Creativity in workplace

CREATIVITY IN WORKPLACE

HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATIONSP.A. 202

DANES C. GANANCIAL

Reporter

MELBA B. SULLIVAN, Ph.D.

Professor

"Creativity is the ability to respond to all that goes onaround us, to choose from the hundreds ofpossibilities of thought, feeling, action, and reactionthat arise within us, and to put these together in aunique response, expression, or message that carriesmoment, passion, and meaning.”

- Picture Colo- Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Woman Who Run With the Wolves

“We need a new frame of reference in which to picture ourselves growing and recognizing how the confluence of inner resources and life circumstances can present us with opportunities to revive our lives in meaningful, satisfying ways.”

- Gene D. Cohen (2000), The Creative Age, p. 77

CREATIVITY Although there are many approaches about

creativity, it is commonly defined as a mental process,which involves the generation of new ideas or newassociations of the creative mind between existingconcepts. An alternative conception of creativity isthat it is simply the act of making something new.

Even when creativity is popularly associated withart and literature, it is also an essential part ofinnovation and invention and is important inprofessions such as business, economics, architecture,industrial design, science and engineering.

Creativity n.

— creative ability; artistic or intellectual inventiveness

— having the power to create; pertaining to creation; inventive; productive (of) as in a creative mind

Creative adj.

Create v.t.

— to originate; to bring into being from nothing

Definition (process) “A creator [must] claim appreciators or

admirers to be legitimatized as a true creator.” Simonton, 1990

“The intersection of two ideas for the first time” Keep, cited in Taylor, 1988

“By this term, it means ability to think outside the box, create something new and find solutions to problems.”

Definition (originality)

Creativity "is the skill of bringing about something new and valuable." Young (1985, p.85) “Creativity is the process of bringing

something new into birth.” (May, 1959) “The ability to relate and to connect,

sometimes in odd and striking fashion, lies at the heart of any creative use of the mind, no matter what field or discipline.” (Siedel, 1962)

THREE DOMAINS OF CREATIVITY

Art (ah!) as in beauty

Discovery (aha!) as in enlightenment.

Humor (haha!) as in joyful pleasure.

Left Brain, Right Brain Nobel Prize-winning psychobiologist Roger Sperry

showed that: Each hemisphere of the brain processed different types of information.

• Broadly put, the left brain is the objective, analytical, logical half of the brain, looking at information sequentially and focusing on individual parts rather than on the whole.

• The right brain, on the other hand, is the subjective, intuitive, playful part of the brain; it looks at information in a more random fashion, seeing the whole rather than the parts.

CREATIVE THINKING

is the process, which we use when we come up with a new idea. It is divided into divergent and convergent reasoning.

CREATIVE THINKING STYLESDIVERGENT THINKING

• Think around or away from the problem

• Discontinuity / break

‘Dig another hole’

• Spontaneous, informal, random

• Remove constraints

Unconscious processes

CONVERGENT THINKING• Think through or into

the problem• Continuity / evolution• ‘Dig a deeper hole’• Systematic, formal,

focused• Work within

constraints• Conscious processes

Creative thinking styles

Divergent thinkingis the intellectual ability to think of many original, diverse, and elaborate ideas.

Convergent thinkingis the intellectual ability to logically evaluate, critique and choose the best idea from a selection of ideas.

These are two mutually exclusive mental activities

Diverging and Converging

Joined up thinking

Capacity to move between thinking styles

Tolerance for contradictions: ‘ego strength’

Putting together habitually disconnected frames of references – ‘bisociation’

Creative process is not chaotic, but finds transition points between order and chaos

Creativity and the Value Chain

Flow

(Autotelic experience) occurs whenpeople experience a state of effortlessconcentration and enjoyment

PHASES OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Preparation (phase one)

• The individual learns about the problem.• This includes understanding the elements of

the problem and how they relate to each other.

• It may include looking at the problem from different perspectives or asking other people what they know or think about the problem.

