "...creativity by individuals and teams is a starting point for innovation; the first is a necessary but not sufficient condition for the second.„ 

1.5 Obstacles to Work Creativity

• ORGANIZATIONAL IMPEDIMENTS such as internal political problems, harsh criticism of new ideas, destructive internal competition, avoidance of risk and overemphasis on the status quo
• WORKLOAD PRESSURES such as extreme time pressure, unrealistic expectations, or distractions 

1.6 Components of Creativity & Innovation

• Intrinsic task motivation
• Creative thinking skill
• Expertise is the foundation for all creative work

1.7 Determinants of Organizational Creativity and Innovation

• Leadership Styles
• Structure and Systems
• Organizational Climate
• Organizational Culture
• Resources and Skills

1.8 Components of Individual Creativity

• Expertise
• Intrinsic Motivation
• Creativity Skills

1.9 Innovation within the organization depends upon:

• Organizational Motivation – the basic orientation of the organization toward innovation; shared vision; providing rewards and recognition; lack of internal politics, and lack of overemphasis on the status quo.
• Resources – everything the organization has available to aid in the area targeted for innovation, including time, funding, information and materials.
• Management Practices – allowing freedom and autonomy in the practice of work; providing challenge; specifying clear strategic goals and forming work teams comprised of individuals with diverse skills and perspectives

Chapter 2: Theories of  Creativity and Innovation

2.1 Introduction

• Notions about creativity and creative problem solving are complex. There is no one standard authority on the subject, and information about these processes is therefore scattered and to be found in different disciplines.

2.2 Ideation (Where Ideas Come From)

• Locke (1964) maintained that the source of all ideas is human experience and understanding. 
• Ideas, as he saw them, sprang from knowledge, which in turn is derived from observation of the external world as well as from awareness of our own internal ruminations on these observations.
• Idea processing takes individual ideas and manipulates, synthesizes and associates them with one another until they form a larger contextual pattern that we can consciously relate to some human concern or problem.

2.3 The Investment Theory of Creativity

Sternberg and Lubart (1991, 1995) argue that creativity requires a coming together of six clear-cut yet interconnected assets:

• intellectual abilities
• Three intellectual skills are identified:
• The ability to see problems from different perspectives and to move away from approaches involving conventional thinking;
• The ability to evaluate which ideas are promising and which ones are not; and
• The ability to persuade others regarding the value of ideas that are worth pursuing.

• knowledge
• Knowledge is essential for any progress to be made. One cannot move forward if one does not fully understand the point form which one starts.
• styles of thinking
• Thinking styles relate to how skills are employed by people. A preference for thinking in new ways is a desirable feature of creative thought
• Quadrant A- Analytical
• Quadrant B- Practical
• Quadrant C- Relational
• Quadrant - Experimental
• Quadrant A&D- Intellectual
• Quadrant A&B- Rational
• Quadrant D&C- Instinctive 
• Quadrant D&C- Intuitive
• personality, 
• Numerous research studies (Lubart, 1994; Sternberg and Lubart, 1991, 1995) argue for the importance of certain personality attributes that are associated with creative performance.
• Willingness to overcome obstacles, preparedness to take sensible risks, propensity to tolerate ambiguity and self-efficacy feature among desirable attributes.
• motivation
• Intrinsic, task-focused motivation is regarded as essential to creativity. Amabile (1983) and others stress the importance of this and argue that people who love what they are doing and focus on the work rather than the potential rewards are most productive from a creative perspective
• environment.
• An environment that is supportive and rewarding of creative ideas is helpful since possessing the internal means required to think creatively may be insufficient without some environmental support (such as a means of putting ideas forward).

