Chapter Three: Fostering Creativity

• Modern Organizations and Bureaucracies typically are formal- process oriented so creativity often is suppressed or undervalued

Chapter Three: Fostering Creativity

• The creative process thrives on the freedom to think and act outside of normal procedures– This is not consistent with the

stereotype of a bureaucratic worker

Chapter Three: Fostering Creativity

• But…today’s problems are different—”more than anything else, they require creativity”

•What are these problems?

Creativity in Organizations

• The use and encouragement of creativity may keep employees motivated and stimulated

• Creativity may lead to productivity and intrinsic motivation

What is Creativity???There is no single accepted definition:

• “…any form of action that leads to results that are novel, useful, predictable.”

• “Seeing things that everyone around us sees while making connections that no one else has made.”

What is Creativity???

There is no single accepted definition:

• “…a process or change from what is and has been to what might be..”

• “…the entire process by which ideas are generated, developed, and transformed into value.”

Characteristics of Creative People

• Adjectives used to describe creative people– Original– Resourceful– Reflective– Self-confident

Conceptual Skills and Abilities

“Creative People are said to possess cognitive skills in divergent thinking and ‘ideational fluency’ (the ability to generate alternatives or a stream of ideas), linguistic ability, and a strong ability to find associations between things or ideas.”

Roles in the Creative Process

• Innovation• Synthesis• Extension• Duplication

Impediments to Creativity

• Defining the problem incorrectly• Judging ideas too quickly• Stopping at the first acceptable

idea• Lack of support

Creativity in Organizations

• Challenging work• Supportive supervision• Workload pressure and Resources

Creativity in Organizations

• Organizational and Work Group Culture– Trust– Open Communication– Diversity– Change– Rewards

The Idea Box – 1,024 Different Combos

The Mindmap – an Creative Vision Process

Enhancing Personal Creativity

• Be aware• Be persistent in your vision and

values• Consider all of your alternatives• Entertain your intuition• Assess your alternatives• Be Realistic in your actions• Evaluate your results

Enhancing Organizational Creativity

• Debunk the myths of creativity• Change your vocabulary• Use participatory approaches• Make time and information

available for creative efforts

Enhancing Organizational Creativity

• Analyze the organizational climate• Relax and let minds work• Use techniques and tools to foster

creativity• Identify problems that need creative

solutions• Make work interesting do not over

supervise• Challenge yourself and others to be

more creative