What is CREATIVITY? What is INNOVATION? How do you define an IDEA?

Often the terms 'creativity' and 'innovation' are used interchangeably. Rightly or worngly, the two words are treated by many as synonyms. But do they espouse the same concepts? Is there a difference between the two? What about 'ideas', which is often used in connection to creativity and innovation? A proper understanding of these three terms is crucial before we attempt to embrace and practice innovation. IDEAS COME FROM A NEW WAY OF THINKING, A NEW WAY OF DOING THINGS It all begins with an idea. An idea is the starting point of creativity and innovation. Without ideas there can never be anything creative or innovative. Just like without cells there can be no living things. Ideas are the building blocks of creativity and innovation. An idea is like a seed waiting to be planted, waiting to grow and mature into something beautiful. An idea has to be new and fresh. An old idea is like a dead seed, lifeless and unproductive.

CREATIVITY IS THE PROCESS OF GATHERING AND GENERATING NEW IDEAS.

Creativity may be defined as idea generation. Being creative is to be able to generate or to come up with ideas. Or even to gather ideas. The new idea can be simple or it can be complex. When a child thinks of an idea, even if it is a naughty one, he is being creative. Similarly, when a scientist seizes on an idea, he is exercising creativity. Creativity is hence a process, or a thinking process to be exact. Creativity comes from the word create. What is created or generated is the idea.

INNOVATION IS CREATIVITY IMPLEMENTED.

Innovation, on the other hand, can be described as creativity implemented. Innovation is putting the idea into practice. While creativity is a thinking process, innovation is a productive process. Innovation adds value to the idea, which otherwise remains as a mere idea. If the idea is likened to a seed, then innovation is the plant that results from planting and nurturing the seed. Creativity is the Most Crucial Factor for Future Success According to the IBM 2010 Global CEO Study, which surveyed 1,500 Chief Executive Officers from 60 countries and 33 industries worldwide, CEOs believe that, "more than rigor, management discipline, integrity or even vision - successfully navigating an increasing complex world will require creativity." CEOs say creativity helps them capitalise on complexity "The effects of rising complexity calls for CEOs and their teams to lead with bold creativity, connect with customers in imaginative ways and design their operations for speed and flexibility to position their organisations for twenty-first century success." Amen to that! If we are going to find solutions in a world that is becoming increasingly interconnected and complex, we cannot rely on traditional ways of leading and managing. Continued here Creativity at Work Creativity is a core competency for leaders and managers and one of the best ways to set your company apart from the competition. Corporate Creativity is characterised by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to generate solutions. Generating fresh solutions to problems, and the ability to create new products, processes or services for a changing market, are part of the intellectual capital that give a company its competitive edge. Creativity is a crucial part of the innovation equation.

Creativity right-brain

requires imagination,

whole-brain artistry and

thinking; intuition,

plus left-brain logic and planning. Creativity is fostered in organizational cultures that value independent thinking, risk taking, and learning. They are tolerant of failure and they value diversity. Open communication, a high degree of trust and respect between individuals are crucial. whole-brain thinking Can creativity be learned? A study by George Land reveals that we are naturally creative and as we grow up we learn to be uncreative. Creativity is a skill that can be developed and a process that can be managed. Learning to be creative is akin to learning a sport. It requires practice to develop the right muscles, and a supportive environment in which to flourish. Business leaders are increasingly adopting the principles and practices of art and design to help build creative muscle in their organizations. Design thinking can help organizations manage the innovation process and overcome some of the barriers that prevent leaders from being effective innovators. Art and design processes help people develop fresh thinking through aesthetic ways of knowing, imagination, intuition, re-framing and exploring different perspectives. Art-based processes also help people learn to be comfortable with uncertainty, ambiguity, and paradox. ARTS Strategies for developing creativity Skills Training for leaders, managers and and staff teams Coaching innovation champions

Culture Change initiatives ... are based on these findings from global studies on innovation:

Traditional

business

models

no

longer

hold. model

Innovation has a higher success rate when it is applied to the business Creative leadership is required for innovation to The ability to collaborate at all levels of the organization Defining Innovation Innovation is the production or implementation of ideas. 3M describes innovation is an action or implementation which results in an improvement, a gain, or a profit. The National Innovation Initiative (NII) defines innovation as "The intersection of invention and insight, leading to the creation of social and economic value." A Systematic Approach to Creativity Successful groups incorporate both innovation and routine in their interactions. Too much creativity can lead to chaos. Constant change leads to lack of direction, confusion, frustration, and reduced productivity. Too much stability leads to inflexibility, an inability to adapt, and a tendency to follow rules without questioning them. Approaching creativity in a systematic way encourages group succeed

members to identify the purpose of their creative endeavors and provides discussion time dedicated to creativity. Thus, groups can integrate a format such as Standard Agenda with the creativity strategy outlined below. A Creativity System 1. Determine the purpose of the innovation. The group needs to answer the questions: What do we want to change? Why does it need to change?

2. Describe the features of the object or process that the group wishes to change. That is, list the object's materials and design or list the parts and steps necessary to complete the process. 3. Describe the functions of the object or process. Answer the question: What does this object/process do? 4. Brainstorm for alternative functions. What do we want this object/process to do? 5. Identify features necessary to fulfill alternative functions. Let's look at two examples: one object and one process.

