Marmara University

Business Administration
Creativity at work
Preapred by : Beyza ONAT
Burak AVCI
Maud van den BERSSELAAR

What is creativity?

Creativity is tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives or possibilities.

Creativity is ability to come up with ideas that are new, surprising and valuable.

(http://storyality.wordpress.com/)

Creativity and Cognition

These types are based on the type of novelty possessed by
the product of the creative process:
P-novelty: the product is fundamentally novel with respect to the individual mind which
had the idea.
H-novelty: the product is fundamentally novel with respect to the whole of human history.
Boden notes that an alternative definition of creativity might further require that the value of
the significance of the idea be recognised but does not state her position on this issue. She
goes on to note that:
H-creativity is a historical category ... [depending on] shared knowledge and shifting
intellectual fashions, loyalties and jealousies, finances and health religion and politics,
communications and information storage, trade and technology, and even storm, fire and
flood.

 Therefore, there can be no psychological explanation of H-creativity as such. Indeed, there

can be no systematic explanation of it at all.

Three Components of Creativity

According to Amabile (1998), individual creativity is classified by three components:
expertise, creative-thinking skills, and motivation.

Creativity and Concepts

What makes people creative?
Easily bored
Risk takers
Colour outside the lines
Think with their heart.
Makes lots of mstakes
Hate the rules
Work independently
Change their mind a lot
Have a reputation for eccentricity
Dream big
(www.surfimages.com)

Group Creativity
One such technique, brainstorming, has been widely used for over 50 years, especially in
work organizations (Osborn, 1957). It is in fact the mantra for companies such as IDEO,
arguably the best design firm in the world (Hargadon & Sutton, 1997). The claim is that
brainstorming instructions improve group creativity because they address issues of evaluation
apprehension and social loafing. To lower such apprehension and loafing, individuals are
specifically encouraged to emphasize quantity of ideas and more importantly, they are
specifically instructed not to criticize their own or others ideas. Rather, they are encouraged
to freewheel as well as to build upon and elaborate others ideas. Given the emphasis on
harmony, most researchers have assumed that conflict, especially anything resembling.
criticism, reduces group creativity. Thus, there has been considerable emphasis on the
elimination of such criticism and the concerns about evaluation that accompany it. As such,

the specific instruction not to criticize ones own or others ideas is central to the
brainstorming technique.

Social Factors

(www.scielo.cl)

Basic Elements In The Process of Creativity

1.Delineating the problem

Not going to search for a solution unless you see a problem or an opportunity.

Concern over global warming.

Need creative solutions and very soon.

Need to consider all the possible areas of study and impacts.

2.Developing knowledge base

Need well-developed information.

Gathered by intelligent folks.

3.Synthesis

Putting elements together.

Many different impacts all around the world.

May seem unconnected but creative people can pull together the elements and see the
relationships.

4.Withholding judgment

Making judgments will stop the creative process.

Suspend judgment for a time.

People with strong opinions have tendency to make premature decisions.

People need to set aside their preconceptions.

A mind is like a parachute.

It works best when it is open.

Definition of Creativity

Ability to come up with ideas that are new, surprising and valuable.
Associated fields artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, philosophy, arts etc.
Not a special faculty but is an aspect of general intelligence.
Eg. Picassos drawings, Einsteins works, inventions, discoveries etc.

How to be creative
-

Come up with many ideas. Than discard useless ones.

Assumptions breaking process
Discard the preconceived assumptions.
Attempt a new approach
Elements of chance

Distinguishing creativity and Innovation

-

Creativity is referred to the act of producing new and novel ideas.

While innovation is referred to the act of producing a new and novel idea and the idea is

applied in some specific context.

Creativity is starting point for innovation
Former necessary but not sufficient a lone.

Creativity models
-

Wallas model
4 stages (Process of creativity)

1. Delineating the problem. Preparation

We define the problem, need, or desire, and gather any information the solution or
response needs, and set up criteria.
(Gathering information / identify and explore the problem.)

2. Developing knowledge base. Incubation

We step back from the problem and let our minds contemplate and work it through.
Like preparation, incubation can last minutes, weeks, even years.
(Setting the problem aside.)

3. Synthesis (putting the elements together). Illumination

Ideas arise from the mind to provide the basis of a creative response. These ideas can
be pieces of the whole or the whole itself, i.e, seeing the entire concept or entity all at
once. Unlike the other stages, illumination is often very brief, involving a tremendous
rush of insights within a few minutes or hours.
(Seeing the solution.)

4. Withholding judgment during process. Verification

The final stage, one carries out activities to demonstrate whether or not what emerged
in illumination satisfies the need and the criteria defined in the preparation stage.
(Refining the idea. And give feedback to al the previous steps.)

(https://criticalcompanions.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/art-therapy-model1.jpg)

Geneplore model

Generative phase : - one constructs mental representations called pre-inventive

structures, having various properties that promote creative discovery.

Exploratory phase : - These properties are then exploited during an exploratory phase
in which one seeks to interpret the pre-inventive structures in meaningful ways.

( http://www.redchurch.com/quantum/img/GeneploreModel01.jpg )

Three forms of creativity

-

Combinational Creativity

Exploratory Creativity

Transformational Creativity

Amabile, (1998)
According to Amabile (1998), individual creativity is classified by three components: expertise,
creative-thinking skills, and motivation.
Managers can influence these components-for better and worse-through workplace practices and
conditions.

Creativity at work
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Creativity is important to organizations.

Creative contributions can help organizations become more efficient and more responsive to
opportunities,
help organizations adapt to change, grow and compete in the global market.
Some level of creativity is needed in almost any job
Specifically, creativity influences innovation implementation.

