MANAGING FOR PERFORMANCE: INDIVDUAL AND ORGANIZAIONAL CREATIVITY Ideas are the currency of success. They separate you from your competition. - Edward de Bono Pam Fuhrmann P600 Final Project

Workshop Overview As organization’s environments are in a continual state of change, innovation and the ability to creatively adapt to change become key to effective leadership and organizational success. Employee creativity makes a valuable contribution to the overall organizational performance, effectiveness and continued existence. In this workshop, participants will focus on innovative processes and outcomes so that they can positively contribute to the results of their organization. Participants will be exposed to the basic tools and frameworks to enhance creative business performance. A core assumption is that everyone is creative and by focusing on a creative approach to work each person can improve their success.

Objectives Examine the manner in which we perceive, query and explore Provide tools to generate, manage and apply creative ideas Develop a strong link between work performance and creative activity Explore the factors which support and/or inhibit creative performance in the workplace Provide the means to examine, question, assimilate and connect participant knowledge and experiences

Target Audience This course has applicability to a wide range of working professionals, from the relatively new manager to the senior business executive. The focus is for managers who are seeking to better understand and enhance their personal/business role in creative performance as to position their product, unit, or organization for success.

Outline Awakening to Creativity Exploring Creative Thinking Techniques Removing Mental Locks Examining Creativity in the Workplace Understanding Managerial/Organizational Impact on Creativity Developing Creative Organizations Increasing Your Creativity

Definition of Creativity "Creativity is the ability to respond to all that goes on around us, to choose from the hundreds of possibilities of thought, feeling, action, and reaction that arise within us, and to put these together in a unique response, expression, or message that carries moment, passion, and meaning." Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Woman Who Run With the Wolves

Opening Our Minds: Perception, Curiosity and Exploration Imagine the familiar in a new light Find links among unrelated phenomena Realize the impact of change Accept new perspectives Follow a broad and moving path

Exploring Creative Thinking Techniques Soft Thinking: metaphor, dream, play, intuition, ambiguous, fantasy, approximate humor Hard Thinking: logic reason, work adult, analysis, consistency, reality exact precision von Oech R. (1998). A Whack on the Side of the Head

Exploring Creative Thinking Techniques Visual Thinking Activities: Perceptual, imagery, daydreaming, metaphoric, synectics, patterns Idea Listing Activities: Attribute listing, morphological synthesis, second best answer, checklist, just suppose Writing Activities: Webbing, mapping, wet inking, reflection writing, story starters Group Interaction Activities: Simulation, role play, creative dramatics, six hats, fish bowl, brainstorming, reverse brainstorming Process-Product Activities: Problem finding, problem defining, problem-based learning

Removing Mental Locks Idea Squelchers - Von Oech’s Ten Blocks The Right Answer That’s Not Logical Follow The Rules Be Practical Play Is Frivolous That’s Not My Area Don’t Be Foolish Avoid Ambiguity To Err Is Wrong I’m Not Creative von Oech R. (1998). A Whack on the Side of the Head

Examining Creativity in the Workplace Supervisors that held higher creativity expectations were viewed as rewarding creativity, recognizing creative efforts, allocating more resources, encouraging collaboration and sharing, applying creative goal setting and modeling creative behavior in their own work Employees interpret meaning through environmental cues and supervisors must communicate through behavior. Self-efficacy levels influence the extent to which employees entertain creative activities, initiate creative acts, and sustain creative levels in their work.

Examining Creativity in the Workplace Supervisors must be aware of the impact and clearly state expectations to shape creative effort and manage the supervisor/employee relationship. Individuals often generalize their relationships with direct reports to the entire organization, this perceived support of creativity has even greater impact on the individual’s relationship to the organization as a whole.

Case Discussion Managing for Creativity - HBR Best Buy, Co., Inc. (A): An Innovator’s Journey - HBR

Measuring Creativity Divergent Thinking Tests – open ended questions Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking Guilford Tests Personality & Biographical Inventories – perceptions, attitudes, values, interests, motivations Hocevar

Personality Traits of the Creative Person Self Actualized Creativity (Maslow) Perceive reality more accurately and objectively; tolerate and even like ambiguity; are not threatened by the unknown. Accept themselves, others, and human nature. Are spontaneous, natural, genuine. Are problem-centered, non-egotistical; have a philosophy of life and probably a mission in life Need some privacy and solitude more than others do; are able to concentrate intensely. Are independent, self-sufficient and autonomous; have less need for praise or popularity. Have capacity to appreciate again and again simple and commonplace experiences; have zest in living, ability to handle stress, high humor. Have (and are aware of) their rich, alive, fulfilling peak experiences. Have deep feelings of brotherhood with all mankind; are benevolent, altruistic.

Personality Traits of the Creative Person Self Actualized Creativity (Maslow) Form strong friendship ties with relatively few people; are capable of greater love. Are democratic, unprejudiced in the deepest possible sense. Are strongly ethical and moral individual (not necessarily conventional) ways; enjoy work in achieving a goal as much as the goal itself; are patient, for the most part. Have a more thoughtful, philosophical sense of humor that is constructive, not destructive. Are creative, original inventive with a fresh, naïve, simple and direct way of looking at life; tend to do most things creatively – but do not necessarily possess great talent. Are capable of detachment from their culture; can objectively compare cultures; can take or leave conventions. Davis (1998) Creativity is Forever

Your character is your destiny The sun is new each day A thing rests by changing On a circle, an end point can also be a beginning point When there is no sun, we can see the evening stars You can’t step in the same river twice The Creative Insights of Heraclitus von Oech R. (1998). A Whack on the Side of the Head