Vivu.tv

Whoever thought that a little piece of paper could have so much impact on growing your business?

Business cards are rarely used to their full advantage.

Here are 5 simple ideas you can begin to use immediately:

1. Include an Offer on Your Business Cards

Rather than emulating ninety-percent of the business population, by merely putting your name, address, phone number and a few services on your business card, also include an enticing offer.

Perhaps you have a free report available. Or maybe you have a free sample of your product. You might even have a complimentary kit or package, filled with helpful tips and ideas. Include this offer on your card, and your prospects will have a compelling reason to contact you.

2. Include Many Ways for People to Contact You

Of course, you should always include your name and phone number on your business card. But you might also include, your snail mail address, your e-mail address, your Web site and your fax number.

Give your prospects many ways to contact you, so they can choose the method that is most comfortable and convenient for them.

3. Don’t Forget About the Back

If you have something important to say, or something enticing to offer, make use of ALL the space on your business cards–front and back!

4. Use Your Business Cards in Your Referral System

Give business cards to your customers. Write that customer’s initials on the back of the card and ask him or her to pass your card on to their friends, family and associates.

Tell your customers that when they hand your cards out, the recipients can trade that card in for a free sample, or trial or report, etc. Put a description of that special offer on the back of your card, as we described above. When you get the card back, you’ll know who referred you, and more importantly, who you should thank.

5. Hand Your Business Cards Out To Everyone

If you’re at a business function, and someone asks what you do for a living, immediately hand them a business card. When you’re at a networking event, trade cards with other business people – even if they’re not direct prospects, they may know someone who is! Include business cards in your sales literature.

Just make sure you apply the above suggestions to your card so you will be handing out a compelling marketing tool, and not just a plain business card, like everyone else.

Have business cards with you at all times, no matter where you are. You just never know when your card is going to get into the hands of someone who is really interested in your products or services.

Some degree programs work better online than others. This has to do with the nature of the work that goes into the degrees. For instance, chemistry classes don’t work well online because professors cannot check the work virtually. Thus you may be stuck on campus if you are getting a degree like that. If you are set on going to school online though, there are some degrees that work really well for distance learning. And of course, we made a list of those for you here so you can know what to look for. We wouldn’t leave you hanging 😉

Here are five great degrees for online learning.

Criminal Justice

Criminal justice degrees can lead to a number of jobs, and they are really easy to go through online you may have trouble learning about forensic science on the internet, but you can definitely learn enough to be a paralegal, police officer, court reporter, or something else along those lines. This is one of the fastest growing training fields online, and it is something you can easily get involved with. All you have to do is find the right school for you.

English or Journalism

Most degrees related to writing are also great online. All you have to do for these is read, write, and discuss information with other students, so why can’t you do that on the internet? There is a reason why English Composition is the most popular online class of any school, campus based or otherwise. It is because people enjoy the ease of getting through English online. If you are planning on becoming a journalism, English teacher, or writer in the future, you might be able to get all the training you need online.

Nursing

Nursing may not seem like an obvious degree for the internet, but it has become that over the years. Nursing involves dealing with patients in person, but the principles behind the career are all theoretical. In other words, you can learn about it without having to have someone there to guide you through the process. You could take your RN to BSN online, or you could just get a basic degree to start yourself off. As long as you plan on becoming a nurse, you can go to school online.

Mathematics

Mathematics does not require any hands-on training at all, which is why it is so fitting for the internet. You could go to school to become a mathematician and learn just as much or more online compared to the classroom. In fact, some math majors actually prefer the internet because it allows them to explore the ideas in their training even further. If you are planning to get a degree in math, you might as well go to school online.

Marketing

Marketing degrees are all about learning how to plan a campaign. They don’t require in-person training because the work for the job isn’t very personal. A lot of marketers actually work online, which means that you could condition yourself for the real world by going to school on the web. That’s right – the internet may actually be better for you if you are getting a degree in marketing. That’s just something to think about.

Even though just about any degree can work online, there are some that just seem to work better there than others. Think about what you want to do in life and figure out if that is going to require someone else to train you in person. If not, welcome to the World Wide Web.

