Thoughts and Notes From Idea Generation class pt. 1
Road Blocks to idea generation:
1. Origins – where does creativity come from? Myths and spirituality
2. Impressions – studies in creativity lack a basic psychological theory
3. Early Work – creativity as peripheral to central concerns of psychology
a. Studies on creativity date back to the middle ages
4. Definition and criteria for creativity – can be vague and constricting, i.e. only big ideas are creative
5. Extraordinary result of an ordinary process belief
6. Undisciplinary – creativity doesn’t have a discipline component to it belief
The four parts of creativity:
1. Fluency – how quickly can one come up with new ideas
2. Elaboration – how much can one embellish existing ideas
3. Originality – how new or original are the ideas
4. Flexibility – how much can one adapt the new ideas to something else
Where does creativity come from:
1. Mystical or divinely given
2. Pragmatists are concerned with developing techniques for creativity enhancement.
3. Psychodynamic – conscious reality in conflict with unconscious drives
4. Psychometric – development of tests
5. Cognitive – how people construct their thinking
a. Geneplore model – phase 1 Generation; phase 2 Exploration
6. Social – variables include:
a. Personality - Amabile
b. Motivation – can be intrinsic or extrinsic
c. Sociocultural – rural, urban, suburban – studied by Csikszentmihalyi
For idea generation, judgment must be suspended – both of others’ ideas and your own.
Sternberg believes that creative thinkers are like investors. They buy low and sell high.
Transformative leaders motivate, empower and have a vision.
Thinking tools help people get into the habit of being creative.
Edward de Bono:
• The six thinking hats
• Lateral thinking
• Power of Perception (PoP) tools for business (based on CoRT in education)
• Six value medals
Creativity adds value
Must be able to make a decision with the information available at the time – excellent but not good enough: always strive to improve.
Creativity inhibitors:
• Fear of rejection
• Risk
o Environment or culture not willing to take a risk
• Not everyone expected to come up with ideas
• Neglect
• No support structure for implementation
• Only left brains – you need creative (right brains) and high organization (left brains)
• No acknowledgement for the idea
• Valuing only big ideas
Perception failures:
• Failing to look for something
• Only seeing part of the situation
• Leaving things out
• Failure to consider other people’s thinking or consequences
• Failure to generate alternatives
Thinking qualities:
• Fluency
• Elaboration
• Flexibility
• Originality
Creative Problem Solving (CPS);
3 stages and 6 steps:
• Explore the challenge
o Find the objective
o Find the facts
o Find the problem
• Generate ideas
o Find ideas
• Prepare for action
o Find solutions
o Get acceptance for solutions
In order for creativity to take hold in an organization, the leadership must set the right climate.
Divergent thinking is always followed by convergent thinking.
See notes from lectures 2 and 3
1. Origins – where does creativity come from? Myths and spirituality
2. Impressions – studies in creativity lack a basic psychological theory
3. Early Work – creativity as peripheral to central concerns of psychology
a. Studies on creativity date back to the middle ages
4. Definition and criteria for creativity – can be vague and constricting, i.e. only big ideas are creative
5. Extraordinary result of an ordinary process belief
6. Undisciplinary – creativity doesn’t have a discipline component to it belief
The four parts of creativity:
1. Fluency – how quickly can one come up with new ideas
2. Elaboration – how much can one embellish existing ideas
3. Originality – how new or original are the ideas
4. Flexibility – how much can one adapt the new ideas to something else
Where does creativity come from:
1. Mystical or divinely given
2. Pragmatists are concerned with developing techniques for creativity enhancement.
3. Psychodynamic – conscious reality in conflict with unconscious drives
4. Psychometric – development of tests
5. Cognitive – how people construct their thinking
a. Geneplore model – phase 1 Generation; phase 2 Exploration
6. Social – variables include:
a. Personality - Amabile
b. Motivation – can be intrinsic or extrinsic
c. Sociocultural – rural, urban, suburban – studied by Csikszentmihalyi
For idea generation, judgment must be suspended – both of others’ ideas and your own.
Sternberg believes that creative thinkers are like investors. They buy low and sell high.
Transformative leaders motivate, empower and have a vision.
Thinking tools help people get into the habit of being creative.
Edward de Bono:
• The six thinking hats
• Lateral thinking
• Power of Perception (PoP) tools for business (based on CoRT in education)
• Six value medals
Creativity adds value
Must be able to make a decision with the information available at the time – excellent but not good enough: always strive to improve.
Creativity inhibitors:
• Fear of rejection
• Risk
o Environment or culture not willing to take a risk
• Not everyone expected to come up with ideas
• Neglect
• No support structure for implementation
• Only left brains – you need creative (right brains) and high organization (left brains)
• No acknowledgement for the idea
• Valuing only big ideas
Perception failures:
• Failing to look for something
• Only seeing part of the situation
• Leaving things out
• Failure to consider other people’s thinking or consequences
• Failure to generate alternatives
Thinking qualities:
• Fluency
• Elaboration
• Flexibility
• Originality
Creative Problem Solving (CPS);
3 stages and 6 steps:
• Explore the challenge
o Find the objective
o Find the facts
o Find the problem
• Generate ideas
o Find ideas
• Prepare for action
o Find solutions
o Get acceptance for solutions
In order for creativity to take hold in an organization, the leadership must set the right climate.
Divergent thinking is always followed by convergent thinking.
See notes from lectures 2 and 3