Creativity

Pravin Mishra | 22 November 2020 | Design Thinking | JAGSOM

Creativity is…
 Creativity is…
the use of imagination or original ideas to create something
 Creativity is…
the use of imagination or original ideas to create something

What else?
Creativity is the act of turning new and
imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity is
characterised by the ability to perceive the world
in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make
connections between seemingly unrelated
phenomena, and to generate solutions.

Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then

producing.
Is there a difference between being
imaginative and being creative?
Is there a difference between being
imaginative and being creative?
If you have ideas but don't act on them, you
are imaginative but not creative.
Is there a difference between being
imaginative and being creative?
If you have ideas but don't act on them, you
are imaginative but not creative.

The English word creativity comes from

the Latin term creare "to create, make"
Let’s now look at how some have defined
creativity…
“Creativity is a combinatorial force: it’s
our ability to tap into our ‘inner’ pool of
resources – knowledge, insight,
information, inspiration and all the
fragments populating our minds – that
we’ve accumulated over the years just by
being present and alive and awake to the
world and to combine them in
extraordinary new ways.”

— Maria Popova, Brainpickings

“Creativity is the process of bringing
something new into being. Creativity
requires passion and commitment. It
brings to our awareness what was
previously hidden and points to new life.
The experience is one of heightened
consciousness: ecstasy.”

— Rollo May, The Courage to Create

“A product is creative when it is (a) novel
and (b) appropriate. A novel product is
original not predictable. The bigger the
concept, and the more the product
stimulates further work and ideas, the
more the product is creative.”


— Sternberg & Lubart, Defying the Crowd

What is Innovation then?
 What is Innovation then?

Innovation is the implementation of a new or

significantly improved product, service or
process that creates value for business,
government or society.
 What is Innovation then?

Innovation is the implementation of a new or

significantly improved product, service or
process that creates value for business,
government or society.

Imagination > Creativity > Innovation

The Human Mind…
Creativity and Economic Development…
 Creativity and Economic Development…
We are living in the age of creativity. Daniel Pink
in his book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-
Brainers Will Rule the Future (2006) defines
Economic Development as:


 Creativity and Economic Development…
We are living in the age of creativity. Daniel Pink
in his book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-
Brainers Will Rule the Future (2006) defines
Economic Development as:


1. Agriculture Age (farmers)

 Creativity and Economic Development…
We are living in the age of creativity. Daniel Pink
in his book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-
Brainers Will Rule the Future (2006) defines
Economic Development as:


1. Agriculture Age (farmers)

2. Industrial Age (factory workers)

 Creativity and Economic Development…
We are living in the age of creativity. Daniel Pink
in his book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-
Brainers Will Rule the Future (2006) defines
Economic Development as:


1. Agriculture Age (farmers)

2. Industrial Age (factory workers)

3. Information Age (knowledge workers)

 Creativity and Economic Development…
We are living in the age of creativity. Daniel Pink
in his book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-
Brainers Will Rule the Future (2006) defines
Economic Development as:


1. Agriculture Age (farmers)

2. Industrial Age (factory workers)

3. Information Age (knowledge workers)

4. Conceptual Age (creators and empathizers)



Pink argues that left-brain linear, analytical
computer-like thinking is being replaced by
right-brain empathy, inventiveness, and
understanding as skills most needed by
business.
In other words, creativity gives you a
competitive advantage by adding value to
your service or product and differentiating
your business from the competition.
As Sam Palmisano said when he was CEO of
IBM (2004), “Either you innovate or you’re in
commodity hell. If you do what everybody
else does, you have a low-margin business.
That’s not where we want to be.”
As Sam Palmisano said when he was CEO of
IBM (2004), “Either you innovate or you’re in
commodity hell. If you do what everybody
else does, you have a low-margin business.
That’s not where we want to be.”
In 2012 IBM started reinventing itself to become
a design company, investing $100 million USD
to hire designers, and educate 100,000
employees to become design thinkers. (2) IBM
helped expand design thinking at the
organization over three years to penetrate one
quarter of the entire portfolio, enabling $18.6M
in increased profits.
Creativity is the Most Crucial Factor for
Future Success.

IBM’s 2010 Global CEO Study

Creativity is the Most Crucial Factor for
Future Success.