You don’t have to empty out your bank account to market and grow your business. Here are seven low-cost ideas to help you increase your sales:

1. Write articles

Newspapers and magazines are always looking for free, interesting stories and articles that would benefit their readers. You could write articles and submit them to publications for consideration.

Always include contact information at the end of your articles so that people will know how to contact you about your services or products.

2. Offer to be a speaker

Business and civic organizations are constantly on the lookout for people to speak at their meetings and get togethers. Make yourself available by offering to speak to these groups, for free, about your area of expertise. Pass out contact information to all attendees.

3. Ask for referrals

Referrals are an excellent way to grow your business. Proactively ask for referrals from happy customers, business acquaintances, friends and family members.

4. Start a web site

It’s a great time to jump onto the information superhighway and start a Web site for your business. If you’re on a budget, there are many books on the market that will help you design a Web site on your own.

Once you have a Web site, you can use endless free methods to get people to visit your site!

5. Send press releases

Do you have something to offer that would be newsworthy? Perhaps, you’re offering a free service to the public, or maybe you offered a service to an organization without charging a fee. Newspapers are always looking for interesting tidbits of information for their readers.

When you have something newsworthy, simply type up a press release and send it out to as many newspapers as possible. Be sure to always include contact information when you do so.

6. Network

Every person knows at least 250 other people. And each of those 250 people, know another 250 people, and so on. This should give you an idea of how important it is to network. Tell everyone you know about your business, and always have business cards on hand to pass along.

7. Try e-mail marketing

Rather than trying to reach people through the US Mail, you may consider reaching them by e-mail -which is practically free – just the cost of your monthly Internet Service Provider.

Just make sure you build an opt-in list. This means that the people on your list have agreed to allow you to send e-mail to them.

This form of marketing can be very cost effective. You can either send to 1,000 people at $0.39 each using the US Mail, or for practically nothing when you use e-mail!

1. Provide Lots of Free Content:

The lure of the Internet is the promise of unlimited information–for free. Information on any and every subject known to man is accessible on the net.

If you want to attract potential customers to your Web site and you want to keep them coming back again and again, then provide lots of useful, interesting, or entertaining content for your visitors.

Of course, you want to make sure the type of content you provide on your Web site is directly related to your product or service. Otherwise, you’ll just be providing free content without any potential for selling your products or services to your visitors.

2. Update Your Content Often:

If you want to get your prospect list and your customer list coming back to your site, your newsletter will help, but you have to give them a reason to come back.

That reason will be fresh and interesting content on your site. Putting new content on your site is a never ending process. It’s not something you do once and then forget about it.

3. Check for Dead Links:

It’s very frustrating for Web site visitors to click on a link and find a Page Not Found message. Double check your page links and make sure there are no dead ones.

4. Eliminate Under Construction Pages:

You see them all the time, and it is a real turn-off for Web site visitors.

Page Under Construction.

If your page is not ready for your visitors, then don’t put a link to it.

Imagine opening a store and inviting people into one of your departments and then telling them that “Oh, uh, actually, this room is still under construction. Watch your head on the way out.”

Many Search Engines won’t list you if they find Page Under Construction messages.

Wait until your page is complete and then put it on your site.

5. Avoid Banner Mania:

If all you have on your Web site are advertising banners and more advertising banners everywhere you look, people are not going to stay and they won’t be coming back.

Focus on what your visitors want — interesting, fun, informative content.

One or two ad banners may be okay, just don’t overdo it.

6. Provide In-Depth Product Description Pages:

We can’t believe how many Web sites just provide the title of their products or services, one or two features, and a price, and think that people are going to then buy from that skimpy amount of information.

You have to remember that your Web site visitors don’t have the luxury of entering your place of business, picking up and examining your product, and asking you lots of questions about its features and benefits.

The only thing they know on your Web site, is what you tell them. And when it comes to marketing, the more you tell, the more you sell!

The more expensive the product or service, the more you must tell.

The myth that you can sell products from your Web site with just a picture, name and price destroys a lot of Web businesses. Don’t let it destroy yours.

CONCLUSION

Creativity and innovation are key factors to a successful organisation as they do not copy ideas from other organisations but they merely innovate from existing ideas to produce an exclusive solution in the form of product or services (Burrus, 2013). Organisations who encourage its employees to be more creative and innovative are able to withstand the competition in today’s world.

