Two sides on the same coin: Relationship between constraints and creativity Constraints can influence on creativity both negatively and positively. Constraints generally undermine creativity by inhibiting uniqueness and intrinsic motivation to a large extent. In a sense, the best way to improve and develop creativity is to identify and eliminate all constraints. Yet this is not always the case in most of creativity works. That is to say, constraints also have a positive impact on creativity under certain circumstances. Just as the same coin has two extremely different sides, so too does constraint. The bottom line is that the right sort of constraints can in fact stoke the innovation fire (Amabile & Kramer, 2010). It is the strategic use of constraints that matters. How time constraints influence on Creativity. The first thing that I’d like to discuss is time and creativity. Time constraint by and large reduces creativity. In most instances where involve time constraint, people are much likely to do the given tasks under pressure, such that time constraint has a detrimental effect on creativity. That being said, creativity may be enhanced by time pressure if creators are protected from distractions or if they feel like they were on a mission. In the interest of clarity of this argument, let me give a very classic creativity task, incomplete picture task, to elucidate this double-sidedness. Suppose we are asked to complete a picture, which purposely contains some shapes like the hands of a clock. And the task is needed to complete in 30 seconds. Time in this task obviously plays a role of constraint. Yet this constraint can be explained differently by notion that how we are aware of and embrace this constraint toward carrying out... ... middle of paper ... ...k is always bound up with constraints. As we have seen above, constraints do not necessarily impede creativity; in fact, it has much to do with how it is identified and managed due in part to its double-faced nature on creativity. As such, it is far to say that creativity can be improved or precluded contingent upon the use of constrains in the given situation. In a nutshell, it is the strategic use of constraints that matters. The bottom line is that if constraints dominate the purpose of task, those constraints definitely stifle creativity; however, if constraints play a role in one of mechanisms of making the task appropriate and unique, creativity can be thrived when constrained. Works Cited Amabile, T, & Kramer, S. (2011, March 25). Necessity, not Scarcity, is the Mother of Invention. Retrieved from http://blogs.hbr.org/2011/03/necessity-not-scarcity-is-the/
Shaughnessy, M. F., & Wakefield, J. F. (2003). Creativity: Assessment. In N. Piotrowski & T. Irons-Georges (Eds.), Magill's encyclopedia of social science:Psychology (pp. 459-463). Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Richard Florida also goes on to say that creativity is energy-absorbing, tiring work. To come to think of it, it can be very laborious. My husband likes to design clothing, and sometimes he stares into space for hours daydreaming. Suddenly, he’d sprint into the bedroom, grab his notebook and start drawing. He could eat up a whole pencil, eraser and all, for that one drawing. Beads of sweat would form on his brow, and the nerve in the middle of his forehead would protrude. And I’d know to keep our daughter away and leave him at peace. You see, I think my husband is creative. He’s got a great sense of humor, and he’s an artist.
Richard Florida's The Rise of the Creative Class gives a very interesting look into the science behind creativity and a thorough understanding of the creative process. According to Florida, creativity is a cognitive ability separate from other mental functions and all aspects related to intelligence. Creative potential does benefit from intelligence though but creativity is still a capacity inherent to all but in varying degrees for each person. Creativity requires self-assurance and the ability to take risks, however, because people utilizing creativity are usually going up against orthodox ideas about things and are challenging the norm and receiving a lot of criticism for these innovations. One must be sure of their self to maintain belief in their innovation through all this criticism and must be willing to take a risk in introducing their product of creativity to the market in the face of all this criticism. Florida claims there are four steps to the creative process. The first is preparation in which the person intently studies the task at hand getting a good grasp of the concept in their mind. The next step is incubation which is still a relatively unknown process of how this works in the mind but what is known is that one must consciously and subconsciously study the concept in their mind. The next step is illumination in which the person sees a new synthesis for this concept. The final step is verification or revision which include all work after the illumination step. I found it interesting that creativity is largely based on experiences and creativity favors people with an intellect with diverse experiences and perspectives because of this. This is because creativity requires the synthesis of different perspectives to create something new and useful. I also found it interesting that many highly creative environments in the past such as China and the Islamic world have died out because of social and economic conditions and these places now are not thought of as creative and intellectual centers anymore. I also found the concept of New Growth Theory to be very interesting in that it is essentially the empowerment of every person through the power of ideas and intellectual property although this theory seems slightly optimistic when it is compared to Karl Marx's goal of the proletariat overthrowing the upper classes.
