In words of George Kneller, “To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what

we normally take for granted.”

INTRODUCTION:

Creative is a term often used to describe individuals that we view with admiration and
awe. The word itself has spiritual and mystical connotations. All of us have used the
word creative or similar descriptors such as imaginative, original, clever, and inventive to
describe individuals who possess traits that we consider to be the exception rather than
the rule. The use of this term is, more often than not, applied without a full understanding
of its meaning; a meaning that is often taken for granted and, generally rooted in
ambiguity. Creativity and creative processes need careful examination and consideration
as a means of assisting public sector organizations with coping, adjusting, and
implementing change within their organizations.
Management theory typically assumes creativity is solely about the creation of new
ideas. This is innovation. But creativity in the implementation of existing ideas and
technologies is equally important. Creativity is therefore a broader concept incorporating
both innovations as well as existing ideas, structures and processes.

RELEVANCE AND IMPORTANCE:

Prior to this century, creativity had been generally associated with artists and inventors. It
was thought that creative individuals possessed either genius or creative gifts. These
creative individuals were recognized because of their substantial contributions to society
and culture. However, this thinking has changed dramatically over the years.
Understanding creativity is a challenging task, not only because creative thinking occurs
in diverse domains but also because a complex set of psychological and social forces
contributes to it.
In keeping with this definition, research has indicated that the state of mind of individuals
affects their creative output and that creative ideas stem from and is framed by the social
contexts in which they occur. So creativity has also been defined as the ability to
formulate new combinations from two or more concepts already in the mind.

Creativity is influenced by individual and organizational factors that result in the

production of novel and useful ideas, products, or both. Therefore, if creative individuals
find themselves in organizational environments that are not conducive to creative
thinking and creative decision making then a mismatch occurs, creating frustrations for
both the member and the management. Organizations thus need to explore the kinds of
cognitive demands that they place on their members and the types of ideas that
individuals can contribute to the process of organizational problem-solving.

Creative problem-solving is an important dimension to managerial activity. Rapidly

changing business environments produce problems which managers have not previously
encountered. Tried and trusted methods of approaching new problems can meet with
failure. The need for creative problem-solving methods which overcome such difficulties
is of paramount importance. There are a number of established creative problem-solving
aids, such as brainstorming, lateral thinking, etc. and a new set of aids which are
computer-assisted.

Creativity in organisations focuses on achieving innovation, competitive advantage and

social benefits by enhancing the ‘level’ of creativity in the organisation. This, typically,
involves:
 Examining the personality traits and styles of individuals
 Developing an organisational context in which creativity might be fostered
(organisational cultures etc)
 Examining systems (collectivises of organised efforts coupled with the
physical environment) to see how the systemic tendencies toward stability
might be interrupted….to stimulate new actions and/or different activities.
Organizations need creativity to adapt to the fast changing environment and revitalize
itself. In response to this need, managers have invested in various single approaches, such
as, creativity training programmes, team building, and leadership development to
improve creativity. Managing creativity in oranization is a complex problem and requires
an integrated aproach Its important for managers to foster and sustain creativity in their
organizations, using a total systematic approach.

Employees in many jobs encounter novel, ill-defined problems, and finding creative
solutions to these problems may be the critical factor that allows their organization to
maintain a competitive advantage. Solving problems creatively requires extensive and
effortful cognitive processing. This requirement is magnified further by the complex,
ambiguous situations in which most organizational problems occur. Employees must
define and construct a problem, search and retrieve problem-relevant information, and
generate and evaluate a diverse set of alternative solutions. Creativity necessitates that all
these activities are completed effectively. It is unlikely, therefore, that creative outcomes
will be realized without a large degree of support from organizations and organizational
leaders. To provide this support, leaders must understand the cognitive requirements of
creative problem solving which is the only path for resolution of many issues.

Professional managers have to deal with creatives, many of whom feel they have been
forced to the bottom of the organisation. Many creative organisations have become
“managerially” professionalized with the individuals who actually produce the ‘creative’
product being at the ‘bottom of the pile’.

Media organisations are just as full of structures, limits and routines as any other type of
organisation. And creatives are likely to feel constrained and alienated by them. It’s
important to develop creative leaders, by developing intrapersonal dimensions (taking
risks, tolerating ambiguity and seeing, feeling, thinking in new ways) and interpersonal
dimensions (teambuilding, shared leadership and learning organizations).
CONCLUSION:
Inclusion of creative thinking and creative processes in organizations is impertinent.
However, it is not simply enough to expect individuals to engage in creative activities;
they need to be trained and encouraged to do so. If we expect our organizations to
function more creatively in the future then we need to nurture each individual's creativity.
The starting point lies not only in adjusting current organizational practices but also in the
way future employees are educated.

Historically, the Fine Arts have had the responsibility for the development of creativity in
our youth, yet they have to continually argue for their survival. If society wants to solve
the many problems that are occurring, then creative thinking needs to be part of educating
the whole peers.
REFRENCES:

1. Research paper - Cultural Creativity: the importance of creativity in organizational

and educational contexts by ROLF J. BOON, Instructor of Music and Technology
Grande Prairie Regional College.

2. Creativity and the imagination: Case studies from the Classical age to the twentieth
Century by Amsler, M. (Ed.). Newark, DE: University of Delaware Press.

3. Creativity and divergent thinking: A task-specific approach by Baer, J. Hillside, NJ:

Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

4. Creativity and consciousness: Philosophical and psychological dimensions by

Brzezinski, J., Di Nuovo, S., Marek, T., & Maruszewski, T. (Eds.), Atlanta, GA: Rodopi.

5. Fundamentals of creative thinking by Dacey, J. S. (1989). Toronto, ON: Lexington.

6. Creativity and innovation by Haefele. J. W. New York, NY: Reinhold Publishing

Corporation.

7. “The effects of personal and contextual characteristics on creativity: Where should we

go from here?” Journal of Management, by Cynthia E. Shalley, Jing Zhou, and Gary R.
Oldham

8. “Creative ideas take time: business practices that help product managers cope with
time pressure,” Journal of Product and Brand Management by J. Andrews
 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

SHORT REPORT ON:

CREATIVITY IN ORGANIZATIONS

SUBMITTED BY:
SHEEBA AREEB FATIMA
SEC-B
ROLL NO. 071091