 

References

Abbott, F., 2016. The Invention of the Telephone. Primary Source Set.. [Online]
Available at: https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/sets/the-invention-of-the-telephone/
[Date accessed: 18 December 2016].

Agbor, E., 2008. Creativity and Innovation: The Leadership Dynamics. Journal of Strategic Leadership, 1(1), pp. 39-45.

Amabile, T., 1988. A Model of Creativity And Innovation In Organisations. Journal of Personality And Social Psychology, 10(1), pp. 123-167.

Anon (n.d.). Alexander Graham Bell and the History of the Telephone | ShoreTel. [Online]. Shoretel.com. Available from: https://www.shoretel.com/content/alexander-graham-bell-and-history-telephone. [Accessed: 16 January 2017].

Anon (n.d.). How did Alexander Graham Bell make the telephone? [Online]. Reference. Available from: https://www.reference.com/history/did-alexander-graham-bell-make-telephone-9dba2e2a14dac072#. [Accessed: 16 January 2017].

Anon (n.d.). Leonardo da Vinci How do we know Leonardo was gay? [Online]. Available from: https://www.bnl.gov/bera/activities/globe/leonardo_da_vinci.htm. [Accessed: 12 January 2017].

Biography.com Editors, (n.d.). Leonardo da Vinci Biography. [Online]. The Biography.com website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/leonardo-da-vinci-40396. [Accessed: 12 January 2017].

Burrus, D. (2013). Creativity and Innovation: Your Keys to a Successful Organisation. [Online]. 2013. The Huffington Post. Available from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-burrus/creativity-and-innovation_b_4149993.html. [Accessed: 15 January 2017].

Carlson, C. S., 2012. Effective FMEAs. 1 ed. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Christensen, T. (2015). Creating the ideal cognitive conditions for creativity. Creative Something. [Online]. Available from: http://creativesomething.net/post/110541381525/creating-the-ideal-cognitive-conditions-for. [Accessed: 15 January 2017].

Ciotti, G., 2013. The 5 Most Dangerous Creativity Killers. [Online]
Available at: http://99u.com/articles/14599/the-5-most-dangerous-creativity-killers
[Date accessed: 12 December 2016].

Clayton, C. (2008). Convergent Thinking vs. Divergent Thinking. [Online]. 2008. SearchWarp. Available from: http://searchwarp.com/swa406990.htm. [Accessed: 7 January 2017].

Csíkszentmihályi, M., 2012. Article About Creativity. [Online]
Available at: www.markfoster.net/struc/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi-wiki
[Date accessed: 10 December 2016].

Fernando Cardoso de Sousa, R. P. I. P. M., 2012. Creativity, Innovation and Collaborative Organisations. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 5(1), pp. 1-39.

Godfrey, B., 2015. Creativity, Innovation and Quality. [Online]
Available at: http://leonardopublic.innovation.si/4.techniques%20of%20idea%20creation/creativity,%20innovation%20and%20quality
[Date accessed: 12 December 2016].

Harris, L., 2008. Facing Idea Engineering Roadblocks. [Online]
Available at: http://ijme.us/cd_08/PDF/100%20ENG%20107%20section%202
[Date accessed: 2 December 2016].

Hernandez, J. a. C. B., 2007. Do You Recognise These 10 Mental Blocks to Creative Thinking? [Online]
Available at: http://www.copyblogger.com/mental-blocks-creative-thinking
[Date accessed: 14 December 2016].

History.com Staff, (2009). Alexander Graham Bell – Inventions – HISTORY.com. [Online]. 2009. HISTORY.com. Available from: http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/alexander-graham-bell. [Accessed: 16 January 2017].

History.com Staff, (2009). Leonardo da Vinci – Facts & Summary – HISTORY.com. [Online]. 2009. HISTORY.com. Available from: http://www.history.com/topics/leonardo-da-vinci. [Accessed: 12 January 2017].

HistoryOfWatch, 2016. Peter Henlein – The First Watches. [Online]
Available at: http://www.historyofwatch.com/clock-inventors/peter-henlein/
[Date accessed: 11 December 2016].