Incubation (phase two)

• In this stage, the prepared decision maker explores a multitude of different paths toward new alternatives.o Production or generation of new

alternatives

Illumination (phase three)

This is the instant of becoming aware ofa new candidate solution to a problem,that flash of insight when all the piecescome together, either spontaneously or asthe result of careful study and work.

Verification (phase four)

In the final step the decision maker must verify that the candidate solution does in fact have merit.

Three definitions of creativity

ProcessTolerating contradictions + Bisociative thinking

ContentInnovation + Value

OutcomesTransformation + Rethinking(From Bilton and Cummings, Creative Strategy (forthcoming)

Types of CreativityThe 4 P’s

Person Process Product Place (or environment)

PersonProcess

Place (or environment)

Workplace

PERSON

Aware of CreativenessOriginal Independent Risk Taking Energetic CuriousHumorousAttracted to ComplexityArtisticOpen-MindedNeeds Alone Time Perceptive

Creative People: Creative Characteristics

BEING CREATIVE

"Being creative is seeing the same thing as everybody else but thinking of something different”.

Only if you are able to view things in new ways or from a different perspective and to generate new possibilities or new alternatives you can be a creative

person. The characteristics of the creative personality are:

The characteristics of the creative personality are

Creative individuals not only have a great deal ofenergy, but they are also quiet.

Creative individuals tend to be smart, yet alsonaive at the same time.

Creative individuals alternate betweenimagination and reality.

Even if creative individuals are remarkablehumble, they are proud at the same time.

Most creative people are very passionate abouttheir work, yet they can be extremely objectiveabout it as well.

Creative individuals have a combination of orresponsibility and irresponsibility.

PRODUCT

PRODUCT

What makes a product, service, process orprocedure innovative? It is useful to think ofproduct/service as a collection of consumerbenefits – technical, non-technical andattitudinal

Creative Product Convergent Thinking (left brain) Divergent Thinking (right brain)

• Fluency• Flexibility• Originality• Elaboration

Creative Product

• Convergent Thinking (left brain)• Divergent Thinking (right brain)

• Fluency• Flexibility• Originality• Elaboration

Fluency

refers to the production of a great number of ideas or alternate solutions to a problem. Fluency implies understanding, not just remembering information that is learned.

Keywords: Compare, convert, count, define, describe, explain, identify, label, list, match, name, outline, paraphrase, predict, summarize.

Flexibility

refers to the production of ideas that show a variety of possibilities or realms of thought. It involves the ability to see things from different points of view, to use many different approaches or strategies.

Keywords: Change, demonstrate, distinguish, employ, extrapolate, interpolate, interpret, predict.

Originality

involves the production of ideas that are unique orunusual. It involves synthesis or putting informationabout a topic back together in a new way.

Keywords: Compose, create, design, generate, integrate,modify, rearrange, reconstruct, reorganize, and revise.

Elaboration

is the process of enhancing ideas by providing more detail. Additional detail and clarity improves interest in, and understanding of, the topic.

Keywords: Appraise, critique, determine, evaluate, grade, judge, measure, select, and test.

PROCESS

Creative Process Combinations of two ideas that

are unrelated

Torrance’s Definition

Creative Problem Solving (CPS)

Brainstorming

Torrance’s Definition

“I have tried to describe creative thinking as taking place in the process of (1) sensing difficulties…(2) making guesses/formulating hypotheses…(3) testing these guesses and possibly revising (4) communicating the results. I like this definition because it describes a natural process” (1995)

Creative Problem Solving (CPS)

CPS MODEL (sometimes without first step)• Mess finding (locating a problem)• Fact finding (examine what you know)• Problem finding (select a definition)• Idea finding (brainstorming)• Solution finding (evaluating ideas)• Acceptance finding (implementing ideas)

Brainstorming

• As much as you can as fast as you can• Piggyback on the ideas of others• Don’t judge yourself or others• Wild, wacky, zany is desired

Brainstorming Rules

Expressiveness - Say whatever ideas come to mind without focusing on constraintsNon-evaluation - No criticism allowed; all are valuableQuantity - Produce as many ideas as possibleBuilding - Expand on other people’s ideas

Brain Writing

• Hybrid of both individual and group brainstorming

• Produces more ideas than • brainstorming

CAN YOU TEACH CREATIVITY??

