Introduction to Innovation and Creativity

Flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on creativity and innovation, including definitions, theories, models, and distinctions between creativity and innovation.

How is creativity defined?

The process of making something new through imagination grounded in rational and experiential knowledge; the dynamic capacity to generate original, meaningful, and valuable ideas by synthesizing knowledge, experience, intuition, and imagination, often by transcending conventional patterns.

What is innovation?

The intentional process of developing and implementing new or significantly improved ideas, methods, products, or practices that create value (efficiency, effectiveness, impact, or experience).

Who coined 'creative destruction' and what does it mean?

Joseph Schumpeter; the idea that innovation disrupts existing markets and creates new ones.

What is a key implication of 'creative destruction'?

It signifies that innovation often involves the demise of outdated industries or methods, leading to the emergence of new ones and economic evolution through disruption.

What is Schumpeter's definition of innovation?

The market introduction of a technical or organizational novelty, not just its invention.

What is the main difference between creativity and innovation in terms of focus?

Creativity is idea generation (abstract, imaginative); Innovation is idea implementation (practical, action-oriented).

What are Wallas's four stages of creativity?

Preparation, Incubation, Illumination, Verification.

What happens during the Preparation stage?

Gather information, explore the problem, and build background knowledge through research and data collection; includes problem definition and brainstorming possibilities.

What happens during the Incubation stage?

Subconscious processing; stepping away from the problem and letting thoughts simmer, often with sleep, relaxation, or unrelated activity.

What happens during the Illumination stage?

The Aha moment—a moment of sudden clarity or solution.

What happens during the Verification stage?

Testing and validating the idea or solution.

What are Guilford's Divergent and Convergent Thinking?

Divergent thinking generates many possible ideas; Convergent thinking narrows ideas to a single correct or best solution.

What are the typical focuses of Divergent vs Convergent thinking?

Divergent: many ideas; Convergent: one correct solution.

Provide an example illustrating the difference between divergent and convergent thinking.

Divergent thinking: Brainstorming many possible uses for a common object (e.g., a brick). Convergent thinking: Choosing the most efficient design for a bridge from several proposed options.

What are Amabile's three components of the Componential Theory of Creativity?

Domain-relevant skills, Creativity-relevant processes, Intrinsic motivation.

What are domain-relevant skills?

Knowledge, expertise, and technical skills specific to a domain.

What are creativity-relevant processes?

Cognitive styles and personality traits that support originality, risk-taking, and exploring the unknown.

What is intrinsic motivation?

An internal drive to do something for enjoyment or interest, not for external rewards; example: a musician who loves music and practices daily.

Why is intrinsic motivation considered crucial in Amabile's Componential Theory of Creativity?

It provides the sustained interest, passion, and persistence needed to overcome obstacles and dedicate effort to creative tasks, independent of external rewards.

What are the six sources Sternberg identifies for creativity?

Intellectual abilities, Knowledge, Thinking styles, Personality, Motivation, Environment.

What does Sternberg's Investment Theory propose?

Creativity emerges from a systematic interaction between the person, the domain, and the field, with investment in ideas and talents across contexts.

What are the three components of Csikszentmihalyi’s Systems Model of Creativity?

The person, the domain (body of knowledge), and the field (gatekeepers who evaluate contributions).

What roles do the domain and the field play in Csikszentmihalyi's model?

Domain provides the knowledge base; the field consists of gatekeepers who accept or reject creative contributions.

What are the two core phases of Csikszentmihalyi’s model?

Generation and Exploration.

What are 'preinventive structures' in the Generation phase?

Raw, incomplete, or ambiguous ideas that precede invention.

What does the GENERATION + EXPLORATION (Gen-Explore) model describe?

Generation produces initial mental representations; Exploration develops, refines, and tests these ideas into workable products or solutions.

What is the role of gatekeepers in Csikszentmihalyi's systems model?

Gatekeepers judge and decide whether a contribution is accepted or rejected.