2.4 The Whole Brain/Four-Quadrant Model

• A: analytical, mathematical, technical, problem solving
• Predominantly A quadrant thinkers prefer organizing information logically in a framework, listening to lectures and reading textbooks, studying example problems and solutions, thinking through ideas, doing scientific/academic research, judging ideas based on facts, criteria and logical reasoning, dealing with reality and current problems.
• B: controlled, conservative, planned, organized, administrative
• Predominantly B quadrant thinkers like finding practical uses for knowledge learned, planning projects, practising new skills, writing practical guides about how to do something.
• C: interpersonal, emotional, musical, spiritual
• Predominantly C quadrant thinkers like to be very organized and precise in their work.
• D: imaginative, synthesizing, artistic, holistic, conceptual
• Predominantly D quadrant like to take an overall view of new topics (not the detail), to take the initiative, ponder on possible outcomes of actions, use visual aids, solve open-ended problems, enjoy wild ideas, experiment, rely on intuition rather than on logic, synthesize ideas, approach a problem from different angles.
• A&B: Preparation & Verification
• C&D: Incubation & Illumination

2.5 Wallas's Model of The Creative Process

• Graham Wallas (1926) set down a description of what happens as people approached problems with the objective of coming up with creative solutions. He described his four-stage process as follows:
• Preparation
• In the preparation stage we define the problem, need, or desire, and gather any information the solution or response needs to account for, and set up criteria for verifying the solution’s acceptability.
• Incubation
• In the incubation stage we step back from the problem and let our minds contemplate and work it through. Like preparation, incubation can last minutes, weeks, even years.
• Illumination
• In the illumination stage, ideas arise from the mind to provide the basis of a creative response. These ideas can be pieces of the whole or the whole itself, i.e. seeing the entire concept or entity all at once. Unlike the other stages, illumination is often very brief, involving a tremendous rush of insights within a few minutes or hours.
• Verification
• In verification, the final stage, we carry out activities to demonstrate whether or not what emerged in illumination satisfies the need and the criteria defined in the preparation stage.

2.6 Cropley's Stages Model

An improvement to the Wallas's Model

• Preparation Stage
• First, he argued that there was a need to recognize or ‘find’ a problem about which the person can be creative
• Communication Stage
• He considered there was a need to communicate the creative outcome to others.
• Validation Stage
• He envisaged it was necessary to have the outcome judged by people with the relevant cultural background

The Preparation stage makes the process of problem finding more explicit. Creative ideas can be produced without Communication and Validation but they cannot receive ‘socio-cultural validation’ .

2.7 Henle's Conditions of Creative Thinking

• Utilization of errors
• Reception
• Seeing questions
• Detached devotion
• Immersion

Chapter 3: From Imagination to Creativity

3.1 How Creative Thinking Works

• Artistic Creativity
• artistically creative tasks might include designing logos, writing advertising copy, creating the packaging for a product, or drafting a phone script for a fundraising drive.
• Creative Problem Solving
• Creative problem-solving stands out as innovative. A creative problem-solver will find new solutions rather than simply identifying and implementing the norm.
• Creative in STEM
• The fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are highly creative. Designing a more efficient assembly line robot, writing an innovative new computer program, or developing a testable hypothesis are all highly creative acts.

3.2 Types of Creative Thinking

Creative thinking is expressed in several ways. Here are some of the types of creative thinking you might see in the workplaces

•  Analysis (Ability to analyze things first)
• Before thinking creatively about something, you first have to be able to understand it. This requires the ability to examine things carefully to know what they mean. Whether you are looking at a text, a dataset, a lesson plan, or an equation, you need to be able to analyze it first.
• Open-Mindedness (Thinking of things no one else has considered before)
• To think creatively, set aside any assumptions or biases you may have, and look at things in a completely new way. By coming to a problem with an open mind, you allow yourself the chance to think creatively.
• Problem-Solving (Ability to solve an important issue)
• Employers want creative employees who will help them to solve work-related issues. When faced with a problem, consider ways that you can solve it before asking for help. If you need the input of a manager, suggest solutions rather than just presenting problems 
• Organization (Being able to structure a plain of action with clear goals and deadlines)
• Actually, organization is an essential part of creativity. While you might need to get a bit messy when trying out a new idea, you need to organize your ideas so others will understand and follow through with your vision.
• Communication (Strong written and oral skills, ability to listen and ask the right questions)
• People will only appreciate your creative idea or solution if you communicate it effectively. You need to have strong written and oral communication skills.
• You also need to be able to understand a situation fully before thinking creatively about it. That means you also need to be a good listener. You may come up with a unique solution by asking the right questions and listening to the answers.