(It depends on your definition)

1990’s change to Bloom’s Taxonomy(Reflects the relevance to 21st century skills)

What is Everyday Creativity?

Everyday CreativityNine Key Concepts: Creativity is the ability to look at the

ordinary and see the … extraordinary. Every act can be a creative one. Creativity is a matter of perspective. There’s always more than one right

answer. Reframe problems into opportunities. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Break the pattern. Train your technique. You’ve got to really care.

- (Dewitt Jones)

- Ruth Richards

"Everyday creativity is about everyone, throughout our lives, and fundamental to our very survival...With our everyday creativity, we adapt flexibly, we improvise, we try different options.”

- Davis, 2004

“Creativeness is not identical to mentally-healthy self-actualization; however, it is an important component. Further, the more you come to define creativity as a lifestyle — a way of living and perceiving—the greater is the overlap.”

“We know this—everyone can increase his or her creative capability.”

Final thoughts…

Many definitions of creativity add tothe richness and confusionsurrounding the topic

Creativity can be encouraged andaspects can be taught

Creative people go through a creativeprocess to produce creative productsin a creative press

Cultivate the creative ideas of others

- (Bleadow, 2002)

“Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely place. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”

CREATIVITY IN MANAGEMENT

What is Creativity?

• It is the reorganization of experience into new configurations.

• A function of knowledge, imagination, and evaluation

Creativity in Management:

Paradoxical thinking

What is creativity?The ‘industrial’ definition(DCMS):

• Individual creativity, skill and talent.• Potential for wealth and job creation• Generation and exploitation of intellectual

property• Implications (‘the myth of genius’)• Emphasis on individual talent (myth of

genius)• Wealth and jobs (economic rationality)• Value chain – content is king, task

specialization

Beyond Innovation

o Innovation + Value / fitness for purpose

o Ideas are not enougho Multiplicityo Stages in the processo Members of the teamo From ideas to intellectual propertyo Beyond the myth of genius

Management / strategy as a creative processCreativity as a managed / strategic process

Uncreative management

Career specializationo Educationo Career paths

Organisational specializationo Task specialization, especially as

organisations grow–‘creatives vs. suits’

o ‘Buffering’ the creative process: ‘talent silos’

o Separation of ‘strategic’ and ‘operational’ roles

o Value chain specialization…

Rethinking ‘creatives vs. suits’ Kirton’s ‘Adapters and

Innovators’ Mixing not matching De Bono’s ‘Six Thinking Hats’ Thinking outside the role Bilton & Leary Management as talent

broker

Rethinking ‘creative individuals’The comfort zone: unmanageable creative and uncreative managersMutual stereotyping which supports task specialization and allows us to feel superiorThe Dorian Gray Effect: avoiding our own reflections

Creative management

Process: paradoxical thinking, tolerating

contradictions- Honda

Content: innovation + valuable (valuable

innovation)- Marks & Spencer

Outcome: transformation and rethinking

- Cirque du Soleil

Creativity and Innovation

Innovation vs. creativity• Creativity = the idea• Innovation = putting into place

• Innovation essential to establish and maintain competitive advantage

• New approaches• Options for adaptation

Creative Personality• An ability to generate large

number of ideas• To give different perspective• Unusual Novel answer• Ability to handle ambiguity• Intellectual abilities• Adequate knowledge• Confidence

Learning to Be More CreativeMental Locks That Block Creativity - Von Oech’s Ten Block

The Right Answer - Looking for the “right” answer. That’s Not Logical - Always trying to be logical. Follow The Rules - Strictly following the rules. Be Practical - Insist on being practical. Play Is Frivolous - Not having serious purpose or value. That’s Not My Area - Becoming too specialized. Don’t Be Foolish - Not wanting to look foolish. Avoid Ambiguity - Avoiding ambiguity or lack of

commitment. To Err Is Wrong I’m Not Creative - Saying, “I’m not creative.