James, P., 1999. Blocks and Bridges: Learning Artistic Creativity. Arts and Learning Research Journal, 16(1), pp. 110-133.

Lengrenzi, P., 2005. Creativity and Innovation. [Online]
Available at: http://www.eurosfaire.prd.fr/7pc/doc/1249998569_creativity_innovation_p_legrenzi
[Date accessed: 10 December 2016].

Lienhard, J. (n.d.). No. 1098: Who Invented the Telephone? [Online]. Uh.edu. Available from: http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1098.htm. [Accessed: 16 January 2017].

McGuinness, M., 2011. 20 Creative Blocks and How to Break Through Them. [Online]
Available at: http://LateralAction.com
[Date accessed: 11 December 2016].

Proctor, T. (2005). Creative problem solving for managers. 2nd Ed. London: Routledge.

Pychyl, T., 2013. Procrastination Helps Creative Thinking. [Online]
Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-delay/201310/procrastination-helps-creative-thinking
[Date accessed: 12 December 2016].

Reinert H., E. S., 2006. Creative Destruction in Economics. [Online]
Available at: http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-0-387-32980-2_4
[Date accessed: 10 December 2016].

Sefertzi, D. E., 2000. Creativity, s.l.: Innoregio project: dissemination of innovation and knowledge management techniques.

Seward, Z. (2013). The First Mobile Phone Call Was Made 40 Years Ago, Today. [Online]. 2013. The Atlantic. Available from: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/04/the-first-mobile-phone-call-was-made-40-years-ago-today/274611/. [Accessed: 16 January 2017].

Soghra, C. A., 2011. Neural and Cognitive Mechanisms of Creativity, Leiden: Universiteit Leiden.

Soul Fields, 2013. Articles: Divergent and Convergent Thinking. [Online]
Available at: https://soulfields.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/articles-divergent-and-convergent-thinking/
[Accessed 2017 01 19].

Strickland, J. (n.d.). Who invented the cell phone?. [Online]. HowStuffWorks. Available from: http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/who-invented-the-cell-phone.htm. [Accessed: 16 January 2017].

Sullivan, B., 2012. Leonardo’s Kitchen Nightmare. [Online]
Available at: http://boxesandarrows.com/leonardos-kitchen-nightmare/
[Date accessed: 15 December 2016].

Suvorova, A., 2012. Features Of The Innovation Process In The Context Of Creativity. Management Of Economic Systems, 8(44), pp. 1-14.

Velikovsky, J. (2012). StoryAlity #11: Wallas and the Creative Process. [Online]. 2012. StoryAlity. Available from: https://storyality.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/storyality-11-wallas-and-the-creative-process/.

[Date accessed: 11 January 2017].

Vessella, V., 2015. How to Combat Organisational Complacency. [Online]
Available at: https://www.repsly.com/blog/field-team-management/how-to-combat-organizational-complacency
[Date accessed: 12 December 2016].

Wallas, G. (1949). The art of thought. 1st ed. London: Watts.

Williams, Y., 2003. Convergent thinking: definition, examples & quiz, s.l.: Education Portal.

Yuan, Y. and Shen, W. (2016). Commentary: Incubation and Intuition in Creative Problem Solving. Frontiers in Psychology, 7.

 

Appendixes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conditions of Creative Thinking

Creative thinking does not happen automatically. Alexander Graham Bell has always been known for his invention of the telephone in 1876 (Strickland, n.d.) and the first successful cell phone was designed by Martin Cooper who was an executive in Motorola in 1973 (Seward, 2013). Fast forward to 2017, we have a wide variety of smartphones of various sizes and functions.

 

Image 1 – Evolution of mobile devices (Seward, 2013)

 

Martin Cooper was driven by his competitive edge against Bell Labs to design the first functional cell phone. He then proceeded to make a prank call to his competitor Joel Engel to prove his point (Strickland, n.d.). With that, it propelled the cell phone industry to where it stands today.

According to Proctor (2005), he cites that Mary Henle (1962) defined that creative thinking required five conditions which were “receptivity, immersion, seeing questions, utilisation of errors and detached devotion”.

