Creativity Exam 3
Science & Invention
*William J.J. Gordon invented Synectics and was interested in analogical thinking in science and invention
Associating
*ability to draw from different fields to connect seemingly un-related questions, problems, or ideas. *example: Pierre Omidyar and Ebay
Observing
*act like an anthropologist or social scientist, closely examining behaviors in others that then serve as a catalyst for breakthrough ideas. *example: Ratan Tata and Tata Motors
Osborn's Idea Spurring Questions
*adapt? *modify? *magnify? *minimize? *substitute? *rearrange? *reverse? *combine?
Convergent Thinking Tools: Success Zones
*adapted from Treffinger (1992) allowsz you to evaluate any number of goals, future scenarios, or wish statements to see which holds the most promise. *2 basic steps are to evaluate each option are: degree of importance and probability of success
Idea Checklists
*another way to spur creative thought *osborn, arnold, van gundy
Visionary Thinking
*articulate a vivid image of what you desire to create *supported by the affective skill of dreaming *without this skill a leader will find it difficult to identify meaningful goals and to inspire others to pursue new directions
Questioning
*ask questions that challenge accepted thought and wisdom. innovators ask "why?", "why not?", and "what if?". *example: Michael Dell and founding of Dell Computer
Courage
*attribute that separates the good from the great. *have the courage to protect ideas over themselves.
Key Reasons Why Leaders Need To Be Skilled at Exploring the Vision
*be able to identify future opportunities *help others work toward meaningful goals *ensure high levels of performance by engaging in forward thinking *create consensus among followers *provide others with a direction *create a sense of purpose *proactively initiate change by beginning with a clear image *discern potential *inspire others to accomplish great feats
Standard Creative Thinking Techniques
*brainstorming *reverse brainstorming *analogical thinking *visualization *what would happen if? *attribute listing & switching
Cartoons
*cartoonists are very creative people who constantly borrow from other sources to create humor. *Flintstones was borrowed from the 50's sitcom The Honeymooners.
Change Management
*conscious of the impact their ideas will have on the broader organization. *this awareness helps to sell ideas as they can address potential resistance before skeptics convince key decision makers that "it can't be done".
Effective Leaders Engage in Visionary Thinking
*create a bridge between the present and the future *provide a vision to others empowers them to find their place in helping bring the vision about
Creativity
*creative leader may enjoy the act of being creative they understand it is not their job to come up with all the ideas. *create the conditions for their innovation teams to flourish.
George Bernard Shaw
"Some look at things that are and ask why, I dream of things that never were and ask why not?"
J.W. v. Goethe's Magic Idea
"whatever you can do or dream you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."
Evaluate
does it work? if not why not? decide whether to keep trying this or try something else.
Analogy
drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity in some respect
Metaphor
figure of speech in which one ting is described as if it were another
Personal Creativity Techniques
individual strategies developed by a creative individual that work for them.
Synectics
joining together of unconnected ideas or titles "tough love" tender violence
Standard Techniques
conscious, knowable, teachable techniques to drive the creative process.
Broadway Musical Sunday Afternoon in the Park with George was based on....
Seurat's famous painting Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte
Allegories
narrative where characters, actions, (rising, falling) and sometimes setting are consistently symbolic of something else (often philosophical or moral abstractions)
Liszt borrowed tunes from traditional folk dances in composing his..
rhapsodies and symphonies
Persist
until you feel better about the problem your evaluation may show you are on the right track, sometimes keeping at it for awhile is necessary.
Bohr
used the solar system as a model for the atom
Literature, Movies,TV, Broadway Shows
*creators of these types of entertainment media constantly use analogical thinking *"survivor" type books, movies, etc. are actually adaptations of Maslow's hierarchy *movies are based on historical events or true stories
Problem Formulating
*define the problem *find ideas
Affective Skill of Dreaming Supports Visionary Thinking
*dreaming: to imagine as possible your desires and hopes *skill propels visionary thinking *actually imagine yourself achieving what you want to attain *creating a dream collage or books
Using Success Zones
*evaluate the options against degree of importance (score 1-9) *evaluate the options against probability of success *create a grid with the two axes *plot the results on the grid and consider the results
Reverse Brainstorming
*for stubborn problems brainstorm opposites
Laissez-Faire
*french for "leave it alone" *offer little or no guidance to group members and leave decision-making up to group members. *members are regarded as highly qualified and can be trusted to carry out their part of the project. *should be used when group members are highly qualified in an area of expertise, *but can lead to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation or feelings of abandonment.
Problem Implementation
*gaining acceptance(selling the idea) *taking action
Information Orientation
*has foremost in mind the information needed for the job that must get done. *information gathering is the most important concern and a decision is only regarded as good if information is very accurate. *people are of concern but only because they're necessary to get the work done or as regarded as information experts. *may appear to be "cold" and uncaring by some subordinates.
