Creativity
Creativity
Creativity Defined
The ability to produce work that is BOTH Novel (i.e., original, unexpected,
innovative) Appropriate (i.e., useful, practical,
effective) (Sternberg 1999; Finke, Ward, & Smith
1992)
Creativity Problem Solving
Insight 9-Dot Problem Remote Associates Test
Problem Finding Requires Problem Definition Requires an allocation of cognitive capital
(Sternberg & Lubart 1991) to “think about what you’re going to think about” (Nickerson 2000)
More associated with creativity (Csikszentmihalyi & Getzels 1971; 1975)
Creativity: An individual trait or situation-driven?
Both Individual Trait Situation-Driven
Theories of Creativity
Individual Traits Influencing Creativity
Intrinsic Motivation Personality (e.g., Myers Briggs)
Other Personality-Related Individual Differences: Left vs. Right Brain Need for Cognition Dogmatism Divergent Thinking Ability Willingness to Break the Rules
Intelligence
Creative Cognition
Path of Least Resistance (“POLR”) (Perkins 1997; Ward 1994)
Top-Down Process Recall an existing solution to an active
problem Implement a well-known plan to solve it
Creative Tools
Brainstorming
Rules Defer judgment Encourage wild ideas Build on the ideas of others
Sterling Rice Ideation Case Study: Hot Pockets!
Mind Mapping
A visual representation of relationships and critical paths
Harnesses the non-linear way our brains work by capturing associative patterns
Analogical Thinking
Three Stages Access Mapping Transfer
Breaking Patterns Abandoning assumptions and looking at
problems differently Changing environments: Hiking in Chautauqua Observing normal behavior: Flatirons Crossing
How do you get off the “path of least resistance” and out of “rule ruts”? Challenging your assumptions: Wine bottle exercise
What motivates you to do that?
Understanding Opportunity
The Entrepreneurial Revolution
1960’s: About 200,000 new enterprises were created per year
Now: About 3.5 million per year businesses are launched each year – with 10-15% of the adult population is attempting to start a business at any given time.
40% of American men will attempt to start a business within their lifetime
Traits of an Entrepreneur?
Challenges the status quo Recognizes patterns - makes new
connections Committed to learning – peripatetic Visionary Risk taker Self-motivated Locus of control Tolerance for ambiguity
Good Opportunity?
Market is strong & accessible Compelling need Unique/different Sustainable competitive
advantage Profitable Great management
Application
Crunch!
New Product Development: Risky
To avoid failure, everything has to be right: Concept Design Pricing Positioning Packaging Advertising and Promotion
PDMA Best Practices Survey
The Best: average 49% of sales from products < 5 yrs old have a success rate over 80% Use stage/gate processes more extensively (& more stages) reward team non-financially in public and private ways innovate in their use of market research and engineering
design tools
Source: Drivers of NPD Success: The PDMA Report
Beyond the Business World
The Role of Creativity in Diverse Disciplines Music Psychotherapy Mathematics
Managing Creativity
In a brand management context Bill Weintraub, former head of
marketing at Coors, Tropicana, Kelloggs More generally, the lessons from
last week