To be able to think creatively, one needs to be receptive where one is required to disengage from one’s present actions and notice one’s surrounding that might present an idea (Proctor, 2005). The telephone invention has always been synonymous with Alexander Graham Bell as he holds the patent for it (History.com Staff, 2009) but his patent has been challenged by Elisha Gray who at the same time was also applying for the patent but Bell finally won (Anon, n.d.). At the same time, Philipp Reis from Germany in 1860 was also working on this invention but had faced issues with the invention (Lienhard, n.d.). While all three inventors had the idea, it was Bell who was finally successful as he was granted the patent for it and until today he is still known as the telephone inventor. Bell would not have been successful if he did not seek out ideas that surrounded him. Although he built his invention on ideas of others, he made it work while the others were not able to (Lienhard, n.d.).

Immersion is also another condition that requires one to fully be involved and spend countless hours on developing the idea (Proctor, 2005). Bell spent countless hours in his research and engaged in many scientific experiments and a profound champion for the deaf (History.com Staff, 2009). He was very dedicated to his work that he had poor health but it never deterred him from the inventor and scientist that he is (Anon, n.d.).

The third condition of creative thinking is seeing questions where it is linked to the fact that one’s thinking is unable to go further than the question posed. The limitations of one’s thinking due to the experience or knowledge becomes a deterrent but in creative thinking, the question is likely not the most important aspect of the process (Proctor, 2005).

On the fourth condition, the utilisation of errors which is defined by errors that eventually produce solutions and ideas (Proctor, 2005). Bell through his many years of experimentation with sound waves came about the invention of the telephone (Anon, n.d.). He was not discouraged nor was he bound by his knowledge and experience with his deaf mother (Anon, n.d.). He continued his efforts to patent his inventions and making his mark as the inventor of the telephone.

Last but not least the final condition of creative thinking is detached devotion where a copious amount of time and effort is put into solving a problem or developing an idea (Proctor, 2005). In his effort to invent the world’s the first telephone, Bell dedicated his time to research and experiment and other inventions before he arrived at a physical and working device (History.com Staff, 2009).

In multiple types of research, creative thinking can also be stimulated in difficult and stressful situations (Christensen, 2015). In order to stimulate creative thinking, it can be deduced that various elements contribute to this process when applied in problem-solving and coming up with creative solutions.

 

CREATIVITY TO INNOVATION

If an employee has a brainstorm session and thinks up a lot of new ideas, it displays creativity, however, there is no innovation unless something gets done. Someone must venture and bring something for a creative thought to be transformed into an innovation (Agbor, 2008).

It is necessary to mark the differences between the terms. Unlike creativity, innovation more refers to the cooperation of artificial structures and technological elements rather than the natural environment. It consists of computers, the internet, mobile phones, databases, and systematised processes (Lengrenzi, 2005).

It is crucial to highlight key aspects of creative thinking and innovation. Creativity stands out with:

• ability to be tenacious despite complicated conditions
• capability to retreat from an effort and come back later with a refreshed view
• juxtaposing knowledge with previously contrasting areas

The two meaningful aspects which facilitate innovation:

• slight continuous steps that include try-outs and errors
• instant reorganisation of components or the view of new aspects (Lengrenzi, 2005)

As an instance of transition of creativity to innovation, the case of Peter Henlein should be taken. Before his innovation in watchmaking, there were other means how to calculate time such as movement of the celestial bodies or flow of water which were created by Su Sung (the year 1092) and many others. Peter Henlein, who is known as a father of modern clocks, could create springy strips made of steel. Being resilient enough, they can be bent tightly into curls. This innovation in watchmaking was fundamental and nowadays renowned all over the world (HistoryOfWatch, 2016).

To come up with a creative thought is one thing, but transmuting it into the innovation of a new creation or usage demands different individual features. These innovative people are required to have the type of mentality that can create the sequence of procedures which guide to favourable innovation (Amabile, 1988).

The case of improvement of the telephone can be discussed as an alternative example of the transformation. Johann Philipp Reis was the first creator who triumphed in creating an appliance called telephone. It allowed him to transmute hearable sounds into seeable signals. Having a special enthusiasm in the creature, Alexander Graham Bell continued working on it and eventually united the strength of electromagnetism with a gear of vibration. This was the foundation of present telephone technology. The situation accentuates how ideas emerge and how to set them on the new level (Abbott, 2016).

