Creativity as a starting point for innovationStanislav NemeržitskiTallinn University

Defining creativity

• Creativity is a set of individual traits and characteristics that gives advantage to solve problems in a novel way and get initially planned results, in all sorts of human activities (Taylor, 1970; Milgram, 1990)

• During creative process a novel idea is generated or a novel/ original use is found for the existing applications

• While speaking of creativity, we at the same time mean unusual, but also socially acceptable achievements

Defining innovation• Innovation is a novel use of invention, discovery, or new

or existing knowledge in mass economical process (Schumpeter, 1939)

• While creativity is mainly associated with novel idea, novelty of the process or achievement/ result, innovation is focusing on implementation of such results

• Innovation is often defined by competitiveness through changes and/ or improvements in technology, management, or product development

• Danger to the interpretation of innovation: often seen as merely technological, only practical

• Linear approach to innovation: new discovery (theory), then empirical study, then (economical) profit/mass use

Social innovation• Changes on societal level (professional relations,

cooperation of different sectors), that bring to icrease in efectiveness, productivity, quality etc

• It’s generation and implementation of novel ideas about how individuals and social environment surrounging them interact with each other (Mumford, 2002)

• Its’ goal is to fill the gaps and deficiences in the existing social systems, i.e social innovation reorganizes missing components between people and/ or social systems

• Is needed often in unexpected, critical circumstances, where people face unknown situations that require novel solutions/ behaviour

Components theory of creativity (Amabile, 1996) and innovation

Work environment

Intrinsic motivation

Field related

knowledge

Creativity related

processes

Creative process(creative cognitive process)

• Defining problem• Preparation• Generating answers• Validation and communication of solution

CREATIVE RESULT

External component

(independent of indiv.)

Internal components (depending on indiv.)

INNOVATION

INNOVATION

Team motivation (West, 1997)

INPUTGROUP

PROCESSES(CREATIVE)

OUTPUT

• Group content:• Heterogenety• Size• (co)working experience• Proportion of innovators• Level of knowledge, skills

and abilities of the team• Complexity of the task• Organizational context:• Atmosphere in the team• Support for team work• Resources• Size of organization

• Clarity of the goals and dedication to them• Participation of team members• Orientation towards the exercise• Support for innovation

• Amount of innovative solutions• Innovation’s...

...extreme

...extent

...novelty

...efectivity

Supporting creativity in group leads to innovative ideas

• Novel ideas are perceived as threat to organization (risk to stability, change of status quo)

• Different creative techniques combined together produce novel, original, creative outcome – which may lead to innovative implementation

• TIME DEFINES CREATIVE OUTCOME!• Before creative session some rules have to be clear:

▫ Be laconic, content-rich▫ Show genuine interest in the process▫ No need for unnecessary critics▫ Mark all the ideas popping up▫ Prefer “yes, and...” rather than “yes, but...”▫ Risk, offer and implement unknown and unfamiliar

• In the time of creative crisis – take a creative break (traditional “coffee/smoke break” exhausts brain and imagination)

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