Task Orientation
*has foremost in mind the job that must get done. doesnt seek input from subordinates, the leaders structure the work, define the goals, allocate resources, and focus on achieving production quotas or delivery of services. *people are of concern but just because they are needed to get work done. *uses an inflexible, no-nonsense approach with subordinates.
Curiosity
*has the ability to trickle down the organization--meaning * creative leaders are naturally curious and willing to search for deeper understanding before making a judgement call.
Problem Generating
*identify the problem *find the facts
Using a Story Boarding
*identify the topic to be explored *decide how many panels you want (6-8) draw them out *define your current situation (in the first panel, show yourself or situation now) *project into the future (ideal outcome, place it last) *complete the story ( fill in the panels between) *elaborate on the images with key words or phrases
Less Sequential, Less-Rational Approaches
*imagination *discernment *visualization *fringe consciousness idea generation
Imagine
*imaginative and receptive to a world of symbols and myths. *always think the unthinkable *be able to foresee, transpose, adapt *recognize opportunities *a taste for adventure
Networking
*interacting with others from a diverse array of fields and with individuals who possess different perspectives and ideas. *example: Michael Lazaridis and development of Blackberry
Connecting
*internally- connecting organizational resources or skills. *externally- connecting teams to thought-leaders or experts in other industries.
Discern
*know how to decipher, interpret *take a stand *understand the underlying meaning, have pertinent judgement *discern beauty in the mundane
Select a solution
*look through your solutions *decide which one sounds most promising *it may help to discuss this with someone you trust
Attribute Listing
*modifying *switching *transferring *morphological synthesis
Rules of Brainstorming
*no criticism or judgment is allowed until all ideas are generated *wild and crazy ideas, the crazier the better are desired *sheer quantity is a goal *combination and improvement are sought
Democratic(Participative)
*offer guidance to group members but also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. *encourage group members to participate but retain the final say over the decision-making process. group members feel engaged and that makes them feel more motivated and creative. *should be used when all groups are equally qualified and knowledgeable about the issues at hand.
Exploring the Vision
*one of the Creative Problem Solving steps *purpose of this step is to encourage forward thinking *provides an image for where you want to go and helps you articulate the desired future *clarity helps you create intense focus which assists your creative efforts *uses both divergent thinking to generate many ideas to examine your alternative view of the future and convergent thinking to select and decide upon the most productive pathway for you.
The Muses
*originally seen as 9 muses in Greek mythology/ later reduced to 3
The Wallas Model (1926)
*preparation *incubation *illumination *verification
Simplex Model
*problem generating *problem formulating *problem solving *problem implementation
Autocratic/Authoritarian
*provide clear expectations for: what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. *make decisions independently with little or no input from the rest of the group *should be used when there is little time for group decision-making or when the leader is the most knowledgeable member of the group
Collins & Porras(1994)
*provided strong evidence for the importance of a vision for achieving organizational success *found major difference between the most successful companies and those who had achieved less was that the most successful had BHAG's (big, hairy, audacious, goals) *found that visionary companies had a history of establishing and then pursuing audacious challenge
How creative leaders use their imaginations to solve problems?
*react to change using their imagination *pro-actively seek out information regarding significant events in the environment and, *emergent technologies that can be exploited *Dyer & Christiansen: they actively seek to change the status quo and they take risks to make change happen.
Culture
*realize innovation and new ideas can pose a threat to their culture. cultural changes are never easy and virtually impossible to achieve as a lone individual. *influencing culture, therefore, requires a level of pragmatism and emotional intelligence to navigate successfully.
A Vision May Be
*response to a challenging situation or overcoming a predicament *may create a vision to maximize and opportunity you had not clearly seen before *example: Sony's Akio Morita and the walkman
Variations on Brainstorming
*reverse *stop & go- short, ten minutes sessions broken by evaluation *phillips 66- for large groups- groups of 6 brainstorm for 6 mintues *brain drawing- a quiet version where ideas are visually represented * mind mapping or lotus blossum
How to Manage a Brainstorming Session
*review the 4 ground rules *keep a bell or buzzer to "ding" people who start to criticize or wont let others in *if ideas slow, ask "what do we know?" or does anyone else have an idea. *group size should be 3-10 no larger *osborn says 10-12 is "ideal" size *if the problem is serous or complex send info out in advance
Problem Solving
*selecting and evaluating ideas *planning
People Orientation
*set relationships as a priority recognize the synergistic effects of attending to the human side of work. *know the best way to achieve high-quality success is to make sure they consider subordinates and team members needs. *do this by maintaining warm, close and friendly relationships with their followers and co-workers and by openly trusting and supporting them
Creative Process can be...