3.3 Nurturing Your Creative Genius

• Creative Geniuses are motivated by something other than personal gain.
• Creative geniuses create in order to further their beliefs. They create with the distinct goal of making the world a better place and transforming it through the power of their creativity.

3.4 15 Qualities of Creative Geniuses

1. Creative Geniuses are open to new experiences.

•        On an individual level, psychologists have identified “openness to experience” as the single most important trait of exceptionally creative people. Creative geniuses make a conscious effort to introduce change into their lives. They often put themselves in situations in which they’re more likely to experience the unexpected.

2. Creative Geniuses have a high tolerance for uncertainty.

•        Creative geniuses have a high tolerance or uncertainty. In general, creative geniuses tend to be less concerned with purpose and more about journey or process.

3. Creative Geniuses practice diffused attention.

•        Most exceptional creators are working on multiple projects at a time. They’re often restless and have a variety of outside interests. Psychologists refer to this as “diffused attention”, or defocused.

4.Creative Geniuses don’t care much about what other people think

•        Another trait common to creative geniuses is their utter and complete lack of self-consciousness. They simply don’t care what others think of them Creative geniuses are constantly reflecting on what they’re doing at any given moment and they’re always listening to themselves.

5.Creative Geniuses are more sensitive than most

•        Creative geniuses are physiologically more sensitive to stimuli and are sensitive in nature

6. Creative Geniuses are unusually optimistic.

•        Creative geniuses challenge themselves with, “Why not?” It seems that optimism plays an essential role in creativity for all of us. For example, one recent study found that optimistic employees are more creative than pessimistic ones

7. Creative Geniuses are motivated by something other than personal gain.

•        They’re not doing it for themselves. Creative geniuses create in order to further their beliefs. They create with the distinct goal of making the world a better place and transforming it through the power of their creativity.

8. Creative Geniuses have cognitive flexibility.

•        Cognitive flexibility is defined as the ability to see the world with new eyes. Creative geniuses view obstacles as opportunities. They have this ability to transform into an opportunity to head in a completely new and unexpected direction. In other words, a creative genius can change tracks easily

9. Creative Geniuses are active

•        Creativity requires kinetic energy and motion primes creative thinking. Creative geniuses understand this and make sure to stay active. They may not get anywhere physically, but such consistent movement allows them to travel far in their minds

10. Creative Geniuses view themselves as outsiders

•        All genuine creative ideas are initially greeted with rejection. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that rejection increases creativity in individuals who consider themselves “free –thinking”.

11.Creative Geniuses make a lot of mistakes.

•        The idea that a very creative person is a great and right human being is the greatest myth of creativity. In fact, creative geniuses make more mistakes than all of us. Yet creative geniuses tend to see their mistakes rightly as a steppingstone

12. Creative Geniuses fail well

•        Closely related to their tendency towards mistakes, creative geniuses also know how to fail. They embrace failure because they know it can provide a useful learning experience, as long as it’s in the aid of a continuing process. Creative geniuses fail well. They fail until they get it right. They fail in a thoughtful and efficient manner. And perhaps most importantly, they fail early

13. Creative Geniuses crave chaos

•        Creative success often emerges in the midst of chaos. Therefore, the creative genius wants chaos. If not present naturally, they produce it. Chaos is an important ingredient

14.Creative Geniuses are good at “connecting the dots”.

•        All geniuses make the world a bit simpler. Creative geniuses take great pleasure in connecting many phenomena, which at first sight appear to have nothing in common.

15.Creative Geniuses take a lot of risks.

•        Creative geniuses have a high tolerance for uncertainty because, naturally, they are risk takers. Risk and creative genius are inseparable. Sometimes the genius risks professional ridicule. But genius always gets a price.