For Discussion: Which of these mental locks typically stifle your own creativity? What can you do to avoid them?

Creativity: why promote it? Leads to more rigorous and critical thinking Objectives are achieved more readily Increases motivation, deep concentration

and engagement Improves relationships Develops the talent of the individual Develops skills for adult life – adaptability,

coping with uncertainty and change

Creative Process

A Model of Creativity

Stages Of CreativityExploring: Questioning and challengingInventing: Making significant connections Selecting: Playing with ideas, keeping options openImplementation: Applying learning in new ways and contextsEvaluation: Evaluating ideas and actions

Enhancing Creativity• How to develop your Creativity

Tools for Developing Creativity o The Global Brain: Internet, Blog, and

Wikipedia• The Local Brain: Brain storming• The Individual Brain: Eating,

Drinking, Playing, Exercising, Sleeping

Tips on Enhancing Creativity • Always keep a notepad around to write

down your thoughts. Even at night, write down what one can remember from my dreams.

• Always keep the computer handy so that you can enter well developed thoughts from your notepad.

• Whenever feasible, get on the Internet to do a search to find related ideas.

-Newspapers and magazines offer important clues.

-To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.

Creativity Techniques

Fluent and flexible thinking Idea checklists (Alex F Osborn)

(Add, Subtract, Alter, Rearrange, Adapt, Magnify, Opposite, Minify)

Other, Alternative• Brainstorming (Alex F Osborn)

• Synectics (W J J Gordan)

• Delphi Method • Six thinking Hats (Dr. Edward De Bono)

White- Information; Green-Alternatives; Yellow –benefits; Black- Judgment; Red – Emotions; Blue-Control

• Morphological (Fritz Zwicky) – 3 to the power 3• Mind Mapping (Tony Buzan)

• Lateral thinking (Edward De Bono)

• Guided Visualization (Chris Musselwhite and Cheryl De Ciantis)

Brainstorming is a lateral thinking process. It asks

that people come up with ideasand thoughts even if it seem atfirst to be a bit shocking or crazy.You can then change and improvethem into ideas that are useful,and often stunningly original.

Synectics is a problem solving methodology that

stimulates thought processes of whichthe subject may be unaware.

The name Synectics comes from theGreek and means, "the joiningtogether of different and apparentlyirrelevant elements.

Synectics The process was derived from tape-

recording (initially audio, later video)meetings, analysis of the results andexperiments with alternative ways ofdealing with the obstacles to successin the meeting. "Success" was definedas getting a creative solution that thegroup was committed to implement.

Synectics research has three main assumptions:

• The creative process can be described and taught;

• Invention processes in arts and sciences are analogous and are driven by the same "psychic" processes;

• Individual and group creativity are analogous.

Delphi Method is a structured communication

technique, originally developed as asystematic, interactive forecastingmethod which relies on a panel ofexperts. The experts answerquestionnaires in two or more rounds.After each round, a facilitator providesan anonymous summary of the experts’forecasts from the previous round aswell as the reasons they provided fortheir judgments.

Delphi Method

Thus, experts are encouraged torevise their earlier answers in light ofthe replies of other members of theirpanel. It is believed that during thisprocess the range of the answers willdecrease and the group will convergetowards the "correct" answer.

The six thinking hats

While using this technique, you cansee different alternatives to get thebest solution to solve a problem. Yourdecisions and plans will mix ambition,skill in execution, sensitivity, creativityand good contingency planning.

The six thinking hats

Morphological is actually a group of methods that share the same

structure. This method breaks down a system,product or process into its essential sub-concepts,each concept representing a dimension in a multi-dimensional matrix. Thus, every product isconsidered as a bundle of attributes. New ideasare found by searching the matrix for newcombination of attributes that do not yet exist. Itdoesn’t provide any specific guidelines forcombining the parameters. It tends to provide alarge number of ideas.

Mind Mapping

graphical technique for visualizing connections between several ideas or pieces of information. Each idea or fact is written down and then linked by lines or curves to its major or minor (or following or previous) idea or fact, thus creating a web of relationships.

Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is used in note taking,brainstorming, problem solving, andproject planning. Like other mappingtechniques its purpose is to focusattention, and to capture and frameknowledge to facilitate sharing of ideasand concepts.

Mind Mapping

Guided imagery or visualization:

Imagery is the most fundamental language we have. Everything you do, the mind processes through images. When we recall events from our past or childhood, we think of pictures, images, sounds, pain, etc. It is hardly ever be through words.


Unfortunately, many of the images popping into our heads do more harm than good. In fact, the most common type of imagery is worry. Being worrying, what we worry about exists only in our imaginations.


One of the main things his research showed was that almost all of the world-class athletes and other peak performers are visualizers. They see it; they feel it; they experience it before they actually do it. They begin with the end in mind.

Guided imagery or visualization: You can do it in every area of your life.

Before a performance, a sales presentation, a difficult confrontation, or the daily challenge of meeting a goal, see it clearly, vividly, relentlessly, over and over again. Create an internal "comfort zone." Then, when you get into the situation, it isn't foreign. It doesn't scare you.

Lateral thinking

Recognizes that our brains are pattern recognition systems, and that they do not function like computers. It takes years of training before we learn to do simple arithmetic – something that computers do very easily

Lateral thinking On the other hand, we can instantly

recognize patterns such as faces, language, and handwriting. The only computers that begin to be able to do these things do it by modeling the way that human brain cells work. Even then, computers will need to become more powerful before they approach our ability to handle patterns.

Lateral thinking The benefit of good pattern recognition is

that we can recognize objects and situations very quickly. Imagine how much time would be wasted if you had to do a full analysis every time you came across a cylindrical canister of effervescent fluid. Most people would just open their can of fizzy drink. Without pattern recognition we would starve or be eaten. We could not cross the road safely.

Lateral thinking

Unfortunately, we get stuck in our patterns. We tend to think within them. Solutions we develop are based on previous solutions to similar problems. Normally it does not occur to us to use solutions belonging to other patterns.

Lateral thinking We use lateral thinking techniques

to break out of this patterned way of thinking.

Lateral thinking techniques help us to come up with startling, brilliant and original solutions to problems and opportunities.

Lateral thinking It is important to point out that each

type of approach has its strength. Logical, disciplined thinking is enormously effective in making products and services better. It can, however, only go so far before all practical improvements have been carried out.

Lateral thinking

Lateral thinking can generate completely new concepts and ideas, and brilliant improvements to existing systems. In the wrong place, however, it can be sterile or unnecessarily disruptive.

Creativity Stimulation Techniques

Reverse Brain storming Creative Overloading Creative benchmarking Creative thinking network Stakeholder Council Creative Scenario building Exnovation Creativity Training

Determinants of Organizational Creativity

Five major organizational factors that enhance creativity in a work environment:

Organizational climateLeadership styleOrganizational cultureResources and skillsThe structure and systems of

an organization

MANAGING CREATIVITYAND INNOVATION

Innovation

– is the implementation of new ideas at the individual, group or organizational level

Creativity

– is the development of ideas aboutproducts, practices, services, orprocedures that are novel andpotentially useful to the organization

Eureka! (A cry of joy or satisfaction when one finds or discovers something)

What Does It Take to Be Creative?

Time Hard work Mental energy

What Does It Take to Be Creative?

Time Hard work Mental energy

Characteristics of Creative People

Personality Traits of Creative People

• Persistence• Self-confidence• Independence• Attraction to complexity• Tolerance of ambiguity• Intuitiveness• Have broad interests• Are energetic• Drive to achieve• Love their work• Take risks

Cognitive Creativity Skills

• Think creatively• Generate alternatives• Engage in divergent thinking• Suspend judgment

Domain-Specific Knowledge Develops Via

Education Training Experience Contextual Knowledge

Creativity EnhancersFocus on intrinsic motivationCreativity goalsDevelopmental feedbackSupportive supervisionHealthy competitionParticipative decision makingAutonomyHire creative peopleEnriched, complex jobsProvide resourcesClear organizational goalsInstructions to be creativeRecognize and reward creativity

Creativity Enhancers Encourage risk taking No punishment for failure Workforce diversity Internal and external interaction Diverse teams skilled at working

together Supportive climate Organizational culture the promotes

innovation Flexible, flat structures Close interaction and relationships with

customers

How Can Organizations Foster Creativity?