Object: Hammer 1. Purpose: What features and functions would improve the common hammer and make it more useful? 2. Features: wood handle, metal head and claw 3. Functions: to pound nails and other objects (e.g., drive a wedge between a door and door jam), to remove nails and pry objects open 4. Alternative functions: measure force of hitting an object with the hammer; calculate number of times needed to hit a nail with the hammer; cushion hand holding hammer; entertain (built in radio?); provide carpentry tips (mini-cassette tape? Built-in computer chip?); give performance feedback messages (e.g., "good job!" "Opps, big mistake!"); play inspirational music 5. Features needed: device to measure striking force; plastic/rubber for cushioned hammer grip; metal strike surface; tiny radio; computer chip with 3 different programs for carpentry tips, feedback, and music How realistic are these alternative functions and features? You may think, "Not very," but who would have thought 15 years ago that computers would be so central to our everyday lives.

Process: Student advising 1. Purpose: What features and functions would improve the advising system at West Coast U? 2. Features: advisors (3 advisors for each student: General Education, minor, major), faculty handbook, student handbook, course catalog, course schedule, paper forms, meeting areas (offices), time (meetings, waiting for meetings) 3. Functions: to advise students of the coursework they need to complete in order to graduate 4. Alternative functions: provide advisors with feedback on advising procedures; gather student ideas about course options; develop student-generated courses; have one stop for all advising; gather data on student interests; generate positive association with the university (for long-term goal of increased alumni support); keep students updated on requirements completed and requirements yet-to-be completed 5. Features needed: holographic advisors/students (such as the Doctor on Voyager); cyberspace meeting rooms; electronic forms for advising and gathering student information and input; electronic advising card (scan for all advising information); one advisor for all advising; interactive Frequently Asked Questions on advising website; electronic database that students can access to assess requirements completed and requirements yetto-be completed; prizes and games that reward students for regular and timely advising sessions; prizes and games that reward advisors for accurate and timely information These are brief examples of a systematic method used to facilitate creativity in small groups. Integrating this with a procedure such as Standard Agenda provides a way to balance innovation with stability.

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Amabile, Teresa M.; Barsade, Sigal G; Mueller, Jennifer S; Staw, Barry M., "Affect and creativity at work," Administrative Science Quarterly, 2005, vol. 50, pp. 367403.

Amabile, T. M. (1998). "How to kill creativity". Harvard Business Review 76 (5). Amabile, T. M. (1996). Creativity in context. Westview Press. Balzac, Fred (2006). "Exploring the Brain's Role in Creativity". NeuroPsychiatry Reviews 7 (5): 1, 1920.

BCA (2006). New Concepts in Innovation: The Keys to a Growing Australia. Business Council of Australia. Brian, Denis, Einstein: A Life (John Wiley and Sons, 1996) ISBN 0471-11459-6 Byrne, R. M. J. (2005). The Rational Imagination: How People Create Counterfactual Alternatives to Reality. MIT Press. Carson, S. H.; Peterson, J. B., Higgins, D. M. (2005). "Reliability, Validity, and Factor Structure of the Creative Achievement Questionnaire". Creativity Research Journal 17 (1): 3750. doi:10.1207/s15326934crj1701_4.

Craft, A. (2005). Creativity in Schools: tensions and dilemmas. Routledge. ISBN 0415324149. Dorst, K.; Cross, N. (2001). "Creativity in the design process: coevolution of problemsolution". Design Studies 22 (5): 425437. doi:10.1016/S0142-694X(01)00009-6.

Feldman, D. H. (1999). "The Development of Creativity". In ed. Sternberg, R.J.. Handbook of Creativity. Cambridge University Press.

Finke, R.; Ward, T. B. & Smith, S. M. (1992). Creative cognition: Theory, research, and applications. MIT Press. ISBN 0262061503. Flaherty, A. W. (2005). "Frontotemporal and dopaminergic control of idea generation and creative drive". Journal of Comparative Neurology 493 (1): 147153. doi:10.1002/cne.20768. PMC 2571074. PMID 16254989.

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Association/Boydell and Brewer, 2009) Vandervert, L. (2003a). How working memory and cognitive modeling functions of the cerebellum contribute to discoveries in mathematics. New Ideas in Psychology, 21, 159-175.

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[edit] Further reading

Cropley, David H.; Cropley, Arthur J.; Kaufman, James C. et al., eds (2010). The Dark Side of Creativity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-13960-1. Lay summary (24 November 2010).

Robinson, Andrew (2010). Sudden Genius?: The Gradual Path to Creative Breakthroughs. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-956995-3. Lay summary (24 November 2010).

^ For example here is the Art (singular) History department of Chicago which explicitly refers to "visual arts" on its welcome page.

^ For example here is the UNC School of the Arts (plural) which offers dance, design, drama and so on. ^ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/arts Entry on The Free

Dictionary provided by Collins English Dictionary

^ http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/art-definition.htm#definition A Working Definition of Art (2009) ^ Faculty of Fine Arts, York University ^ College of Fine Arts (Stephen F. Austin State University) ^ The Creative Writing Program at UBC ^ An About.com article by artist and educator, Shelley Esaak, answering the question: What Is Visual Art? in relation to the other arts.

^ Keppler, Victor (in English). A life of color photography: The eighth art. W. Morrow & Co. ASIN B00085HDEI. ^ Dierick, Charles (in Dutch). Het Belgisch Centrum van het Beeldverhaal. Brussels: Dexia Bank / La Renaissance du Livre. p. 11. ISBN 2-8046-0449-7.

^ Turner prize history: Conceptual art Tate gallery tate.org.uk. Accessed August 8, 2006 ^ "From the Archives: Going Through Game Informer's Past". Game Informer (200): 83. December 2009. ^ Ebert, Roger. "Okay, kids, play on my lawn". Chicago SunTimes. http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/07/okay_kids_play_on_my_ lawn.html.

"Kojima

Says

"Games

Are

Not

Art"".

http://kotaku.com/150043/kojima-says-games-are-not-art. Retrieved 2011-01-06. Kotaku (2006)