Transitioning creativity to innovation can be illustrated with the following scheme:

 

Scheme 1:  Transitioning creativity to innovation (Suvorova, 2012).

 

The creative process is the basic part of an innovation process. However, there are situations when innovative systems are not involved in creative activities (and creative structures are not capable of producing innovations). There cannot be an equal sign between innovation and creativity processes which take place in society (Suvorova, 2012).

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

Creativity and innovation are linked together to create a better product or a process for better service or procedure. There are many theorists that have tried to explain and define both ‘creativity’ and ‘innovation’ but most have different views but through this report, it is found that creativity is a part of innovation that will result in an invention or solution. In an application in a commercial setting, organisations have to take into consideration the possible blockages and resolve them to ensure a conducive environment to encourage creative inventions of products or services. Communication and collaboration between internal departments are essential in creating a smooth process to relate it to the external departments. All these factors should review and will lead a creative idea to an innovative invention.

THEORIES OF CREATIVITY

Wallas Model of the Creative Process

As it accords to the process, it would follow the logic order, whether the main point or the contents inside. In Wallas Model, it consists of 4 parts; preparation level, incubation, illumination and verification level respectively (Yuan and Shen, 2016).

 

 

Figure 1: The sequence of Wallas Model of Creative Process (Velikovsky, 2012)

 

Preparation Level

The level finds personal needs and desires, collects background information and seeks the solutions as well as focuses on the opportunity and tries to seek for a better quality of opportunities.

When Leonardo da Vinci was working in the restaurant, he found the problem of transporting food to the kitchen and to the customers, inventing conveyor belts. Also, when Duke ordered the food from the restaurant, it was cooled down. According to it, he contrived the large oven. As to ensure the safety in the restaurant, he invented sprinkler system. All the items were innovated, based on the need and desire; the criteria of acceptability are to meet its crucial target (Sullivan, 2011).

Incubation Level

After reviewing the problems, solutions and opportunities, the mind start processing all the information, that information internalised unconsciously but nothing appears outside. So, our mind contemplates and works it through. The time for this step is unknown, depends on individuals works.

When people around Da Vinci gave up thinking and performing, he still continued to think something new, some changes for the painting, after ages of struggling, he covered the famous painting-Mona, Lisa.

Illumination Level

Our mind will provide the basis of a creative response and idea briefly and also will flash into your mind to be awareness.

Verification Level

The idea and test implemented into activities that are held to demonstrate the individuals’ needs and criteria defined. The solutions are verified, elaborated and then applied to the physical behaviour (Wallas, 1949).

 

Divergent and Convergent Thinking

Creativity is the vital factor for future success, scholar achievement and plays a beneficial role in the development of the life-cycle process. There have been written a quite big number of articles about creativity, however, the interpretation of the definition is multiple and still not unique (Soghra, 2011). Different kinds of theories interpret the creativity as psychological mechanism, which forms authentic and relevant opinions, including Guilford’s psychometric theory released in 1950, Wertheimer’s Gestalt theory in 1959, Mednick’s and Eysenck’s associational theories in 1962 and 1995 correspondingly, Campbell’s Darwinian theory in 1960, social-psychological theory of Amabile in 1983, investment theory of Sternberg and Lubart’s in 1995, and cognitive theory by Martindale’s in 1995. Those theories help to develop and learn, and interpret our perception about creativity. Yet, the significant idea of contemporary understanding of creativity have been started in the 1950s by researcher Joy Paul Guilford, and in 1967 when he provided differences among divergent and convergent theories (Soghra, 2011).

Divergent thinking

Divergent thinking is a significant part of creative thinking. It doesn’t necessarily bring you the right and best solution, however by producing and contributing to a greater number of multiple solutions, some new thoughts may come to your attention. It’s may also be defined as a mind thinking technique used to create thoughts by sorting and handling a lot of relevant ideas (See Figure 2) which basically generated in an instinctive, random and unplanned, free-flowing way that is dissimilar to convergent thinking, which is well-organized and compelling. In a lack of time, there are a variety of decisions and alterations are generated and unanticipated contacts are drawn. Divergent thinking includes personality characteristics such as curiosity, nonconformity, persistence and risk taking, etc.

