Creativity and Innovation

Creativity Adams: The combination of seemingly disparate parts into a functioning, useful whole. – A practical solution to a problem. Picasso: Every act of creation is an act of destruction. Einstein: Imagination is more important than knowledge. Richard Florida: Human creativity is the ultimate economic resource.

1. Traditional teaching methods are worse than useless – they stomp out creativity by trying to eliminating mistakes. – We are never as creative as when we were three. 2. Becoming creative is getting in touch with our inner child. – And getting rid of inhibitions 3. We become creative by making mistakes. Creativity

Creativity can be learned. Well learn about the creative process. – And some creativity-enhancing techniques Get the Whack Pack app Get the Oblique Strategies app

Three Creativity Perspectives The creative person The creative product The creative process – Well focus on the process

Three Creativity Elements 1. Expertise: In-depth knowledge about a field 2. Creative skills: Problem-finding and problem- solving skills, creative process skills 3. Intrinsic task motivation – Intrinsic rewards: Love of the work, the process involved, not extrinsic reward such as money, awards * * Teresa Amabile, Creativity in Context, Westview Press, 1996

Methods For Killing Creativity Restricted Choice – Making choices for creative people or severely limiting their options lowers creative output. Extrinsic Orientation – External rewards such as prizes and money hurt creativity. – Creative people love the intrinsic rewards of doing the job.

Innovation Innovation is the result – the working solution – of the creative process. Innovation is the most dominant trend in business … the key to success – Non-profits, too. Innovation = problem finding and problem solving.