Shaughnessy, M. F., & Wakefield, J. F. (2003). Creativity: Assessment. In N. Piotrowski & T. Irons-Georges (Eds.), Magill's encyclopedia of social science:Psychology (pp. 459-463). Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
After reading Originals by Adam Grant I was left feeling challenged. Grant brings about many different subjects, from parenting methods to organization, that have an impact on an individual’s creativity. I have never considered myself the most original thinker and I had always dreaded “outside of the box” projects, but Grant’s guidance throughout the book showed that that being a logical thinker and being original are not mutually exclusive concepts, as I had once thought. Instead, when it comes to being creative Grant focuses on how to break away from what he calls “default thinking”. Grant challenges the norms by considering that procrastination is not always the worst option, which I found to be interesting and a little stressful, as I am
Your idea only has to be original in its adaptation to the problem you are working on” (Thomas Alva Edison, as quoted in Seaward 297). As time has gone on Americans have become less creative. Left-brain ways of thinking, such as being logical, rational, and analytical, are not only more dominant, but also more rewarded in school and work environments. We went from being a productive society, making most of our household items ourselves, to a consumer society where most of our household items are bought. “People now take a passive role in the creative process, letting other people do the important creative problem solving” (Seaward 298). According to Seaward, creativity can help turn a chaotic situation into one that is more calm and harmonized, and even has the ability to make change pleasant and more pleasurable. Creativity is a significant part of mental wellbeing. There are two stages associated with the creative process: primary creativity (the origin of ideas) and secondary creativity (the plan to bring the ideas thought of in primary creativity to life). There are four phases of creative thinking: the explorer, the artist, the judge, and the warrior. The first two phases are a part of the primary creativity stage, whereas the last two are a part of the secondary creativity stage. There are also many “roadblocks” to the creative process, but these roadblocks
...d offering. The inexistence of a creative workforce will at best produce replication for an organisation where differentiation is the desired goal. The most dominant force opposing the existence of creativity is not the individual; but instead the organisation. As frequently referred to, many organisations are formulated by regulation, bureaucratic processes and hierarchy inferred by top-down management producing a creative impediment. A corporate culture of structure, favouring established work methods and avoiding or resenting failure discourages novel behaviour; fundamental to provide organisations with this capacity of differentiation. The solution (which organisations are aware of) to release employees from this robotic state of mind is empowerment, and refining this balance between autonomy and control certainly requires perfecting from organisational leaders.
Zhou, Q., Hirst, G., & Shipton, H. (2012). Promoting creativity at work: The role of problem-solving demand. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 61(1), 56-80. doi:10.1111/j.1464-0597.2011.00455.x
The Geneplore model assumes that in most cases, a person would according to the needs and restrictions of a particular task, switch between two different processes. The model also differentiates between cognitive processes that are used in creative cognition and the types of mental structures on which they function. For example, Fink et al. (1992) proposed that pre-inventive structures play a large role in exploring and discovering creativity. The pre-inventive structures can be thought of as the base to the final product of something creative. These structures, depending on the task, can be complicated and conceptually focused, or simple and ambiguous. The model also assumes that constraints on the final product can be initiated on the different phases anytime, thereby allowing the model to be used in many different situations. One of the most common creative uses of concepts is to use them when developing new ideas, referred to as conceptual expansion by Ward et al. (1997).
It’s important to employ individuals with creativity to keep fresh ideas and to manage projects effectively. This article was extremely informative, provided resources as to different personality and cognitive tests that should be used to assess the creativity of an individual and provides a guide for evaluating creativity in job candidates. An improvement to the research article would be samples of structured interview questions employers could use for assessment of job
Innovation has become a critical element for a business to be successful. More emphasis is placed on creativity as it is the core that drives innovation within a company. Businesses must provide a conducive work environment to produce and grow a creativity amongst its employees. We will discuss the five critical component to a creative work environment which include challenging work, organization encouragement, supervisor encouragement, work group encouragement, lack of organization impediments and freedom.
Creativity is affected by five factors: experiences, fearlessness, desire, atmosphere, and environment. Experience plays the biggest role in creativity. The experiences children have, the more you have to make those past thoughts relevant to the present moment. Fearlessness is another big factor in creativity. If children do not think they are creative, then, they will not be creative. Teachers must encourage their students to be fearless with their creativity. In doing so, teachers open the door for new ideas. Desire is vital to growing as a creative individual. If children do not want to change things, then, they will not. Lastly, creativity comes from children’s interactions with the world around them. Therefore, atmosphere and environment both play a role in a child’s individual level of creativity. How children grow up definitely affects their creativity. However, even if a child’s parent were not creative, children can still do extraordinary things with their own creativity. To foster creativity in the classroom, teachers must understand the creativ...
Herein lies the problem. The children that we are educated are and will be faced with new challenges that current education systems all over the world have been failing to meet. It would seem that structures of mass domain education suppress the innately imprinted creativity found in every living person and widely known specialist on the subject, Sir Ken Robinson, goes as far as saying that we are, “educating people out of their creativity” (Giang, 2013). But if the school system is to make adjustments to explore and cultivate creativity more how are they to do so without losing total structure? Robinson acknowledges this by saying that, “in every creative approach some of the things we’re looking for are hard, if not impossible to quantify. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t matter.”
There are many people who believe and consider that creativity is affected by culture, the way that ideas, how concepts are introduced, and developed into a reality. In today’s market, creativity is linked to innovation, which is an appreciated and sought after skill to have in todays changing world. I agree with this statement and declaration with four reasons. The first reason is if we did not let people think of ways to be improve items, then we would not be currently in a place in society with the advancement of technology and new ideas that come out everyday from the people of the world. Secondly, the believed notion that “More Energy is equaled to Better Moods”, which is appropriately true about how creativity is affected by culture. Another reason why creativity is affected by culture is allowing the possibilities and opportunities created by creative minds of our culture. The final reason why creativity is affected by culture is one learns persistence and dedication from the journey they take to be unique and creative; while they create and find new answers that they never knew before using creativity to
Organization operates in a strongly competitive environment manning creativity a vital component in business growth. Creativity is what sparks big ideas, challenges workers way of thinking and make way for new business opportunities,