 

 

Figure 2.1: Divergent Thinking (Clayton, 2008)

 

Guilford’s described divergent thinking as the capability to comprehend views and ideas from a broad range of areas of inspection in order to obtain better perceiving of the external environment and world. Moreover, it’s been outlined four the fundamental aspects he accomplice creativity with fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration (Soghra, 2011).

As an example of divergent thinker, we may say about Albert Einstein. He practised with having an intellectual training session on simple and ordinary questions. For instance, sometimes he imagined himself riding on a beam of light. Throughout the wide number of research experiments, he became to a conclusion of a theory of relativity. Such logic experiments are imagined a sequence of events to realise the idea of things are (Carlson, 2012).

Convergent thinking

Convergent thinking is a definition proposed again by Guilford in 1967, which has reverse meaning to divergent thinking. Convergent thinking is the mechanism of discovering a sole final decision of a problem that we are willing to settle. A lot of exams and quizzes that are being used at a school level, like as MCQ, spelling, math, and standardised tests, are a variety of convergent thinking (Williams, 2003).

 

Figure 2.2: Convergent Thinking (Clayton, 2008)

 

Thinking about one of the convergent thinkers of all the times we can say about Sherlock Holmes, a fictional character of author Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective history, who used his mind in and deductive and sequence way of thinking by sorting, investigating, and analyzing a number of different facts so that in the end it resulted in a very logic answering of certainly asked questions. (Soul Fields, 2013). Thus, creating of such smart character by the actor we may even suppose of his convergent thinking abilities to generate a number of ideas and problem solutions.

Peter Henlein was a locksmith expert in the area of watchmaking, the main invention of whom was a producing of springy strips of steel for clocks. In this situation, he tried to find out the best and final solution for multiple ideas and information generated by him throughout the process.

Summarising up all points that are stated above, we can say that both convergent and divergent thinkings are ‘two children of one family’ and play a key role in every day’s life. The difference I may conclude that convergent thinking is a mainly straight forward type of problem-solving decision, as our minds do not necessarily need our brain to be stressed much, while divergent thinking is more intensified and brainstorming way of thinking.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The terms “Creativity” and “Innovation” are gradually becoming indispensable in modern times. They encompass a full range of sectors comprising economic, social, and environmental as well as pursue a creator’s personal objectives in today’s dynamically developing world. This report examines the concept of managing creativity and innovation to the transition of creativity to innovation through analysing three specific theories; Wallas Model of Creative Process, Divergent and Convergent Thinking as well as the Conditions of Creative Thinking.

 

Concept of Managing Creativity and Innovation

Although these two concepts underlie two different areas, their definitions intersect in the literature of many researchers. This paper contributes for the clarification of these concepts (Fernando Cardoso de Sousa, 2012).

Starting with Creativity, the question ‘What is Creativity?’ should be asked. Creativity plays a vital role in innovation as it is a component in the process of producing great innovations in ideas, products or process. Theorists Newell and Shaw put a sense of producing original, modern and unfamiliar ideas for problem solution. Another group supports theorist Higgins, thinking that creative solution, both new and reintegrated, must bear a value. A novel idea is not a creative idea, as long as it has a value or brings positive effect. So, combining a various interpretation of creativity, it contains origination of new ideas or mixture of familiar and known components into something new, bringing valuable decisions to a problem (Sefertzi, 2000).

Innovation is not able to be realised without creative ideas, as it is the beginning. Innovation is developed when creativity appears under the correct organisational culture. The correct organisational culture is one that takes over creative techniques, the capabilities for an advancement of single and collective creativity competencies (Sefertzi, 2000).

 

BLOCKAGES TO CREATIVITY

Whether a worker is attempting to figure out a difficult problem or commence a business and raise awareness for that business, creative thinking plays a huge role (Hernandez, 2007).

During the process of creation, searching for ways to let creativity thrive should be considered as the presence of “creativity killers” that can appear and suffocate the ability to generate new and excellent ideas (Ciotti, 2013). It is crucial to recognise roadblocks that hamper ideas creation in an organisation because these hurdles jeopardise the creative thinking that further transforms into innovation (Harris, 2008).

