Creativity and Innovation Discussion Session #21

To strive and thrive you need creative ideas ….downsizing tends to make us timid when we need to be bold ….the creative employees are the ones that will survive

The Creative Process 1. The work environment 2. Traits 3. The four step creative process 4. Brainstorming 5. Divergent thinking

The Creative Process …..is anything but orderly …..has no respect for time

The Creative Process 1. The work environment 2. Traits 3. The four step creative process 4. Brainstorming 5. Divergent thinking

1. The environment that supports creativity…. The size of the team is critical Think about where you come up with your more creative ideas A passion for what they were doing, a genuine respect for others’ ideas

The Creative Process 1. The work environment 2. Traits 3. The four step creative process 4. Brainstorming 5. Divergent thinking

2. Traits of creative people Simply believing you’re creative Curiosity Confidence Courage Constancy They understand the creative process itself

The Creative Process 1. The work environment 2. Traits 3. The four step creative process 4. Brainstorming 5. Divergent thinking

3. The 4-step Creative Process 1. Preparation 2. Incubation 3. Inspiration 4. Verification

Preparation Gather data 1. Subject-specific 2. Divergent

Incubation Steps to achieve “alpha state” Close your eyes Slow, deep breaths Focus on a single image

Inspiration Be prepared to act Don’t waste a good idea

Verification Ideas are common….. …it takes more than merely a good idea

The Creative Process 1. The work environment 2. Traits 3. The four step creative process 4. Brainstorming 5. Divergent thinking

4. Brainstorming Define the problem Write it down so the whole team sees it Let everyone take minutes to think quietly and write down their ideas in silence Let everyone give one idea from their list Encourage “out of the box” thinking

Four laws of suggestion 1. The mind understands the Positive. 2. Your mind only recognizes the Present. Say “I am successful”, not “I will be successful”. 3. Repetition or Persistence increases the power 4. Emotion or Passion increases the power of suggestion

The Creative Process 1. The work environment 2. Traits 3. The four step creative process 4. Brainstorming 5. Divergent thinking

5. Divergent Thinking (Manipulation) Throw your mind out to something other than what you are working on As it wanders back, it will hopefully bring up some interesting merging ideas

Managing to Creativity Keep the passion flowing Keep the focused on what the purpose is Continue to break down inhibitions between team members Improvisation Structure the group differently Provides several iterations of solutions Smaller teams with more “talk time”

Putting Creativity to Work Part of your life Quantify creativity Part of your culture

Top 10 Commandments for Managing Creative People 1. Give folks time to follow their muse 2. Create a culture of cooperation 3. Measure your results 4. Stay ahead of the customer 5. Stage a lot of celebrations

Top 10 Commandments for Managing Creative People 6. Be honest and know when to say no 7. Make the company a lifetime career 8. Give your best managers assignments overseas 9. Keep increasing R & D spending 10. Don’t heed everything Wall Street tells you

Evaluation Questions Use: A. Strongly agree B. Agree C. Disagree D. Strongly disagree E. Don’t know 1. I found the presentation of material easy to understand. 2. This Advantage session increased my knowledge on the subject presented. 3. I will be able to use some of the information from this Advantage session in the future. 4. The presenter was well prepared for this Advantage session. 5. This presentation should be repeated in future semesters.