Lecture 3 - Creativity and innovation

Question 1

problem solving

Answer 1

• purposeful
• exists only when someone lacks relevant knowledge to produce immediate solution
• well-defined vs ill-defined problems
• knowledge-rich vs knowledge-lean problems

Question 2

what is creativity?

Answer 2

• the ability to produce work that is both novel and context appropriate
• original and effective

Question 3

creativity requires (4)

Answer 3

1) skills -> developed abilities to think creatively
2) Dispositions (Attitudes) -> believing that it is important to be creative and then trying to be creative
3) Translations into Action
4) Overcoming (partial) misconceptions
(relaxation rooms, brainstorm techniques, it comes in a group etc)

Question 4

Steinberg’s investment theory of creativity

Answer 4

• creativity is a decision
• creative thinkers are willing to defy (trotzen) the crowd
• they are willing to buy low and sell high in the world of ideas
• external and internal pressures make it difficult t o decide for creativity

Question 5

What helps creativity?

Answer 5

• willingness to grow
• willingness to take risks
• perseverance in face of resilience, obstacles (hinderniss), grit
• self-efficacy (Selbstvertrauen)
• ability to associate (use creative techniques)
• willingness to defer judgment (yes, and.. vs yes, but..) ??
• distance
• social and political skills
• motivation to create (epistemic, prosocial)
• openness to experience, networking skills, boundary spanner
• mental flexibility, low need for structure

Question 6

Not helping creativity

Answer 6

• acute time pressure
• old habits
• fear of unknown
• uncertainty avoidance
• short-term orientation, focus on result
• big ego

Question 7

What is included in a task environment

Answer 7

• time and resources
• autonomy
• risk taking is supported
• challenging and interesting work
• job demands creativity
• shared mental models, team work (teams poor at selecting ideas)
• collaboration, especially early in project
• team flexibility

Question 8

what is included in the social environment?

Answer 8

• mission clarity -> goals to be creative
• exchange/debate is encouraged, task conflict, to relationship conflict
• top management support
• recognition for creativity
• internal and external sources well integrated , external communication
• positive interpersonal and supervisor relations
• positive interpersonal and supervisor relations
• prosocial motivation, trust, safety, humor

Question 9

Physical environment

Answer 9

• colors (calm, but energizing: green, blue)
• plants
• windows and a view (on nature)
• lighting (natural)
• air (temperature), sound, smell
• balance privacy and interaction

-> physical environment is less important than task/social environment

Question 10

The creative process

Answer 10

• preparation
• incubation
• illumination
• verification
• Gestalt approach

Question 11

Past experience

Answer 11

• duncker: candle problem, functional fixedness

- luchins: water-jar problem, Einstellung, mental set

Question 12

techniques for divergence

Answer 12

• randomness
• analogy
• distance, incubation
• guided fantasy
• enhance the purge

Question 13

negative brainstorming

Answer 13

• make problem statement
• invert problem statement
• start negative brainstorm
• invert solutions

Question 14

design thinking

Answer 14

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