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Creativity
Creativity
Are you Creative?
4 approaches to creativity
• Person
• Process
• Product
• Press/Environment
PersonA creative person is different from an ordinary person. He
possess unique capabilities like:
• Seeing problems
• Fluency
• Flexibility
• Originality
• Elaboration
• Inquisitiveness
• Persistency
• Risk-taking
• Visualisation
• Extending Boundaries
• Humour
ProcessAccording to “Wallace” a creative thinking process involves
• Preparation
• Incubation
• Illumination
• Verification
According to “Torrance” creativity is a process of enhancing incubation through
• Heightening anticipation
• Deepening expectations
• Keeping it going
ProductA creative product must be
• Novel
• Meaningful
• Useful
• Aesthetic
PressA creative environment must be
• Stimulating cum protective
• Absent from premature criticism
• Freedom for diversity
• Opportunities to master techniques
• Physical and financial facilities
• Esteem for innovators
Principles for generating creative environment
• Be respectful for unusual questions
• Be respectful of imaginative, unusual ideas.
• Show your peers that their ideas have values.
• Encourage experimentation without the threat of evaluation
• Evaluation with causes and consequences.
Blocks to Creative Thinking
• Perceptual
• Intellectual
• Emotional
• Cultural
• Environmental
Perceptual BlocksThese blocks result from our mental set or predisposition
towards seeing the problem or situation in the way we want to or are used to.
• Imposition of self restrictions
• Unable to see the problems from varied frames
• Fixed mental set• Difficulty to establish
remote relationships• Saturation of senses• Failure to utilise all
sensory inputs etc.
Intellectual BlocksThese arise from our inability to restructure the problem
and/or our existing knowledge
• Preference for verbal forms• Inadequate use of
alternative problem solving• Lack of correct relevant
information• Inability to identify hidden
assumptions• Need for closure-forcing
incomplete incorrect inferences etc.
Emotional BlocksThese frustrate our problem solving efforts and have one common source…FEAR. They might have their origin in
childhood experiences and are usually irrational.• Fear of making a mistake,
falling or taking risks.• Fear of criticism, of being
changed, of insecurity.• Inability to tolerate
ambiguity• Preference for judging
rather than generating ideas• Inability to incubate• Over motivation• Difficulty in visualisation
Cultural BlocksThese blocks derive sustenance from an over-anxiety to
conform
• Fantasizing is a waste of time
• Work and play cannot mix
• Reason is rational, Intuition is irrational
• Scientific thinking is THE answer.
Environmental BlocksThese blocks arise outside ourselves and are the result of the
environment about us
• Compulsion towards conformity
• Boss’ idea is the best• Over reliance on
expertise• Frequent distractions
Multiple Intelligences
• Linguistic – Skill with words (writers, public speakers and negotiators)
• Mathematical/Logical – Skill in analysis and logic (scientists, economists, mathematicians and statisticians)
• Visual/Spatial – the ability to visualise and create images in your mind’s eye (architects, navigators, artists and photographers)
Multiple Intelligences
• Musical – The ability to create and identify complex patterns of sound (musicians, composers and lovers of classical music)
• Kinesthetic – The ability to use the body skillfully – surgeons, athletes, dancers and people who are “good with their hands”)
Multiple Intelligences
• Interpersonal- the ability to communicate well (salespeople, gifted trainers and some parents)
• Intra-personal – The ability to create one’s own goals and plans, to be reflective (to analyse one’s behaviour as a guide to future action)
Ingredients of Creativity
• Recognising patterns
• Making connections
• Taking risks
• Challenging assumptions
• Taking advantage of chance
• Seeing new ways
Six common mistakes in logic
• Jump to conclusions
• Attack the person
• Appeal to an authority
• Think in “all-or-nothing” terms
• Base arguments on emotion
• Preconceived notions
Thinking CharacteristicsRoutine Thinking
• Little new or unknown• Limited use of memory storage• Little redefinition and comparing
of retrieved information• Logical and precise• Rigidity of ideas• Conformist• Passive• Stereotyped• Inhibited• Reassuring, certainty• High degree of “rightness”• Convergent thinking – directed
towards right answer or solution
Creative Thinking• Much new and unknown• Full use of memory storage• High degree of redefinition and
experimenting with retrieved information
• Non-logical and approximate• Fluency of ideas• Spontaneous, flexible• Active• Original• Free-ranging• Confusion, uncertainty• “Wrongness” accepted• Divergent thinking –no precise
solutions but searching and experimenting for further retrieval and learning
Learning Styles
• Activist
• Reflector
• Theorist
• Pragmatist
ActivistHaving an Experience
Most Preferred• New Experiences• Ideas without
constraint• In at the deep end -
challenges
Least Preferred• Listening to how to do• Data Assimilation• Solitary Work
Blockage to Learning - Activist
• Short of time to plan or think
• Preference to move quickly from one activity to another
• Impatient for action
• Reluctance to listen carefully and analytically
• Reluctance to write down things
Developing Learning Style - Activist
• Practise observing verbal and non verbal behaviour of others
• Keep a diary and reflect on what you have learnt• Practise reviewing and summarising meetings and
discussions• Offer to investigate a problem, research some facts• List the pros and cons of proposed actions
ReflectorReviewing the experience
Most Preferred• Stand back and
observe• Opportunity to review
learning• Making decision in
own time
Least Preferred• Instant reaction
required• Given cut and dried
instructions• Pressed for time –
rushed activities
Blockage to Learning- Reflector
• Fear of failure and of making mistakes
• Fear of ridicule
• Anxiety about trying unfamiliar things
• Strong wish to have everything well thought out in advance
• Self-doubt, seeking confidence
• Taking life very seriously
Developing Learning Style - Reflector
• Experiment with new behaviour
• Practise starting conversations
• Talk to managers from different functions
• Force yourself into the limelight e.g. chair meetings, make presentations
TheoristConcluding from the experience
Most Preferred• Structured situation• Clear Purpose• System or model
offered• Chance to analyse and
generalise
Least Preferred• Emotional Situation• Incompatible
Techniques• Being out of tune with
others.