 3.5 Six Key Principles for Encouraging Creativity

• Separate (Separate idea generation from evaluation)
• Test (Text assumptions)
• Avoid (Avoid patterned thinking)
• Create (Create new)
• Minimize (Minimize negative thinking)
• Take risk (Take prudent risks)

Chapter 4: Innovation in Organizations

4.1 Characteristics of Leading Innovators in Organization

• Innovation: A complicated task
• When looking at what makes or breaks a successful and sustainable innovation (something that creates or shapes a new product or service into the world to meet a need) there is much discussion of what specific skills, tools, and mind sets that are needed

4.2 Organizing Innovation

• An innovation ecosystem is a recognition of the constellation of factors that influence innovation development, deployment, and support. Working within or establishing an innovation ecosystem involves aligning resources and connecting them together within, across, and beyond the organization.
• This tripartite approach to organizing innovation ensures that the right technical, managerial, and strategic resources are brought to bear on the work of bringing an idea in to the world.
• Innovation ecosystem:

1. Micro-Technical

• The first domain of organizing is what maybe most commonly thought of as the starting point when thinking about innovation. 
• It’s the bringing together of the right technical skills to the parts of the product or service that touch your envisioned end-user.
• It’s the domain of expertise — having the technical skill and subject matter knowledge about the thing you wish to develop and innovated
• Technical expertise brings with it a focus on the details. These are sometimes small, but they are significant and important.
• The activities at this level are best performed by those who have a specific disciplinary or subject-matter focus and skills that are related to the problem domain being addressed

      2. Meso-Managerial

• This middle domain is most easily dismissed by innovators (in my opinion), yet it is what brings together the strategic vision (the macro layer) with the micro (technical) layer of innovation together. This is where innovation and design management come together.
• It is in this middle domain that much of the decision-making and sense making takes place by connecting the work at the front-line with the overall strategic vision of the innovation and fit within the ecosystem.
• This domain requires some understanding of the technical aspects of the work, but can be performed by those who have management skills, can organize projects, and be flexible in the way they approach the work. This is the layer where an innovator’s mindset(the flexible, adaptive, developmental) approach to the work is critical.

     3. Macro: Strategy & System Thinking

• The third domain of innovation organizing is the one that gets tied to the ‘big thinkers’, the visionaries, the ‘bold leaders’ and others most likely to give a talk on innovation. It’s about big-picture thinking, but also much more.
• What organizing innovation looks like in the macro domain is aligning the longer-term vision for what the innovation is intended to do(even if that changes over time) with the manner of running the organization

4.3 Three Innovation Strategies for New Products and Technologies

• Exploration
• Creativity
• Bottom-up approach
• Internal contests
• Idea incubators
• Cooperation
• Horizontal coordination mechanisms
• Customers, partners
• Open innovations
• Innovation Roles
• Idea champions
• New venture teams
• Skunkworks
• New venture fund

4.4 Components of a Successful Innovative Projects in Organizations

• Shared vision, leadership and will to innovate. 
• Clearly articulated and shared sense of purpose. Stretching strategic intent, top management commitment.  (creative leader; bright, intelligent, seek responsibility, skillful, competent, energetic, active, resilient, good communications)
• Appropriate Structure.
• Organization design which enables creativity, learning and interaction.
• Key Individuals.
• Promotes, champions, gate keepers and other roles which energize or facilitate innovation.
• Effective team work
• Appropriate use of teams (at local, cross functional and inter-organizational level) to solve problem, requires investment in team selection and building
• High Involvement Innovations.
• Participations in organizations-wide and continuous improvements activity.
• Creative Climate
• Positive approach to creative ideas, supported by relevant motivations systems.
• External Focus
• Internal and external customers orientation and extensive networking

4.5 What makes a firm Creative

• How a company sets its goal and drivers their achievement throughout the organization
• The extent to which critical information is identified, collected, communicated and used.
• The importance placed on generating and evaluating new ideas.
• The way in which individualism and involvement is nurtured as part of the company’s human relations ethos and how that drives motivation within the company.

4.6 The 4 Types of Innovation and the Problems They Solve

Innovation Matrix to help leaders identify the right type of strategy to solve a problem, by asking two questions: How well can we define the problem? and How well can we define the skill domain(s) needed to solve it?