Management Style and Creativity

Encourage risk taking Provide autonomy Encourage productivity - “sweat

equity” Supportive supervision, climate,

and work group Participative leadership

Organization Design and Creativity

Creativity Killers

Excessive focus on extrinsic motivation Limits set by superiors Critical evaluation Close, controlling supervision Competition in a win-lose situation Control of decision makingControl of

information

Management Style and Creativity

Encourage risk taking Provide autonomy Encourage productivity - “sweat

equity” Supportive supervision, climate,

and work group Participative leadership

Innovation has three distinct determining characteristics:

Novelty Resolution Elaboration or

Synthesis

Novelty

refers to the originality of the product, service or procedure: that is, will users be attracted to it because of its uniqueness?

Resolution

refers to whether the idea, product, service or procedure will ‘fill the bill’ and be relevant to the problem or unanswered need at hand. In other words, the innovative product or service has to be perceived as ‘the answer’ to the existing challenge, problem or situation.

Elaboration or Synthesisrelates to style and how the product, service or procedure is completed and presented. Is the product, service or procedure:

Well-crafted and/or appealing to users/consumers?Well presented or packaged? Simple to used or understand? User friendly?Easy to commercialize?Will people buy it and/or use it?

Ideas ManagementIdeas need to be:

GeneratedCaptured and RetrievableEvaluatedDeveloped ImplementedRewardedMeasured

Innovation Leadership: Attitudes

Deliberate climate creation and cultural influence

Innovation vision Encourage challenge & risk taking Collaboration Resources for innovation Celebration

Innovation Leadership: Innovation Competence

Model and coach for innovation and creativity

Develop innovation teams and leaders

Generate breakthrough ideas Capitalize on entrepreneurship Customer Service Insight into drivers and opportunities

Four-Power Innovation

FIOUR SIGHT PREFERENCES

MANAGING FOR PERFORMANCE: INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL CREATIVITY

Opening Our Minds: Perception, Curiosity and Exploration

Imagine the familiar in a new light Find links among unrelated phenomena Realize the impact of change Accept new perspectives Follow a broad and moving path

Exploring Creative Thinking Techniques

Soft Thinking Hard Thinking Visual Thinking

Activities Idea Listing

Activities Writing Activities Group Interaction

Activities Process-Product

Activities

Exploring Creative Thinking Techniques

Examining Creativity in the Workplace

Supervisors that held higher creativity expectations were viewed as rewarding creativity, recognizing creative efforts, allocating more resources, encouraging collaboration and sharing, applying creative goal setting and modeling creative behavior in their own work


Employees interpret meaning through environmental cues and supervisors must communicate through behavior.


Self-efficacy levels influence the extent to which employees entertain creative activities, initiate creative acts, and sustain creative levels in their work.


Supervisors must be aware of the impact and clearly state expectations to shape creative effort and manage the supervisor/employee relationship.

Measuring Creativityo Divergent Thinking Tests – Open-

ended questionso Torrance Tests of Creative

Thinkingo Guilford Testso Personality & Biographical

Inventories – perceptions, attitudes, values, interests, motivations

o Hocevar

PERSONALITY TRAITS OF THE CREATIVE PERSON

Self-Actualized Creativity (Maslow)• Perceive reality more accurately and

objectively; tolerate and even like ambiguity; are not threatened by the unknown.

• Accept themselves, others, and human nature.

• Are spontaneous, natural, and genuine.• Are problem-centered, non-egotistical;

have a philosophy of life and probably a mission in life

• Need some privacy and solitude more than others do; are able to concentrate intensely.

Self-Actualized Creativity (Maslow)• Are independent, self-sufficient and

autonomous; have less need for praise or popularity.