IBM’s 2010 Global CEO Study

The effects of rising complexity calls for CEOs

and their teams to lead with bold creativity,
connect with customers in imaginative ways
and design their operations for speed and
flexibility to position their organizations for
twenty-first century success.
The Creativity Gap

A 2012 Adobe study on creativity shows 8 in

10 people feel that unlocking creativity is
critical to economic growth and nearly two-
thirds of respondents feel creativity is
valuable to society, yet a striking minority –
only 1 in 4 people – believe they are living up
to their own creative potential.
Can creativity be learned?
Can creativity be learned?

The short answer is yes.

A study by George Land reveals that we are
naturally creative and as we grow up we learn
to be uncreative. Creativity is a skill that can
be developed and a process that can be
managed.
Can creativity be learned?

Creativity begins with a foundation of

knowledge, learning a discipline, and
mastering a way of thinking. You can learn to
be creative by experimenting, exploring,
questioning assumptions, using imagination
and synthesing information. Learning to be
creative is akin to learning a sport. It requires
practice to develop the right muscles and a
supportive environment in which to flourish.
Can creativity be learned?

Studies by Clayton M. Christensen and his

researchers uncovered The Innovators
DNA: Your ability to generate innovative
ideas is not merely a function of the mind, but
also a function of five key behaviours that
optimize your brain for discovery:
Five key behaviours…

1. Associating: drawing connections between questions,

problems, or ideas from unrelated fields
Five key behaviours…

1. Associating: drawing connections between questions,

problems, or ideas from unrelated fields
2. Questioning: posing queries that challenge common
wisdom
Five key behaviours…

1. Associating: drawing connections between questions,

problems, or ideas from unrelated fields
2. Questioning: posing queries that challenge common
wisdom
3. Observing: scrutinizing the behavior of customers,
suppliers, and competitors to identify new ways of doing
things
Five key behaviours…

1. Associating: drawing connections between questions,

problems, or ideas from unrelated fields
2. Questioning: posing queries that challenge common
wisdom
3. Observing: scrutinizing the behavior of customers,
suppliers, and competitors to identify new ways of doing
things
4. Networking: meeting people with different ideas and
perspectives
Five key behaviours…

1. Associating: drawing connections between questions,

problems, or ideas from unrelated fields
2. Questioning: posing queries that challenge common
wisdom
3. Observing: scrutinizing the behavior of customers,
suppliers, and competitors to identify new ways of doing
things
4. Networking: meeting people with different ideas and
perspectives
5. Experimenting: constructing interactive experiences and
provoking unorthodox responses to see what insights
emerge
Sir Richard Branson has a mantra that runs
through the DNA of Virgin companies. The
mantra is A-B-C-D. (Always Be Connecting
the Dots).
Creativity is a practice, and if you practice
using these five discovery skills every day,
you will develop your skills in creativity and
innovation.
“Creativeness is the ability to see
relationships where none exist.”


— Thomas Disch, author, 334, (1974)
For example you can make comparisons
between your company and others outside of
your industry.
What companies do you most admire and
why?
What are they doing that you could adopt or
adapt to your own company?
Beliefs that only special, talented people are
creative (and you have to be born that way)
diminish our confidence in our creative
abilities. The notion that geniuses such as
Shakespeare, Picasso, and Mozart were
`gifted’ is a myth, according to a study at
Exeter University. Researchers examined
outstanding performances in the arts,
mathematics, and sports, to find out if “the
widespread belief that to reach high levels of
ability a person must possess an innate
potential called talent.”
The study concludes that excellence is
determined by:
• opportunities
• encouragement
• training
• motivation, and
• most of all, practice.
“Few showed early signs of promise prior to
parental encouragement.” No one reached
high levels of achievement in their field
without devoting thousands of hours of
serious training. Mozart trained for 16 years
before he produced an acknowledged
masterwork. Moreover many high performers
achieve levels of excellence today that match
the capabilities of a Mozart, or a Gold
Medallist from the turn of the century.”
(The Vancouver Sun, Sept.12/98)
Follow these simple rules and you will foster a
culture of creativity and innovation:
Believe you can change the world.
Work quickly, keep the tools unlocked,
work whenever.
Know when to work alone and when to
work together.
Share – tools, ideas. Trust your
colleagues.
No politics. No bureaucracy.
Any questions?