Khin Maung Than (Psychology) - Breakthrough Thinking

How to spark creativity

Editor's note

In today's business world, intelligence is more important than ever, and creativity is more important than ever. However, many companies are unintentionally stifling their employees' creativity. They are also stifling their employees' intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is based on strong passion and interest.

Managers are not deliberately suppressing the creativity of their workers. The pursuit of productivity, scale, and control, which are essential to business, has stifled creativity. We can do something about it, says Harvard Business School professor TM Amabile. Creativity can coexist with important business tasks. But he says managers’ mindsets need to change first.

Managers need to understand that there are three components to creativity. There are three components: skill, creativity, and flexibility. The first two, skill and flexibility, can be provided by managers. However, they are time-consuming and costly. If we can strengthen the intrinsic motivation of employees, we can achieve greater efficiency.

There are five ways to increase employee motivation: Challenge employees. Give them the freedom to do their jobs. Create diverse teams. Have a company-wide reward system. And reward them with rewards that are more or less consistent with the organization.

Let's take a look at a job challenge as an example. Intrinsic motivation is highest when the job does not cause stress but challenges one's abilities. Managers should be able to select employees who are well-suited to the job.

Freedom in working also increases intrinsic motivation. As a result, creativity occurs. You should not be told what to do. You should be allowed to make your own decisions.

When it comes to employee creativity, managers can make a difference. This can be a real boon for companies that have little creativity.

When I think about the business organizations I have been involved with and studied for over 22 years, one thing stands out in my mind. Instead of nurturing creativity, they are being crushed. It is not that managers are suppressing creativity with malice. They value new ideas that can be used. However, the desire to be creative is being diminished in the workforce. This is because the emphasis on production and control that businesses have to face is so great.

It is impossible for managers to ignore important tasks. However, while working on unimportant tasks, they unintentionally suppress their creativity. My research has shown that creativity can be combined with work. It is possible to develop a creative spirit in employees while performing tasks that are important to the business.

Managers need to understand what practices stifle creativity and what actions can foster it.

Business and creativity

Many people associate creativity with art. It is also considered the expression of original ideas. Pablo Picasso redefined the traditional principles of painting. William Faulkner redefined the meaning of a novel. In business, having an original idea is not enough. An idea must be relevant to the business and applicable to it. It must be workable. It must have some impact on the business. Is the product being produced better? Is the process of production innovative? Is there an impact?

When we talk about creativity, we tend to see it as an artistic field, so creativity has no place in business organizations. It becomes confusing. One of the questions I often ask managers in discussions is this:

"Which department in your company needs the most creativity?"

They replied that there is no need for innovation in the accounting department. They seem to think that innovation will only be needed in the research and technology department. In fact, any department can benefit from innovation. Think of accounting as an area where innovation is present. It can bring about significant benefits.

They are afraid that creativity will enter departments that are too rigid and rigid. This is why managers have such a narrow view. Creativity is all about thinking. It is about approaching a problem with an innovative mindset. In fact, a good idea is only one part of creativity. There are two other parts: skill and motivation.

Three features

For creativity to emerge, a person must have three characteristics: skill, creative thinking, and motivation. Managers can help develop these characteristics in employees.

know how

Expertise is everything you know and understand about a business and the things you can do with it.

Creative thinking skills

Creative thinking is a mindset that is non-conventional, flexible, and imaginative in its approach to problem solving.

Motivation,

The drive to do something is motivation. Motivations are not the same. Rather than solving a problem for a reward, creativity is driven by an inner desire and problem-solving.

Suppose a scientist at a pharmaceutical company is assigned to develop a blood thinner for patients with bleeding disorders. What are his skills? They include knowledge of medicine, knowledge of chemistry, biology, and biochemistry, and the ability to think scientifically. How did he acquire his skills? It doesn’t matter how he acquired them. He may have learned them at a university. He may have learned them through experience. The more advanced the skills, the more valuable they are.

Creativity is the ability to combine and apply one's ideas in a new way. This ability depends on the personality of each person. A scientist at a pharmaceutical company who is not afraid to think against the ideas of others is likely to be creative. He will approach a problem with a different approach than others. He will use his knowledge from different disciplines that seem unrelated. If he thinks about a problem in reverse, creativity develops. The solution to the problem of bleeding can be found in botany. By studying the digestive system of plants, we can find a solution to the problem of bleeding in humans.

He also needs to have perseverance. He must be able to endure difficulties. If you gradually try boring experiments, the chances of an innovative breakthrough are greater. If the problem is difficult, you can put it aside for a while and come up with new ideas, perspectives, and work later, which also encourages creativity.

It can be said that skills and creative thinking are natural resources of a person.