1. BUSN 405 THE CREATIVITY PROCESS AND SKILLS
Dr, Anca
UMS, Fall 2015

2. Objectives Describe the creative process
Explain the personality traits of creative people
Explain how the four cognitive creativity skills are promoted by creativity techniques.
List the five categories of characteristics that distinguish creative people from noncreative people
Explain the organizational conditions that hinder and promote creativity

3. The Creative Person How are they different? Personality Traits
Cognitive Creativity Skills
Domain-specific Knowledge
Intrinsic Motivation

4. Characteristics of Creative People

5. Personality Traits of Creative People
Persistence
Self-confidence
Independence
Attraction to complexity
Tolerance of ambiguity
Intuitiveness

6. …Personality Traits of Creative People
Have broad interests
Are energetic
Drive to achieve
Love their work
Take risks

7. Cognitive Creativity Skills
Think creatively
Generate alternatives
Engage in divergent thinking
Suspend judgment

8. Domain-Specific Knowledge Develops Via
Education
Training
Experience
Contextual
Knowledge

9. Creativity Enhancers Hire creative people
Enriched, complex jobs
Provide resources
Clear organizational goals
Instructions to be creative
Recognize and reward creativity
Encourage risk taking
No punishment for failure
Focus on intrinsic motivation
Creativity goals
Developmental feedback
Supportive supervision
Healthy competition
Participative decision making
Autonomy

10. …Creativity Enhancers
Workforce diversity
Internal and external interaction
Diverse teams skilled at working together
Supportive climate
Organizational culture the promotes innovation
Flexible, flat structures
Close interaction and relationships with customers

11. How Can Organizations Foster Creativity?
Hire creative &
diverse workforce
Provide resources
esp. time
Design complex &
challenging jobs
Set clear
org. goals
“Be Creative!”
Set creativity
goals
Use diverse
teams
Recognize &
reward creativity
Create the right
org. culture

12. Management Style and Creativity
Encourage risk taking
Provide autonomy
Encourage productivity - “sweat equity”
Supportive supervision, climate, and work group
Participative leadership

13. Organization Design and Creativity
Flexible
Flat
Structures
That promote
Internal &
External
Interaction
Close Contact
w/ Customers

14. Creativity Killers Excessive focus on extrinsic motivation
Limits set by superiors
Critical evaluation
Close, controlling supervision
Competition in a win-lose situation
Control of decision making
Control of information

15. Stages in the Creative Process
Preparation
Verification
Incubation
Illumination

16. Flow - Defined
The flow experience occurs when people experience a state of effortless concentration and enjoyment

17. Creative Thinking Techniques
Brainstorming Rules
Expressiveness - Say whatever ideas come to mind without focusing on constraints
Non-evaluation - No criticism allowed; all are valuable
Quantity - Produce as many ideas as possible
Building - Expand on other people’s ideas

18. … Creative Thinking Techniques
Brainwriting
Hybrid of both individual and group brainstorming
Produces more ideas than brainstorming

19. Steps to Personal Creativity
1. Accept that you can be creative
2. Question traditional assumptions
3. Expand your problem-solving styles
4. Employ creativity techniques
5. Practice thinking in new ways
6. Learn when your creative thinking is best
1. Everyone can be creative in some ways.
2. Ask “why” something is done the way it is; look for a different way, e.g., why are ketchup and mayonnaise in breakable jars? Put them in squeezable plastic.
3. If you rely heavily on rational thinking, try to develop intuitive skills and vice versa; use both.
4. There are many hundreds of creativity techniques, including brainstorming, dreaming, imagining, etc.
5. If you tend to think in words, try to use pictures. Use analogies or liken things to other things.
6. Although fully awake you might be very rational, when you’re tired or fed up you might be more willing to try new ideas; there may be times of the day when you are more creative.

20. Relevance to Globalization
In a rapidly changing global world, managers must use all their abilities to anticipate opportunities and threats.
Executives, for example, have to anticipate industry trends, just as you want to anticipate them for your projects.
Let’s see how they do this and then practice how we can use creativity and innovation to gain insight into industry trends.
Use a video from the Business 2000 series:
either: The Automobile Industry which in the first sections shows various industry executives describing their view of the future (call #HD9710/A87/1996) or The Food Industry (call # TP 370/F6/1996)
When viewing the video, be looking for visions of the future:

21. Stimulants to Work Creativity
1) FREEDOM in deciding work to do or how to do it
2) CHALLENGE to work hard on important projects
3) RESOURCES needed to do the work
4) ENCOURAGEMENT from a supervisor who is a good work model, sets appropriate goals, supports and has confidence in the work group.
5) WORK GROUP SUPPORTS such as diverse skills, people who communicate well, are open to new ideas, constructively challenge one another’s work, trust and help each other, and feel committed to their work
6) ORGANIZATIONAL ENCOURAGEMENT in a culture that supports creativity and communicates a shared vision of organization.
Source material: KEYS: Assessing the Climate for Creativity developed by the Center for Creative Leadership from the work of Teresa Amabile and Stan Gryskiewicz; for additional information see publication of the Center for Creative Leadership: New survey measures creativity in the workplace. (1995) Issues and Observations, 15 (3: 2, 9).

22. Obstacles to Work Creativity
1) ORGANIZATIONAL IMPEDIMENTS such as internal political problems, harsh criticism of new ideas, destructive internal competition, avoidance of risk and overemphasis on the status quo.
2) WORKLOAD PRESSURES such as extreme time pressure, unrealistic expectations, or distractions.