• Have capacity to appreciate again and again simple and commonplace experiences; have zest in living, ability to handle stress, high humor.

• Have (and are aware of) their rich, alive, fulfilling peak experiences.

• Have deep feelings of brotherhood with all mankind; are benevolent, altruistic.

• Form strong friendship ties with relatively few people; are capable of greater love.

Self-Actualized Creativity (Maslow)• Are democratic, unprejudiced in the deepest

possible sense.• Are strongly ethical and moral individual (not

necessarily conventional) ways; enjoy work in achieving a goal as much as the goal itself; are patient, for the most part.

• Have a more thoughtful, philosophical sense of humor that is constructive, not destructive.

• Are creative, original inventive with a fresh, naïve, simple and direct way of looking at life; tend to do most things creatively – but do not necessarily possess great talent.

Self-Actualized Creativity (Maslow)• Are capable of detachment from their

culture; can objectively compare cultures; can take or leave conventions.- Davis (1998) Creativity is Forever

• Your character is your destiny • On a circle, an end point can also be a

beginning point • A thing rests by changing • You can’t step in the same river twice • The sun is new each day • When there is no sun, we can see the

evening stars

CREATIVITY IN WORKPLACE

DESIGN

DESIGN

CREATIVE

WORKPLACE

STIMULATING CREATIVITY IN THE WORKPLACE

BEING CREATIVE

"Being creative is seeing the same thing as everybody else but thinking of something different”.

“Creativity can be stimulatedin the workplace in a varietyof ways to enhance creativethinking and productivity.”

1Encourage

Unconventional Thinking

Traditional thinking that only certain peopleare creative has to be thrown out the windowas all of us have a certain amount of creativitywithin us. Everyone in the creative workplaceshould be encouraged to think “Outside theBox”, (the Box being conventional thinking).Knowledge, technical skills, every day lifeexperiences and “thinking in new andunconventional ways about things” are justsome of the things that contribute tocreativity in the workplace.

2Challenge

The Rules of Thinking

Humans thought the world was flat and wewould fall off the edge until someone thoughtthe rules of thinking were wrong, challengedand changed them and set about proving thatthe world is in fact round. Thomas Edison said,“If we did all things we are capable of doing,we would literally astonish ourselves”. Let go ofthe old traditional ways of thinking. There arealways new ways of doing things, challengetraditional thinking, be innovative in yourthinking and encourage it in the workplace.Remove the “It can only be done this way”mind set.

3Recognize and Encourage

Creative Talents

Creative talent comes in many formsfrom cooking, writing, designing ordecorating the home or office.Recognizing “Creative Talents” andencouraging them whenever possiblewill promote creativity and productivityin the workplace.

4Encourage and Share

New Ideas / Imagination

Open planning invites conversation andencourages interaction and the sharingof new and imaginative ideas. Thedownside of Open planning can beinterruption from elsewhere in theworkplace. With careful balancingbetween interaction and interruption,fostering creative thinking in theworkplace is possible.

5Remove Distractions

A tidy workplace stimulates creativethinking. Remove all of the clutter(boxes, unnecessary papers, rubbishetc.) from the workplace. Have a “QuietArea” within the workplace to finalizeand consolidate ideas, or maybe, go tothe park for quite reflection andconsolidation of ideas.

6Make The Office Fun

Author Roger Von Oech wrote, “Necessity maybe the mother of invention, but play is certainlythe father.” A fun office environment is essentialto a creative and productive workplace.Inspiration can come in many forms; ie: Music,Art, Plants and Animals can enhance creativity.Creativity is associated with Joy and Love andnegativity associated with Fear, Anxiety andAnger. So whenever possible make sure theworkplace is a “Fun and Happy” environment.Today’s happiness often predicts tomorrowscreativity.

7Remove Competitive

Boundaries

Studies have shown creativity iscompromised when people in a workgroupcompete instead of collaborating. Whenpeople compete for information they stopsharing information and that doesn’tstimulate creative thinking. No singleindividual has got all the informationrequired to complete the creative process.Encourage the sharing of ideas and theideas will benefit greatly.

