Importance of Creativity in a Job

The experience of thinking, reacting, and working in an imaginative way which is

characterized by a high degree of innovation and originality, divergent

thinking, and risk taking.

Definition of Creativity

What is Creativity?

• Creativity refers to the act of making something that previously did not exist.

• It is a way of thinking that involves the imagination and intuition.

True Creativity and Innovation consist of

Seeing what everyone else has seen,Thinking what no one else has

thought andDoing what no one has dared!

Creativity Always Involves Crossing of Boundaries

So what makes creative people creative? If we could look into the minds of creative geniuses, what would we see?

Joy of discovery

Questioning

Desire to interrelate

Tolerance of ambiguity

Curiosity Sense of challenge Playfulness

Inquisitiveness

Willingness to take risks

Positive discontent

Desire to see things differently

Desire to learn Willingness toexperiment

Wonder

Portrait of a Creative Person

“Creative people pay attention to their world, see things differently, challenge

assumptions, take risks, are not afraid to fail, and strive to generate multiple

solutions to problems. They are passionate about creativity and seek opportunities to

innovate.”

Creativity at Work

• Employers greatly value creative thinkers because such employees can– think of innovative work-related ideas and

approaches – solve difficult or unusual problems– relate meaningfully with co-workers and clients

and – contribute positively to the growth of an

organization.

Developing your creativity will enable you to do even the most mundane tasks in a mindful and spirited way, opening up the

possibilities for innovation and self-fulfillment.

Creativity and Career Planning

• Creativity and Career Planning go hand in hand as the new economy is largely based on the exchange of knowledge.

• New employees must have the abilities to– flow with change and opportunity– continue to learn– anticipate near and distant future trends and needs– network and – understand global change

Influences on CreativityDiscussion Point

A: What helps you personally to be more creative? B: What stops you

personally being more creative?

Domain Expertise

Motivation

Creative Thinking Ability

CREATIVITY

Workplace practices and conditions

Flexibility and imagination in approaching problems

TechnicalProcedural

IntrinsicTask-focused

THE CREATIVE INDIVIDUAL

Motivation•Proposed that people will perform more creatively if motivated by the work itself, rather than rewards or punishments.

•Research evidence supports the idea that intrinsic motivation produces more creative outcomes than extrinsic ones.

•You must have knowledge of a field to produce something novel within it!•Importance of knowing the territory•Development of problem solving methods using exploration and trial and error methods.

•Identification of problems / sensing gaps

Domain Expertise

Creative Thinking Ability

A range of skills identified by researchers as key to creative thinking are:

• Problem or opportunity finding• Seeing problems in new ways • Generating a wide range of ideas (divergent thinking)• Recognising which of one’s ideas are worth pursuing

(convergent thinking)• Persuading others of the value of your ideas

Workplace Practices and Conditions

Research has shown a wide range of environmental factors influencing individual creativity e.g

• Management support (e.g. gives positive informational feedback)

• Co-worker creativity• Team or departmental climate for innovation • Autonomy• Access to resources• Time to experiment

Gather information

and resources

Stage 2 Preparation

Produce one or more ideas or products

Stage 3 Idea

Generation

Check ideas against

criteria for the task

Stage 4 Idea

Validation

STAGES OF INDIVIDUAL CREATIVITY

Stage 1 Task

Presentation

External SourceInternal Source

End

Stage 5 Outcome

Assessment

End

Back to 1

Success

Failure

Progress

INDIVIDUAL COMPONENT

A

Intrinsic motivation to

do the task

INDIVIDUAL COMPONENT

B

Skills in the task domain

INDIVIDUAL COMPONENT

C

Skills in creative thinking

Consequences of CreativityIndividual• Self-esteem, job satisfaction, promotion, financial rewards

Team or group• Team morale, achievement of team goals

Organisational• Performance, investment, customer/client satisfaction

Societal• Quality of life of general public, natural

environment

Six Tips To Help You Enhance Your Creativity

1. Open Your Mind - Have one new experience every day; no matter how small. New experiences stimulate the brain and help you make new and original connections; critical for boosting breakthroughs.

2. Diversify - Involve others in your problem-solving efforts who bring a different perspective or cultural experience than yours.

3. Mental Floss – Relax; Stress, exhaustion, boredom and even pain can block our pathways to creativity.

4. Stop Looking For the Right Answer - Look for many right answers.

5. Discover Your Creative Rhythm - Start paying attention to when you get your best ideas.

6. Health Makes Wealth - Regular exercise not only benefits your body, it boosts brain performance as well.

… and another one: Find what you love to do

“We know that people do their most creative work when they love doing what they’re doing. There’s

no substitute for intrinsic motivation, that is, motivation that comes from within. Although such motivation doesn’t guarantee creativity, dislike or

lack of interest in work practically guarantees non-creativity.”

– Ten Keys to Creative Innovation by Robert J. Sternberg

Thank You!