Reflective paper 1 1200 word (+/- 10%), excludes reference list
Creativity, Innovation & Design
Week 2: What is creativity, innovation and design thinking?
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In this lecture we will explore:
What is meant by creativity, innovation and design thinking?
The link between these activities
Why is creativity, innovation and design thinking important for contemporary businesses
The Creative Process Model
Does creativity mean to be original?
Is creativity a trait one is born with?
Divergent and Convergent thinking
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Defining creativity
Creativity refers to ‘novel work that is accepted as tenable or useful or satisfying by a group in some point in time’ (Stein, 1953 cited in Runco & Jaeger 2012, p. 94)
Creativity is ‘the production of novel and useful ideas in any domain’ (Amabile et al. 1996, p. 1155)
Creativity is ‘the development of original ideas that make a socially recognized contribution’ (McShane et al, 2017, p. 226)
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Creativity involves both new and useful work in a given domain that is socially accepted
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Defining innovation
Innovation is the ‘successful implementation of creative ideas within an organization’ (Amabile et al. 1996, p. 1155)
Workplace innovation refers to the ‘processes applied when attempting to implement new ideas. Specifically, innovation involves some combination
of problem/opportunity identification, the introduction, adoption or modification of new ideas germane to organizational needs, the promotion of these ideas, and the practical implementation of these ideas’ (Hughes et al. 2018, p. 551)
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Defining design thinking
Design thinking is ‘an analytic and creative process that engages a person in opportunities to experiment, create and prototype models, gather feedback, and redesign’ (Razzouk & Shute 2012, p. 330)
Design Thinking Process
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The link between the processes
Creativity
Innovation
Design thinking
Organizational Competitiveness
Profitability
Social and other outcomes
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Importance of creativity, innovation and design thinking
Creativity as one of the top three skills employees need to have – World Economic Forum, 2019 (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-10-skills-you-need-to-thrive-in-the-fourth-industrial-revolution/)
The complex and evolving nature of today’s problems
The need to stay ahead of the competition
The need to provide user-focused products and services
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The Creative Process Model (Wallas, 1926)
PREPARATION
Understand the problem/
opportunity
Investigate information that seems relevant to the issue
INCUBATION
Period of reflective thought
Non-conscious or low-level awareness, not direct attention to the issue
Active divergent thinking process
Sudden awareness of a novel, although vague and incomplete, idea entering one’s consciousness
May include an initial period of ‘fringe’ awareness
VERIFICATION
Detailed logical and experimental evaluation of the illuminated idea
Further creative thinking
ILLUMINATION
Source: McShane et al. 2017, p. 228
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Does creativity mean to be original?
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Are creatives born or made?
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Characteristics of creative people
Source: McShane et al.,2017, p. 228
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Independent imagination
High openness to experience
Moderately low need for affiliation
Strong personal values of self-direction & stimulation
Cognitive & practical intelligence
Ability to synthesize, analyze & apply ideas
Ability to evaluate the potential usefulness of ideas
Persistence
High need for achievement
Strong task motivation
Moderately high-self esteem and optimism
Knowledge & experience
Prerequisite knowledge & experience
Not locked into a fixed knowledge mindset
Creativity in action: Divergent & Convergent thinking
Divergent thinking: The process of thinking that explores multiple possible solutions in order to generate creative ideas
Convergent thinking: The process of figuring out a concrete solution to any problem
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Summary
Creativity refers to the generation of novel and useful ideas while innovations relate to the implementation of such ideas
Design thinking is a more user-centric approach to real-world problem solving
Creativity, innovation and design thinking is important for all organizations as they can spell the difference between organizational success and failure
Creativity is a process that involves a number of steps
To be creative does not mean to be purely original
Creativity can be developed by using different techniques
Creative solutions can be found by using divergent and convergent thinking
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References
Amabile, TM, Conti, R, Coon, H, Lazenby, J & Herron, M 1996, ‘Assessing the work environment for creativity’, Academy of Management Journal, vol. 39, no. 5, pp. 1154-1184.
Hughes, DJ, Lee, A, Tian, AW, Newman, A & Legood, A 2018. “Leadership, creativity, and innovation: A critical review and practical recommendations”, The Leadership Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 5, pp.549–569.
Manning, A 2018, Divergent vs. convergent thinking: How to strike a balance, Harvard Extension School, viewed 20 February 2019 , https://www.extension.harvard.edu/professional-development/blog/divergent-vs-convergent-thinking-how-strike-balance
McShane, S, Olekalns, M, Newman, A & Travaglione, T 2017, Organizational Behavior, 5th edn, McGraw-Hill Education, Australia.
Razzouk, R & Shute, V 2012, “What is design thinking and why is it important?”, Review of Educational Research, vol. 82, no. 3, pp. 330-348.
Runco, MA & Jaeger, GJ 2012, “The Standard Definition of Creativity”, Creativity Research Journal, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 92-96.
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