*spontaneous *scheduled using techniques
Represent the Problem Multisensorially
*story board *sort cards *use an easel, flip chart *pass objects
Analogical Connections
*sudden or painstaking *operate on several levels *use more than one idea, the ideas are then connected in some way making a new concept while retaining some of the "flavor" of the original ideas
Perspective Switching
*the strange become familiar *the familiar become strange
Brainstorming
*use divergent thinking skills *a creative thinking technique that can be used for product development *was originated by Alex Osborn
Attribute Transfer
*what have others done? *what has worked before? *what have we never tried? *what can be borrowed from nature, culture or media?
Experimenting
*willingness to actively test new ideas *example: Jeff Bezo and Amazon/Kindle
Divergent thinking Tools
*wishful thinking: uses statement starters such as WIBNI "wouldnt it be nice if" or WIBAI "wouldnt it be awful if" to help guide thinking *storyboarding: primarily a visual tool, it is a series of panels showing clearly, using pictures, numbers, and words important changes in order of appearance and that tells an interesting story.
What Squashes Creative Brainstorming?
*worry about being evaluated or criticized *low motivation *free loading (letting others do the work) *some people wont be quiet and listen to others
3 Leadership Styles
1. Autocratic/Authoritarian 2. Democratic (Participative) 3. Laissez-Faire (Delegative)
Two Stage Model
1. Big Idea: Right Brain Thinking (divergent) 2. Elaboration: Left Brain Thinking (convergent)
2 Ways New Idea Combinations May Happen
1. analogical relationships: "Hey, our problem is just like...." 2. sudden change in perception: Wherein new meaning is added or seen."looking at it another way we see..."
5 Learn able Leadership Discovery Skills
1. associating 2. questioning 3. observing 4. experimenting 5. networking
3 Stages of Creative Process
1. clarify the problem 2. work on it 3. find a good solution
7 C's of Creative Leadership
1. communication 2. curiosity 3. creativity 4. connecting 5. culture 6. change management 7. courage
4 Guidelines of Problem Solving
1. dont waste time on problems that cant be solved shift your focus 2. tackle one problem at a time (80/20 rule) 3. work on changing yourself, not others 4. consider doing nothing at least for the time being
Other Approaches to Inspiration
1. ideas may bubble up from our subconscious 2. the "muse" approach 3. incubation may involve many "fringe-conscious activities of mind.
3 Stages of Problem Solving
1. identify the problem clearly (operationalize it) 2. brainstorm solutions with no criticism get as many ideas out as possible (no matter how far-fetched) 3. Take STEPS toward solving the problem
3 Facilitative Factors
1. inspiration and motivation 2. systematic feedback and coordinated contributions 3. ideas of individuals are encouraged and respected
Torrance's 4 Steps
1. sensing a problem or gap in information 2. forming ideas or hypotheses 3. testing and modifying the hypothesis 4. communicating the results
Dewey's 2 Steps
1. state of doubt, perplexity, confusion 2. then, searching, trying working until resolution occurs.
3 types of Communication
1. vision- which allows everyone to understand what the company wants to become in the future. 2. feedback- provide candid and clear feedback; judge ideas against objectives. 3. informal engagement- "check-in" with teams and individuals working on innovation.
Processes
1.sequential 2. rational
How People Adapt to Change (20:60:20)
20% supportive & positive towards change 60% on the fence-- need leadership in the context of change 20% negative towards change
Aaron Copland borrowed a traditional Shaker tune for..
Appalachian Spring
STEP means
S-select a solution T-try it out E-evaluate what happens P-persist until you feel better about the problem
Also borrowed from Seurat's idea of pointillism using dashes instead of dots..
Van Gogh
Communication
a creative leader must be a strong communicator.
Involuntary
a rapid change in perception
Personal Analogies
become the product
Symbolic Analogies
book titles, oxymorons
Kekule
borrowed the idea for the benzine ring from one of his own dreams
Most Important Concept
creative process involves a change in perception and understanding where you are within that process
Creative Management
creative thinking is applied to develop original solutions that enable the situation to return to prior levels of performance.
Creative Leadership
deliberately engaging one's imagination to define and guide a group toward a novel group, a new direction
Degas
found inspiration in ballet houses and in horse stables
Direct Analogies
from nature
Comic book characters
have been used for movies, plays
Change that exists naturally
is ongoing or cyclical (like the change in season) this is usually some natural phenomenon.
Arthur Koestler
observed that creative thinkers observed more metaphorical and analogical connections than others
Change that is made on purpose by people
possibly in response to what is going on about them. This type of change is made deliberately, that is the main difference between the 2 types of change.
Management
process that focuses on using standard procedures to sustain the present situation
Conscious
sequence of steps or stages in a ration process
Operationalizing
state the problem in measurable, observable terms (a behavioral approach).
Active Involvement
stimulates the recall of relevant experiences and the creation of new possibilities.
William E. Hermann
suggests test a group member and them combining members with different thinking strengths so you get "whole brain" thinking
Fantasy Analogies
the farfetched or ideal
Try it out
work out exactly what this would involve and take the necessary action