There are four potential blockages: perceptual, cultural and environmental, emotional and personal blocks.

 

Perceptual blocks

Perceptual blocks mainly refer to the hindrance of creativity of an individual. There are four potential perceptual blocks:

1. multitasking
2. the proclivity to define the problem too narrowly
3. incapability to see the problem from different angles
4. stereotyping

 

Leonardo da Vinci, a great painter and inventor, challenged plenty of problems by multitasking. When preparing an extravagant meal for the Duke of Milan, he was inspired to improve the current state of technology in the kitchen as stated in Table 1. Eventually, neither of those appliances worked in a proper way and he was doomed to fail (Kelley.Iu.Edu, 2002).

 

NO.	INNOVATIONS	SOLUTIONS
1	Conveyor belts	To bring food to hasten the cooking process
2	Large oven	To cook food at higher temperatures than normal
3	Sprinkler system	To ensure safety in the event of a fire

Table 1: Author’s own

Source: Leonardo da Vinci’s Kitchen Nightmares (Sullivan, 2011)

 

Another issue, stereotyping, harasses all employees. It appears widespread in high-tech firms. Here, staff are so used to seeking technology keys that they ignore the simple, management or procedural ways that quality development can guide to (Godfrey, 2015).

 

Cultural and environmental blocks

Cultural and environmental blocks can apply to both the individual as well as any organisation.

Cultural factors cause constraints of logical thinking, where one is not able to produce a creative idea due to a perception of the individual or society. Leonardo da Vinci had many ideas and it only remained as sketches because most of his ideas were not considered feasible. Society or organisation are often critical and skeptical about new innovations, in the renaissance era, many of his ideas were not accepted.

Leonardo da Vinci had several students who were assisting him in his works during the 1500’s (History.com Staff, 2009) and he was haunted by accusations of his sexuality (Anon, n.d.). This caused some disruption as da Vinci was arrested for it.

Without support or confidence from an organisation or employer, one will not be able to thrive in the area of creativity. Without positive reinforcements, ambition for more creative ideas begins drooping and fading away (Ciotti, 2013). Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to work on several architectural paintings but never completed them as he then went on to be an engineer for Sforza. His work was revered highly by Sforza and hence da Vinci was tenured for 17 years (Biography.com Editors, n.d.).

Environmental factors also play a role in blockages to creativity. The environment where one works at can be distracting. It impedes staff to think originally. Cleanliness, noise level, room temperature and its preparation are involved in environmental blocks (James, 1999). Resources in an organisation are manpower, funds and assets which can be a blockage too. In addition, the biggest challenge is getting the time to follow their creative enthusiasm (McGuinness, 2011). Also, when employees deal with too many outside limitations they spare more time obtaining more resources than creating (Ciotti, 2013).

 

Emotional blocks

Some circumstances in employees’ lives make it complicated for them to focus on their task (James, 1999). They favour judging ideas instead of creating them. “Who are you to believe you can make anything?”; “Just surrender already” phrases are commonly used (McGuinness, 2011).

The other emotional block is fear of disappointment and the worry that goes with it (Harris, 2008) as well as fear of conceiving it wrong which can become paralysed for a maker (McGuinness, 2011).

All these overthinking issues can be spotted in Leonardo da Vinci’s works. Referring to “The Last Supper” drawing, it is seen that there are too many details painted and somewhere even unnecessarily. Considering a dozen of tiny details in one’s work makes people think overloaded depriving original and creative thinking as well as imagination (Sullivan, 2012).

 

Personal blocks

Some personal blocks include the absence of material and emotional wellbeing, an individual crisis, and alcohol or chemical abuse (James, 1999). Complacency in an organisation is dangerous because it risks being surpassed by their competitors. Moreover, it leads their enthusiasm to decrease which affects the whole organisation (Vessella, 2015).

Leonardo Da Vinci is a bright example of deferring things for later. It took him many years to complete “The Last Supper” as well as the painting called “Mona Lisa” since the beginning (Sullivan, 2012). While procrastinating, people lose lots of energy and time thinking about a solution that they would not have to think about if they had finished it by that time (Pychyl, 2013).