BUSINESS RESEARCH

Managing Creativity

Creativity is one of the most sought-after traits in leaders today, according to an IBM survey of chief executives worldwide – and is poised to be the key skill for the 21st century, says Dr Mark Batey, a leading authority on creativity at Manchester Business School.

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January 2015

Creativity is defined as ‘the process that results in a novel product or service that the social context accepts as useful or otherwise appropriate at some point in time’. The process typically entails five elements – often performed in a non-orderly fashion:

  1. Preparation: A person becomes immersed (consciously or not) in problematic issues that entice his or her interest and curiosity
  2. Incubation: The individual processes information, usually below the threshold of consciousness
  3. Insight: New ideas and insights emerge
  4. Evaluation: The person decides whether a new idea is worth pursuing
  5. Elaboration: The individual pursues the new idea by transforming, developing, and refining it

If organisations don’t create the conditions for creativity to thrive, their businesses will suffer immeasurably. Numerous examples show how non-creative management nearly led to major missed opportunities: the tape slitter, one of 3Ms most important process innovations, was invented by a 3M engineer who ignored his manager’s order to stop the research or be fired; LED technology, which created a multibillion-dollar industry, was invented at Nichia by a scientist who continually ignored the CEO’s orders to cease his research.

Sources: Mainemelis, C. (2010) Stealing Fire: Creative Deviance In The Evolution Of New Ideas, Academy of Management Review, 35(4), 558-578; Kelley, T. and Kelley, D. (2012) Reclaim Your Creative Confidence, HBR, Dec.

Referenced techniques

Technique

Group Dynamics

Group dynamics can be used as a means for problem-solving, team work, and to become more innovative and productive as an organisation as whole. The concept will provide you with the strengths, success factors and measures of group dynamics, along with other professional tools.

Technique

Innovation Management

The concept determines the critical factors of innovation management. It reviews the managerial practices of successful innovators and summarises the strengths and limitations of innovative approaches.

Technique

Research and Development

The concept describes the process of knowledge creation, production, diffusion and application. It encourages businesses and researchers to work together on innovative projects in strategically important areas of science, engineering and technology, and summarises implementation strategies and success factors.

Technique

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a highly relevant concept for those leading and working in organisations and not just those starting new ventures. This concept covers technology, creative and social enterprise dimensions and introduces the types and main principles of entrepreneurship. The creation of an entrepreneurial culture is also addressed.

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