Creativity, imagination and the organisation


Creativity, imagination and the organisation

Carl Sagan wrote, ˜Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere . [ 2] Perhaps we should modify this to:

Imagination will carry us to all the worlds that can ever be.

Imagination provides us with the tools for developing pictures in our minds, for seeing what can be and enabling us to do what has not been done before.

Imagination should be seen in the same way as any other human capability. As in other areas, some individuals are extraordinarily imaginative or creative while others are not. Most of us, however, are capable of maintaining a ˜ healthy imagination by feeding it correctly, exercising it regularly and, most importantly , enjoying its use. But if we don t have the opportunity to use our imagination then it will petrify and become hard to access.

Ask yourself some questions:

  • When do you use your imagination most?

  • When was the last time that you used your imagination?

  • How often do you get to use your imagination?

  • Which impulses stimulate your imagination?

Being creative and thinking imaginatively requires the ability to broaden ideas, to actively look beyond the here and now. Too often we have an imperative to answer a question immediately or find a solution in a hurry, and this causes us to focus quickly and narrow the range of alternatives. The challenge is to provide the opportunity to use imaginative thinking to provide a response and not be limited by conventional barriers. People at all levels should be free to think things out with a fresh perspective and be unconventional, or at least not bounded by a mentality that removes much of the solution potential before we even begin to examine the problem.

Truly creative thinking involves the ability to destroy the old and create the new in your mind. Being able to understand the given problem and question the validity of the expressed and underlying assumptions is a skill that can be learned. It is also a skill that is crucial for the future of our organisations. The fact is that there is a fundamental shift in the way that we organise, conduct and manage our businesses, which demands an increasing application of imagination and creativity, and an ability to imagine a new future that may not totally depend upon the past.

This is not to say that creative thinking does not exist in most organisations in some form ”obviously it must, and it does. The challenge is to recognise its increasing value to organisations and encourage it to be regarded as a tool. Acknowledging that creative thinking is an important part of our organisations shows acceptance that the existing limitations on thought and attitude can be broken. This acceptance provides the infrastructure and the atmosphere in which to generate ideas, and allows people to align with those ideas and be responsive to them.

Creativity allows us to move from where we are today to where we would like to be tomorrow. We recognise creativity in our latest technological wonders, in each new item that miraculously appears, and wonder how we ever lived without it. But it should also be recognised that strategic leaps account for only about 2 per cent of our products. Step changes provide about 18 per cent, but 80 per cent of our development occurs in continuous, incremental improvement. It is enhancing this 80 per cent of our activity that is critical to our advancement and where imagination and creativity play such a major role. In addition, creativity and innovation can apply to any point in the organisation, as equally to managerial processes as to the invention of new products.

Most creativity writers talk about the need for play and have developed imaginative tools to encourage creativity. Too often we see play and work as two separate aspects of our lives: we can only take people seriously when they have the appearance of working towards some result or when they dress appropriately. It is essential that we capture and incorporate the spirit of a playful or joyful attitude in a way that makes creativity part of the way that we think every day.

Imagination and innovation need the appropriate conditions to exist and flourish. Some of the essential ingredients are an ability to play, to relax, to wonder, to enjoy, to share and to smile.

[ 2] G Van Ekeren, Speaker s Sourcebook II ”Quotes, Stories and Anecdotes for Every Occasion ,Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 1994.




Innovation and Imagination at Work 2004
Innovation and Imagination at Work 2004
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2005
Pages: 116

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net