Creativity and Innovation- Part 1

Human creativity or innovation is a very large and complex subject area with a considerable amount of debate about what it is, and how it is practiced. To be creative or innovative can be said to be Original, Imaginative, Expressive, Ground breaking, Inventive and Idea generative.

The problem with all of the above creativity ‘labels’ is that they are context sensitive or relative terms. In other words, we can only be truly creative if we have an alternative or different perspective to everyone else (often in commonplace or familiar situations where most people think broadly in the same way). The reason for stressing this need for creativity to represent continually new and different approaches is to make the point that creativity does not occur as a phenomenon that is independent from its situational circumstances. In the same way, neither is creativity the domain of only creative ‘types’. Hence, the reality is that in the right circumstances, any individual can be creative or be more creative than they were just by having a new or different view from everyone else).

This module looks at the whole subject of creativity and innovation from a personal and individual perspective and very much support the view that the skills and competencies of engaging in creative or innovative behavior are discoverable and therefore ‘learnable’ for every individual.

Objectives

At the end of this module learners will be able to:

• Identify the four phases that are involved in using creativity/innovation skill – INITIATE (I), DEVELOP (D), EVOLVE (E) and ACTION (A) – spelling the word ‘IDEA’.
• Discover that increased creativity and innovation is possible for every individual no matter where their base skills start.
• Learn how to increase your levels of curiosity and to break your traditional thinking patterns to find new ideas or solutions.
• Recognize that all ideas need to be nurtured and (where possible) tested to ensure that they can be implemented successfully.
• Apply strategies to ensure that good ideas and creative thought succeed through high levels of personal courage and persistence

Underpinning Competencies:

• Contextual thinking
• Creative assimilation
• Planning and scheduling work
• Reciprocal communication

Linked Assessments

• Creativity Effectiveness Profile

Author: Jon Warner
Publisher: Worldwide Center for Organizational Development
Publication Date: ©2007, All Rights Reserved

The 20-20 MDS® series by WCOD is a management and leadership development program designed for professionals seeking to improve their management and leadership skills to help them reach their potential in the work world.  Until now, the courses and workshops in this program were only available as a complete course of study within an accredited program.  WCOD has recently begun making the eLearning courses and workshops from this management and leadership development program available to learners, trainers, coaches and consultants on a course-by-course basis. 

The 20-20 MDS® Workshop Participant Workbooks accompany the Workshop Course Packs.  These Workshop Course Packs provide a fully scripted PowerPoint presentation on the topic which can be used as-is or tailored as much as necessary to meet participant needs.   The Participant Workbooks include key materials from the presentation, and provides space for attendees to write their reflections, notes on exercises, discussion summaries and more.   

Note, when you purchase a Workshop Course Pack, you are provided with an editable PowerPoint file which you may save, adapt and reuse over and over.  In addition, once you have placed the Course Pack in your shopping cart, you will be given the option to add one participant workbook to your cart at no charge, so that you have a sample of the workbook.  If you wish to have your participants utilize the workbook in your course, you must purchase a license to make additional copies of the workbook for all your participants.  It is a violation of the copyright of this material to make unauthorized copies.  Volume pricing is available.

The 20-20 MDS® series courses and workshops are most appropriate for use with aspiring, junior or middle managers seeking to improve their management and leadership skills to help them reach their potential in the work world. These presentations contain a useful mix of theory, practical explanation of concepts and offer the chance to engage with the material through discussions and activities in group situations.

The 20-20 MDS® Trainer’s Workshop Participant Workbooks are designed to be used in conjuction with the Workshop Course Packs used by Trainers, Facilitator, Coaches and other professionals who are leading individuals on a learning journey.

These resources are provided as downloadable materials. Once your purchase has been completed, you will be provided with a link to download your file.

If you wish to print multiple copies of this Workbook for your course, you must purchase a license to make additional copies of the workbook for all your participants. It is a violation of the copyright of this material to make unauthorized copies. Licenses for making additional copies of the Participant Workbooks are available in this store, under the “Course Kits” category and the “Course Resources” category. Volume pricing is available for these reprint permissions.