Creativity

Dear all;


There are a number of obstacles which inhibit creativity. The seven main ones are :


1 Negativity
2 Fear of failure
3 Lack of quality thinking time
4 Over-conformance with rules and regulations
5 Making assumptions
6 Applying too much logic
7 Thinking you are not creative.

These obstacles can be seen in this identi-kit profile of the noncreative
person; someone who is:
• not able to think positively about problems (and does not see
them as opportunities)
• too busy or stressed to think objectively or at all
• very self-critical
• timid in putting forward a new idea (fearing ridicule)
• viewed as a conformist by friends/colleagues
• prone to apply logic as a first and last resort
• sceptical that many people are capable of being creative
• unable to think laterally
• uninspired even when confronted with a new idea.

On the other hand, creativity can be encouraged in people (including
oneself) by exploring some of the qualities and characteristics of
creative thinkers and the activities/steps that can be undertaken to
improve the processes involved.

To be creative an individual should:

1 think beyond the invisible frameworks that surround problems
/situations
2 recognise when assumptions are being made and challenge them
3 spot blinkered thinking and widen the field of vision (to draw on
the experiences of other individuals/businesses)
4 develop/adapt ideas from more than one source
5 practice serendipity (finding valuable and agreeable things when
not particularly seeking them) – having a wide attention span
and range of interests is important
6 ‘transfer technology’ from one field to another
7 be open/prepared to use chance or unpredictable things/events
to advantage
8 explore thought processes and the key elements of the mind at
work in analysing, valuing and synthesising
9 use his/her ‘depth’ mind (the unconscious mind) for example
by sleeping on a problem to generate creative solutions to
problems
10 note down thoughts/ideas that apparently drop into the mind
unsolicited so that they are not forgotten
11 use analogy (to improve imaginative thinking) to find ‘models’
or solutions in ‘nature’, in existing products/services and/or in
other organisations – not always reinventing the wheel
12 try, as appropriate, to sometimes make the strange familiar and
the familiar strange to spark new ideas
13 make connections with points that are:

• apparently irrelevant
• disguised/buried or not easily accessible
• outside own sphere of expertise
• lacking authority

14 suspend judgement to encourage the creative process and avoid
premature criticism – analysis and criticism repress creativity)
15 know when to leave a problem (remaining aware but detached)
for solutions to emerge – patience is important here as is the
suspension of judgement
16 tolerate ambiguity and occasionally live with doubt and
uncertainty
17 stimulate own curiosity (in everything including travel) and the
skills of observation, listening, reading and recording.
Managers should remember that creativity should challenge the status
quo to test continuously for improvements, because:
• a thing is not right because we do it
• a method is not good because we use it
• equipment is not the best because we own it

Creativity can be improved by remembering that the creative
process has four main stages and each needs to be properly ‘worked’:

1 Preparation (information gathering, analysis and solution
exploration)
2 Incubation (letting the mind work to continue the process)
3 Illumination (inspiration – which can come when the individual
is not necessarily thinking about the problem but is in a relaxed
frame of mind)
4 Verification (testing ideas, solution, hunches, insights for
applicability).
If ideas or solutions to problems are slow to come it sometimes can
pay to leave matters alone for a while and reassess with:
• a new starting point;
• a different perspective;
• fresh motivation; and
• further consultation.

Referensi :Handbook of management & leadership