• Sustaining innovation.
• Sustaining innovation. Most innovation happens here, where we want to improve existing capabilities in existing markets, have a pretty clear idea of what problems need to be solved and what skill domains are required to solve them.
• Examples: road mapping, R&D labs, design thinking, acquisitions 
• Breakthrough innovation.
• Sometimes, as was the case with the example of detecting pollutants underwater, we run into a well-defined problem that’s just devilishly hard to solve. In cases like these, we need to explore unconventional skill domains, such as adding a marine biologist to a team of chip designers. Open innovation strategies can be highly effective in this regard, because they help to expose the problem to diverse skill domains.
• Examples: mavericks, skunk works, open innovation/prizes
• Disruptive innovation.
• The concept of disruptive innovation is about why good firms fail, the research finding found that what is normally considered best practice —can be lethal in some situations. When the policy of competition changes, due to technological shifts or other changes in the market, companies may find themselves getting better, at things people want less and less. When that happens, innovating your product won’t help -you have to innovate your business model.
• Examples: VC models, innovation labs, 15%/20% rule, lean launchpad
• Basic research.
• Some large enterprises, like IBM and Procter & Gamble, have the resources to invest in labs to pursue basic research. Yet one of the best-kept secrets is how even small and medium-size enterprises can access world-class research. Taking steps to participate in these types of programs can help small business compete in competitive markets.
• Examples: research divisions, academic partnerships, journals and conferences

Chapter 5: Creating Innovations

5.1 The role of imagination in innovation

• Imagination is the ability to form images and ideas about things never seen or experienced before (Manu2007), then it is creating new knowledge. Imagination has multiple aspects. It can provide the ability to think of something that does not currently exist but may be possible to develop. It can help develop mental images. It can explain events or activities by providing reasons rather than causes.

5.2 The road to innovation

• Having cultivated creativity does not mean automatically being innovative. Furthermore, being innovative at one point does not imply being innovative continually.
• Imagination stimulates innovation. This process begins with thinking outside of the box. However, many companies, after having developed a radical innovation, settle for incremental innovations, thinking that what they have is good enough and should not be changed except through small improvements

5.3 The process of creativity fueled innovation

• Creativity process is stimulated by imagination, it begins with a specific question or well-defined assignment. 
• The process has four critical stages:
• Preparation Stage
• In order for ideas to be implemented, the creativity process needed to be initiated. The first step in this undertaking is having enthusiastic and creative leaders and equally creative workers. 
• If such leadership exists, then intellectual workers will be stimulated. The leadership should articulate a vision for the workers. In this way the decision is made to proceed with the innovation and the work is delegated.
• Action Stage
• In this stage the creative work is performed. Workers with ideas and experience may gain more influence over the group. As the project progresses, feedback should be provided on what has been accomplished thus far. The feedback also recognizes workers for their contributions.
• Verification Stage
• The results of the action stage must be inspected and verified. Prototypes of the creativity process can be used as a yard stick to assess the results
• Marketing Planning Stage
• Market research is planned, and costs are estimated for the product development. The desirability of the product and its market potential must be evaluated so that the product can be profitable. Market potential estimates indicate the cost factor for the total production and what kind of pricing strategy should be used

5.4 Thinking outside the box

• If the organization culture focuses on imagination cultivation and encourages its key people to think outside of the box, that organization may be an innovative one. 
• The corporate culture may encourage free thinking before innovation activities begin. Therefore, some of the people who are participating in the innovation process might have a greater ability to think.
• In such cases, there is even a greater opportunity to generate better ideas for the corporate entity or the organization where the creativity process is materializing. Certain conditions can nurture thinking, and although it is not the same as nurturing imagination or creativity, nurturing thinking can pay off.

5.5 Strategies thinking outside the box

• Questioning the status quo
• Solving problems creatively
• Breaking free of routine
• Reframing questions
• Stepping out of their shoes
• Managing creativity
• Challenging assumptions
• Turning failure into opportunity

5.6 Thinking inside the box

• Thinking in traditional fashion, bound by old, non-functional, or limiting structures, rules, or practices.
• Thinking inside the box constrains the brain’s options and regulates how it produces ideas. By constraining and channeling our brains, we make them work both harder and smarter to find creative solutions. Thinking inside the box helps you find these surprising innovations.