UNIDAD 1 CREATIVIDAD «How to Kill Creativity» Teresa M. Amabile Noviembre 2013 http://www.uaeh.edu.mx/virtual

What is Business Creativity? Ideas must be appropriate, useful and actionable Thinking imaginatively is only one part of the creative equation Two other essential components are expertise and motivation Creativity Creative Thinking Skills Expertise Motivation

What is Business Creativity? Expertise (Knowledge: technical, procedural, intellectual) Encompasses everything that a person knows and can do in the broad domain of his or her work Knowledge and technical abilities Intellectual space used to explore and solve problems Creative Thinking Skills How people approach problems and solutions Thinking Styles Turns problems upside down Combines from seemingly disparate fields Personality Comfort with disagreeing with others Departs from status quo Work Styles Persevere Incubation Fresh perspectives

What is Business Creativity? Motivation passion and interest determines what people will actually do different types have different impact on creativity Extrinsic Root of creativity problems in business Comes from outside a person (either a carrot or a stick) Most common is money Doesn’t stop people from being creative Doesn’t help either Doesn’t by itself make employees passionate about their work Intrinsic Person’s natural interest to do something Engaged in work for the challenge and enjoyment of it Work itself is motivating People most creative when interested, satisfied and challenged by work itself

Managing Creativity Challenge Freedom Resources Work-group features Managerial practices and techniques that affect intrinsic motivation will affect creativity yield more immediate results Challenge Freedom Resources Work-group features Supervisory encouragement Organizational support

Managing Creativity – Six Practices Challenge Simple task of matching people with the right assignments Most effective practice Perfect matches stretch employees abilities Amount of stretch is crucial Not so little, bored No so much, overwhelmed and threatened Requires rich and detailed information about employees and available assignments

Managing Creativity – Six Practices Freedom Autonomy concerning the means More creativity, if allowed to decide how to climb mountain Clearly specified strategic goals often enhance people’s creativity Clarity and stability of goals meaningful period of time Autonomy heightens intrinsic motivation and sense of ownership Must grant autonomy in more than name only

Managing Creativity – Six Practices Resources Time Can heighten creativity Along with importance of work, people feel that they need to rush Increases intrinsic motivation by increasing sense of challenge Fake deadlines and impossibly tight ones create distrust and burnout Creativity takes time, needs incubation and exploration Funding, People and other resources Adding more resource above “threshold of sufficiency” does not boost creativity Below that threshold restriction can dampen When resources kept tight, people channel creativity into finding additional resources May be helpful for open and comfortable

Managing Creativity – Six Practices Work-group features Create mutually supportive groups with a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds Different expertise and creative thinking styles often combine and combust ideas in exciting and useful ways Diversity is only starting point, team members must Share excitement over the goals display a willingness to help their team mates through difficult time periods and setbacks Recognize the unique knowledge and perspectives that other members bring to the table Requires that managers have a deep understanding of their people (i.e. their knowledge, potential, work and problem solving styles and motivational hot buttons) Homogenous teams are a creative danger Reach solutions more quickly, with less friction and high morale Do little to enhance expertise and creative thinking Come to table with same mind set; leave with the same

Managing Creativity – Six Practices Supervisory encouragement Praise for creative efforts (not just creative successes but unsuccessful efforts) falls by the side Intrinsic motivation comes from passion for their work Sustainability for this passion, people must feel their work matters Freely and generously recognize creative work by individuals and teams Look for reasons to explore new ideas further Work to eliminate the negative bias of a culture of evaluation Leads people to focus on external rewards Creates a climate of fear Treatment of those whose ideas don’t pan out Perception of no “failure value” correlates to less experimentation, exploration and connection with work on personal level Serve as a role model

Managing Creativity – Six Practices Organizational support Creativity is truly enhanced when the entire organization supports it by Emphasizing that creativity is top priority Put in place appropriate systems or procedures Reinforce values that emphasize this priority mindset Mandating information sharing and collaboration Ensuring that political problems do not fester

From the Individual to the Organization Key Success Factors for Leading/Obtaining Creativity Culture Forming Teams Make excellent matches between people and assignments Relatively small (4-9 members) Diverse professional and ethnic backgrounds Communication with and within Teams Clarify goals at the outset Periodic checks on workflow direction Autonomy (real freedom) to teams for day-to-day operations and implementation of goals Support to Teams Team members mutually supportive Supervisory encouragement and organizational support must be widespread Seek support from all units within their divisions and encourage collaboration across all quarters

Great Rewards and Risks Radically change the ways in which we build and interact with workgroups Calls for conscious culture change Great Risks Lose a potent competitive weapon: new ideas Lose energy and commitment of its people

Suggested Readings Creativity in Context: Update to the Social Psychology of Creativity by Teresa M. Amabile (1996) User’s Manual for KEYS: Assessing the Climate for Creativity by Teresa M. Amabile, Robert Burnside, and Stanley S. Gryskiewicz (1998) Rosabeth Moss Kanter on the Frontiers of Management by Rosabeth Moss Kanter (1997)