Innovation defined
Innovation is the implementation of new ideas at the individual, group or organizational level

Creativity versus Innivation

Between creativity and innovation (Amabile et al., 1996, Anderson et al. 2004) there are differences.
Innovation can be seen as a successful implementation of creativity and something that produces
economic value, whereas creativity has to do with idea production (Scott & Bruce, 1994).
Creativity is limited to idea generation alone, or concerns an individuals own pleasurable experience,
when, for example, performing arts (Anderson et al. 2004, Miron et al. 2004).
Therefore, it can be argued that every innovation requires creativity, but creativity does not necessarily
lead to innovation.

Creativity defined
Creativity is the development of ideas about products, practices, services, or procedures that are novel
and potentially useful to the organization.

Creativity at work
Employee innovativeness covers a broader range of behaviors than creativity.
a micro-level approach: focused on assessing what contributes to an employees tendency to generate
innovative ideas that eventually lead to innovations.
Macro-level approach: focused on assessing the factors of organization that leads the innovations.
Organizational creativity is dependent on the creativity of the group, which in turn is dependent on
individual creativity.
Actual new processes and products

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i.e. innovations reflect these creative efforts.

Innovation
Innovation emphasizes a more complex process and it refers to
an activity whose aim is to develop, carry, react to and modify
ideas.
Innovation should not only described with the intentional act of
generating new ideas, but also with the introduction and application of new ideas, all aimed at
improving organizational performance.
Innivation theorists describe the innovation process as being composed of two main phases:
initiation and implementation.
(Production of idea & implementation of idea)

HUMAN WASHING MACHINE

It might sound like a futuristic invention but Sanyo presented its washing machine for
humans way back in 1970s.

Motivation to company and environment

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As you know Japanese economy is the one of the strongest economy in the world. In such
kind of strong economies human labor is much more expensive than any other countries.
Forty years ago a company named Sanyo presented a machine which automatically cleans
dries and massages people.
And this company was supported by government a lot .Lets see why?

In early 1970s Japanese government tried to bring nurses from Thailand and Philippines
because of high wages of Japanese nurses in Japan. Nurses who were taking care of elderlys
wages was multiple of Thailands.
Against this situation Japanese nurses tried to be lobby and force government. And they
successfully lobbied against foreign labor. They managed to bring some laws which were
limiting rent of the foreign workers.

The situation was so critic. Some mainstream politicians have even suggested exporting some
of japan elders to that countries. But that idea has never won much popular support.

Therefore very expensive wages were not the only problem. Also Japanese woman were
against staying at home and looking after elders all the time. If you think about Japanese
growing average age you can see it was making problem bigger and bigger.
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As a result Sanyos new machine was like a diamond both elders and government. Of course
for the owners of the company!

About the machine and what it does

-Cleaning
-Massage
-Drying
-Adjusting Temperature

Of course its main quest is cleaning. But this wonderful machine can massage , can dry after
bath and can help the body adjusting temperature.
This machine is like 2 meters tall and the bather had to use a ladder to get in. It takes 15
minutes for all process.
First five minutes pre-rinse cycle , spraying the bather with jets of hot water. After that three
minute massage bath begins. The soothing massage is supposed to stimulate blood
circulation while cleaning your body.
A two minutes rinse process following and finally five minutes drying program in which
warm air blasted the user while machine trying to kill bacterias.
It is the most hygienic way of bath in the world.

USAGE
Unfortunately the Sanyos Ultrasonic bath never made it into our homes but the Japanese
company did release HIRB , a compact washing machine for humans , used in elderly homes.
Some reasons are below

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-Huge energy using

-Huge costs

-Size of the machine

Think about every use of machine. Cleaning , drying, massaging. This compact machine uses
so much energy. And the cost of machine is so high. No one except riches can easily afford
this machine.

GOOD SIDES OF THE MACHINE

Globality

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First of all we can think this machine globally. Because like Japanese average age ratio also in
lots of European countries average age is rising unstoppably. If you can manage to cut down
the price of the human washing machine it would be very usefull in the future

Water Saving
Second and maybe the most important feature of the machine is saving water. As you know
nova days lots of countries suffering from lack of water. And every day we are throwing away
tons of water by wrong usage of it.
While this machine helps elders people doing their jobs by their own and protect their privacy
it also uses just enough water. So it is also helping protecting envoirement and future.

When talking about other beneficals of machine we should split to two part.

-Benefits for Elders

-Benefits for Youngers
Benefits for Elders

By helps of human washing machine elderly people can wash themselves without getting help
from another person. It is also very important for their psychology. Because elder people do
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not want to be load to their children or relatives. This makes them comfortable. By this way
they can protect their privacy and self-reliance.
Also human washing machine cleans every part of the body very hygienically. It is impossible
for any nurse to do this perfectly as machine does.

Benefits for Younger

For younger people like businessman and woman time is the most important thing. Without
massage and drying it only takes 7 minutes to take shower with fully body cleaned.
Of course you are again using water at maximum benefit.
Therefore you take shower effortlessly and without time wasting.

Result

All in all this human washing machine has its own benefits and difficulties. Maybe one day if
companies manage to produce it with cheap and useful materials and lower its size everybody
can purchase one of it. In that way we can see human washing machines in every house.
Today it sounds like science fiction films just like once upon a time what people think about
phones without cables.

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References :

Marcus Pearce , Boden and Beyond: The Creative Mind and its Reception in the Academic
Community.

Charlan J.Nemeth, Bernard Personnaz, Marie Personnaz, Jack A.GoncaloThe liberating role of
conflict in group creativity: A study in two countries (2004)

www.scielo.cl

http://storyality.wordpress.com/

https://criticalcompanions.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/art-therapy-model1.jpg

http://www.redchurch.com/quantum/img/GeneploreModel01.jpg

http://www.jpb.com/pictures/ipm_cartoon.jpg)

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