Blockages to Learning - Theorist
• Preference for perfect rather than practical solutions to problems
• Seeing even useful techniques as over-simplifications or gimmicky
• Enjoying interesting diversions and being side-tracked
• Leaving things open-ended rather than committing to specific action
• Believing someone else’s ideas will not work in your situation
Developing Learning Style - Theorist
• Collect as many techniques as possible• Take the opportunity to experiment• If others do something well, try to model
yourself on them• Invite others to observe your techniques and
give feedback• Concentrate on producing action plans daily
which are specific and have deadlines
PragmatistPlanning the next steps
Most Preferred• Linkages between
subject and problem clear
• Opportunity to tackle real problems
Least Preferred• Talk and Chalk• No apparent relevance
Blockage to Learning - Pragmatist
• Taking things at face value
• Preference for intuition and subjectivity
• Dislike of a structured approach to life
• Giving high priority to fun-loving spontaneity
Developing Learning Styles - Pragmatist
• Devote time to reading course material
• Practise spotting inconsistencies in arguments of others
• Plan discussions and meetings with clear agendas
• Practise asking open questions
Why? What? How?
Attitudes that kill creative ideas
• Don’t be ridiculous• We’ve tried that before• We’ve never done it
before• It costs too much• That’s beyond our
responsibility• It’s too radical a change
• We don’t have time• We are too small for
that• That will make other
equipment obsolete• Not practical for
operating people• The union will scream• Lets go back to reality
Attitudes that kill Creative thinking
• Why change it? It’s still working OK.
• You are two years ahead of your time.
• We are not ready for that.• It isn’t in the budget.• Can’t teach an old dog
new tricks• Top management will go
for it
• We’ll be the laughing stock
• We did all right without it
• Let’s form a committee• Has anyone else ever
tried it?• Are our competitors
doing it?• That’s not our problem
SCAMPER
• Substitute
• Combine
• Alter
• Modify
• Put to other use
• Eliminate
• Reverse
Random Stimulation
• This is a discovery approach to finding ideas, looking in random places where we detect no kind of parallel in the hope of finding something of value.
Random Stimulation – Step One
• Select any product you want to improve
• Write down the attributes of that product
Random Stimulation- Step Two
• Choose any word at random from a dictionary or from the list below:
Barrack, tent, truant, blossom, cake, truck, fire, paper, lamp, shirt, cigarette, TV, cow, heart, gambler, book, bed, spectacles, bath tub, toothbrush, shoes, circle, sky, branch, glue, ulcer, cloak, weed, miracle, forest.
• List the features or ideas that the word brings to your mind.
Random Stimulation – Step Three
• Now force fit the first attribute of the product with the first attribute/idea of your random word.
• Do it for all the attributes you have listed for the product.
Plant Analogy
• Plants are the basic producers of all food. They trap solar energy and store it up as starch. To do this they need water taken in through the roots and carbon dioxide gas taken in through the leaves. In addition for healthy growth they need various minerals from the soil which may have to be replaced with compost or fertilisers. Plant systems offer many useful parallels for analysing the business situation in fresh ways.
Plant Analogy• What kind of plant is our business most like – flower, vegetable,
shrub, tree?• What is the sunshine of our business?• What cuts off the sunshine and shades the plant?• Describe the root system and explain how it spreads.• Are there any stones or layers of hardpan or rock that restrict the
root growth?• Does the plant get sufficient water; how can it be watered or
irrigated?• Does the plant need fertilising, and if yes how this done?• Is there a natural limit to the growth of this kind of plant even if
no other plants compete? Explain.• Does the plant produce seeds?
Morphological AnalysisPower Supply
Bulb Type
Light Intensity
Size Style Colour Material
Battery Halogen Low Very Large
Modern Black Metal
Mains Bulb Medium Large Antique White Ceramic
Solar Daylight High Medium Roman Metallic Concrete
Generator Coloured Variable Small Art Terra Cotta
Bone
Crank Arc Very Small
Eastern Enamel Glass
Gas Flame Hand Held Industrial Natural Wood
Oil/Petrol Ethnic Fabric Stone
Plastic
Story MakingMain Secondary Other Scene Body End
Father Mother Aunt House Character Happy
Uncle Sister Cousin Countryside
Murder Sad
Friend Neighbour Dog City Relationship
Mystery
I Colleague Hospital Emotional Tragic
How to grow up Creatively GiftedE Paul Torrance
• Don’t be afraid to “fall in love with” something and pursue it with intensity (You will do best what you like to do best)
• Know, understand, take pride in, practice, develop, use, exploit, and enjoy your greatest strengths.
• Learn to free yourself from the expectations of others and to walk away from the games they try to impose upon you.
How to grow up Creatively GiftedE Paul Torrance
• Free yourself to “play your own game” in such a way as to make good use of your gifts.
• Find a teacher or mentor who will help you.• Don’t waste a lot of expensive, unproductive energy
trying to be well rounded (Don’t try to do everything. Do what you can do well and what you love)
• Learn the skills of interdependence (Learn to depend on one another, giving freely of your greatest strengths and most intense love)
