Encouraging Creativity & Innovation in a Team

Professional Year Program - Unit 5: Workplace media and communication channels

Purpose

The purpose of this session to highlight the importance of creativity and innovation in business teams. We will consider the relationship between problem solving/decision making and creativity. Some tools for promoting creativity in teams will also be reviewed.

This session will also be helpful for students to reflect on the level of creativity and innovation in their own teams. Including identifying what was done well and what could be improved.

Overview

What is creativity and innovation?

Why are creativity and innovation important for business?

Business problem solving and creativity

Team creativity tools and methods Brainstorming

Rolestorming

The Slip Writing Technique

Situation/Solution Reversal

Activity

What is creativity and innovation?

Creativity: Generation of ideas in the attempt to solve a problem or produce something new.

What is creativity and innovation?

Innovation: Implementation of ideas generated from the creative process.

Why are creativity and innovation important for business?

Why are creativity and innovation important for business? • Catalyst for change• Higher degree of efficiency• Increased productivity• Better quality• More competition• Other reasons?

Business problem solving and creativity

Problem-Solving Model

Business problem solving and creativity

Creative Problem-Solving Model

Team creativity tools and methods

There are many potential tools to facilitate creative ideas in a team. Here we will consider the following three.

Brainstorming Rolestorming

Situation/Solution Reversal

Brainstorming

About Brainstorming• Credited to Alex Osborn• First published the idea in his 1953

book Applied Imagination: Principles and Procedures of Creative Thinking

• Can be an individual activity or group discussion

Brainstorming

Creating Ground Rules• Everyone must contribute.• No idea gets criticized, no matter

how unconventional.• Be considerate of those around

you. • One person speaks at a time.

Rolestorming

About Rolestorming• Developed in the 1980’s by Rick

Griggs• Involves each member of the group

taking on the role or character of another person

• Offers the opportunity to see things from a different perspective

• May feel less inhibited

Rolestorming

Get into character by asking:• How does my character view the

world?• How would my character solve this

problem?• What would my character’s stance

be toward the problem or situation? What would be their attitude?

Rolestorming

Tips• Be sure not to take on the identity of

someone in the room or someone the group is familiar with.

• Allow group members to ease into the task and do what they feel comfortable with.

• Do not be critical of ideas generated.

Situation/Solution Reversal

• Ask, “How could I cause the problem?” rather than, “How do I prevent this problem?”

• Ask, “How do I achieve the opposite effect?” rather than, “How do I reach the goal?”

Situation/Solution Reversal

Properly identify the problem.

Reverse the problem by

asking the two sets of questions.

Brainstorm as many answers to

the questions posed as possible.

Reverse all of the ideas into

solutions for your original problem.

Assess your solutions. Are

any of the ideas viable?

Situation/Solution Reversal

Activity - Situation/Solution Reversal In groups of two to three, reverse brainstorm the following issue that needs to be solved: “Employees keep coming back late from lunch. Employees should be arriving on time.” Groups should brainstorm as many reverse solutions as possible.