SML7010: Leading Through

Creativity and Innovation

Types, Process and Methods for
Creativity
Videos
• Where good Idea comes from?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU
Defining creativity
• Creativity is hard to pin down and is often used to
refer to generation of new ideas:
Creativity is the process through which new and
useful ideas are generated.
But this leaves open the question: How do we
translate ideas into outcomes?
 Human Creativity


Margaret Boden categorizes creativity into

Psychological or P-creativity

Historical or H-creativity

Boden, M. (1991). The Creative Mind:Myths and Mechanisms.

P-creativity

A novel idea that is new to person who comes up with it.

Example – student coming up with an idea which is new to
him even if it exists in literature

This creativity interests to people like pyscologists, who
wants to understand the process of creativity.
H-creativity

A novel idea that is new to person who comes up with
it and also new to everyone.

Example – inventions, discoveries

This creativity interests to people like general
audience, historians, encyclopedia users etc..

H-creativity is an instance of P-creativity.
Problem-solving
Creative problem solving usually involves
three key stages:
1. Define the problem.
2. Generate ideas.
3. Decide on the most feasible and valuable solution.
Videos
• Ideo Shopping Cart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M66ZU2PCIcM
Stages in the creative process
• Preparation stage: individuals refine goals in response to
issues or questions that they face.
•  Incubation stage: temporary breakout from preconceived
views provides space for experimentation, looking in new
ways.
• Illumination stage: use logical thought processes to turn
sudden insights into a novel and valuable solution.
• Verification stage: translation of a new idea into a
realizable solution (Wallas, 1926).
 Models on creativity
Different frameworks have been developed, e.g.:
• Three-stage model of Basadur et al. (1982) comprising:
• Problem finding,
• problem solving and
• solution implementation.
• Amabile (1983) componential framework for creativity:
• Presentation of task or problem to be solved.
• preparation (data).
• response generation of possible ideas.
• response validation checking appropriateness of new ideas.
• outcomes deemed acceptable, potential or unacceptable.
Creative thinking?
• Freeing oneself from conventional thinking.
• Unconventional thinking (novelty) may question
dominant views.
• Rooted in reality not purely imaginary.
• Part of play and humour in ‘open’ rather than ‘closed’
modes.
• Often challenges preconceptions (individual and group
level).
The Creative Thinking Process
(Source: Kuratko and Hodges, 1995)

Incubation

Knowledge Creative
Ideas
Accumulation Process

Evaluation and
Implementation
 Structured Techniques
• Environmental scanning
• Brainstorming
• Mind mapping
• 6 thinking hats (de Bono)
• Features stretching (bigger,
faster, etc)
• TRIZ (Theory of Inventive
Problem Solving)
• Synectics
• Question what works
• Negative to positive
• Brain writing 635
• Idea cards – Metaplan
• Imaginary brainstorming
• Morphological analysis
• Heuristic redefinition
• Forced connections
• Fields of future cross
referencing
• Attribute listing
• SCAMPER
TRIZ Technique
References
Amabile, T.M. and Gryskiewicz, S.S. (1989) ‘The creative environment scales: the work environment inventory’, Creativity
Research Journal, 2: 231–54.
Carron, A. (1982) ‘Cohesiveness in sport groups: interpretations and considerations’, Journal of Sport Psychology, 4: 123–38.
Gallupe, R.B. and Cooper, W.H. (1993) ‘Brainstorming electronically’, Sloan Management Review, 35: 27–36.
Hargadon, A.B. and Sutton, R.I. (1997) ‘Technology brokering and innovation in a product development firm’, Administrative
Science Quarterly, 42: 716–49.
Hargadon, A.B. and Sutton, R.I. (2000) ‘Building the innovation factory’, Harvard Business Review, 78 (3): 157–66.
Katz, R. and Allen, T.J. (1982) ‘Investigating the not invented here syndrome: a look at the performance, tenure and
communication patterns of 50 R&D project groups’, R&D Management, 12: 7–19.
Robbins, S., Waters-Marsh, T., Cacioppe, R. and Millett, B. (1994) Organisational Behaviour. Sydney: Prentice Hall of Australia.
Thompson, L. (2003) ‘Improving the creativity of organisational work groups’, Academy of Management Executive, 17: 96–109.
Katzenbach, J.R. and Smith, D.K. (1993) ‘The discipline of teams’, Harvard Business Review, 83 (7/8) (March–April): 162–71.
Milliken, F. and Martins, L. (1996) ‘Searching for common threads: understanding the multiple effects of diversity in
organizational groups’, Academy of Management Review, 21: 402–33.