8Furnishings and Layout

Ergonomics are a consideration thatshould be made as a person’s comfort isa big part of their creativity, and theworkplace layout is a big part of thecreative process.

9Brainstorming Ideas

Have regular group meetings or “thinktanks” with the Creative Team to discussideas for Ad Campaigns or generalworkplace environment.

10Be Flexible

Flexibility is a key component of thecreative workplace. Be willing to try newand different approaches to just aboutanything and you will see the creativejuices flow.

“Value and recognize people’stalent and creativity willflourish, and rememberCreative Thinking turns greatideas into reality.”

Blocking Creativity

In The Workplace

Creativity can be blocked in the workplace in a variety of ways

1 Being To Practical

Being practical is good business sense but can restrict Creative Thinking. Complacency, lack of innovation or not trying new things to inspire and interest people can all block creativity in the workplace.

2 Competition, Not Collaboration

If only one person’s opinion matters then you have an unhealthy workplace. Keeping ideas to yourself can block the growth of the idea, while sharing the idea may enhance it. If there is no collaboration of ideas and no sharing of ideas, the Creative Process is stifled. Too much competition can block creativity while Creative Teams sharing and debating ideas enhances creativity.

3 Seeing Failure As A Negative

Seeing failure as a negative will discourage a person and inhibit their Creative Ideas. Not seeing failure as a stepping-stone to new ideas would block creativity in the workplace.

4 Following The Rules

Following the rules of Standard Business Practice will keep your business moving forward, but too many rules and boundaries or a lack of flexibility can block creativity in the workplace.

5 Inhibiting Creative Talents Restricting people to one area of work and not

allowing interaction and sharing of ideas will block creativity in the workplace, as will failure to look at new and innovative ways of creative thinking.

6 Group Think Mindset

Peer pressure can cause people to agree to something they wouldn’t normally agree to. This “Group Think” mindset stops people from being creative; people will “agree to agree” because the Boss may think a certain way and this blocks peoples creativity in the workplace.

7 Failure to encourage or recognize talent

Failing to recognize talent in people will block their creativity, so it is important to recognize and encourage that talent.

8 Too Many Distractions

Clutter (boxes, papers, note pads, etc.), lack of space, wrong furnishings or the lack of flare can all contribute to blocking creativity in the workplace.

9 Creative Boundaries

If you restrict people in their creative thinking by giving them boundaries then you block their creativity. True creativity has no boundaries or restrictions placed on it so remove as many boundaries as possible in the creative thinking process.

10 No Flexibility

Being practical is good business sense but can restrict Creative Thinking. Complacency, lack of innovation or not trying new things to inspire and interest people can all block creativity in the workplace.

Three definitions of creativity

ProcessTolerating contradictions + Bisociative thinkingContentInnovation + ValueOutcomesTransformation + Rethinking(From Bilton and Cummings, Creative Strategy (forthcoming)

We are moving from industrial societies to knowledge societies

Reading‘Riting

‘Rithmetic

- We must realize that it is time to move past the 3Rs :

1. Richness of curriculum2. Recursion through reflective

interaction 3. Relations of new understandings

into the larger picture; and 4. Rigor of being a critical consumer

and understanding the transitory nature of knowledge

(Doll,1993)

To the 4 Rs

Passive Active

Consumer Producer

Dependent Independent

5th R: Reverse the Role of the Learner

TYPES OF CREATIVITY

Inventive addresses a worthwhile problem novel and appropriate

solution

Expressive

Illustrates the creator’s emotions and aestheticsoriginal and valuable

Inventive Creativity

Exhibited in mathematics,

science, and social arenas

Recognizes and identifies

problems that may or may not

be apparent to others,

When solved, result in an

improvement in the domain


Saves and improves lives


May produce an intangible product--such as a social movement

Mohandas GhandiMartin Luther King, Jr.


Finds worthwhile problems Produces solutions of value

Watson, Crick, and Franklin (and Wilkins)

Documents

Creativity in workplace