Bachelor of Business Management (Hons)

INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE SKILLS IN BUSINESS

Creativity Management (Part 1)
(Week 2)

PowerPoint® Slides
by Harjinder Kaur

06/03/21
Learning Objectives

This week lesson will be on Creativity Management (Part

1). Students will be taught on the following:

•How the two hemispheres of the human brain function and

what role they play in creativity.
•The “10 mental locks” that limit individual creativity.

06/03/21
Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this topic students should

be able to:
• Describe the human brain function and how they work

to enhance creativity.
• Elaborate the “10 mental locks” that limit individual

creativity.
• Discuss how entrepreneurs can enhance the

creativity of their employees as well as their own

creativity.

06/03/21
Part 1
CREATIVE THINKING

06/03/21
 Creative Thinking

• Human brain develops asymmetrically (unevenly), and

each hemisphere tends to specialize in certain functions.

Right brain
Left brain Lateral
Vertical thinking thinking

06/03/21
 Creative Thinking

• a person who is "left-brained" is often said to be more

logical, analytical, and objective, while a person who is
"right-brained" is said to be more intuitive, thoughtful,
and subjective.

• The right brain is creative and intuitive – lateral thinking

• The left brain is logical and rational – vertical thinking

06/03/21
 Supplementary Materials/ Extra Reading

http://www.memorise.org/brain-articles/differences-vertical-
lateral-thinking-00683.html

http://www.howardluksmd.com/public/Hernandez.pdf

http://tds.ic.polyu.edu.hk/td/theme1/vertical_thinking_vs_later
al_thinking_e.htm

06/03/21
Creative thinking
• The Right Brain
• According to the left-brain, right-brain dominance theory,
the right side of the brain is best at expressive and
creative tasks. Some of the abilities that are popularly
associated with the right side of the brain include:
• Recognizing faces
• Expressing emotions
• Music
• Reading emotions
• Color
• Images
• Intuition
• Creativity
06/03/21
Creative thinking
• The Left Brain
• The left-side of the brain is considered to be adept
(skilled) at tasks that involve logic, language and
analytical thinking. The left-brain is often described as
being better at:
• Language
• Logic
• Critical thinking
• Numbers
• Reasoning

06/03/21
Creative thinking

Left brain
• Handles language, logic, and symbols.

• Processes information in a step-by-step fashion.

• Vertical thinking is narrowly focused and systematic,

proceeding in a highly logical fashion from one point

to the next.
• "vertical" logic (the classic method for problem

solving: working out the solution step-by-step from the

given data)

06/03/21
 Creative thinking
Right brain
• Takes care of the body’s emotional, and intuitive

functions (Intuition is thus often conceived as a kind of

inner perception, sometimes regarded as a real
 understanding. Intuition provides us with views,
understandings, judgments, or beliefs that we cannot
in every case empirically (relying on) verify
or rationally justify.
• The right brain is popularly associated with intuitive

processes such as aesthetic (artistic/visual) or

generally creative abilities

06/03/21
Creative thinking

Right brain
• Processes information intuitively – all at once, relying

heavily on images.
• Lateral thinking – somewhat unconventional,

unsystematic, and unstructured.

• "horizontal" imagination (having a thousand ideas but

being unconcerned with the detailed implementation

of them).

06/03/21
Right-Brained, Creative Thinkers

• Always ask: “Is there a better way?”

• Challenge custom, routine, and tradition.
• Are reflective.
• Are prolific thinkers.
• Play mental games.

06/03/21
Right-Brained, Creative Thinkers

• Realize that there may be more than one “right” answer.

• Know that mistakes are pit stops on the way to success.
• Recognize that problems are springboards for new
ideas.
• Understand that failure is a natural part of the creative
process.
• Relate seemingly unrelated ideas to a problem.

06/03/21
 Left-Brained or Right-Brained?
• Entrepreneurship requires both left-and right-brained
thinking.
• Right-brained thinking draws on divergent reasoning,
the ability to create a multitude (large number) of
original, diverse ideas/ Divergent thinking is a
thought process or method used to generate
creative ideas by exploring many possible
solutions
• Left-brained thinking counts on convergent reasoning,
the ability to evaluate multiple ideas and to choose
the best solution to a problem.

06/03/21
Left-Brained or Right-Brained?

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divergent_thinking
• http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/divergent
-thinking.html
• http://faculty.washington.edu/ezent/imdt.htm
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marty-zwilling/is-an-
ideal-entrepreneur_b_5155730.html

06/03/21
Left-Brained or Right-Brained?

• Entrepreneurs need to rely on right-brain thinking to

generate (means more to creativity) innovative
product, service or business ideas.
• They also must use left-brain thinking to judge the
market potential (means also need to analyze) of the
ideas they generate.

06/03/21
Activity 1

• Take a “Test your entrepreneurial I.Q” exercise on

individual basis.

06/03/21
Activity 1

1. As a child, you looked for ways of making or earning

money instead of relying on an allowance.
TRUE OR FALSE

06/03/21
Activity 1

2. I am responsible for my own fate. People who rely on

luck are irresponsible.
TRUE OR FALSE

06/03/21
Activity 1

3. Just because a product can be sold cheaply doesn’t

mean everyone in that
market will buy it.
TRUE OR FALSE

06/03/21
Activity 1

4. I can handle having incomplete information before

venturing into a new
project.
TRUE OR FALSE

06/03/21
Activity 1

5. Statistics support the fact that entrepreneurs who have

had family members venture into successful small
business ownership before them are more likely to be
successful.
TRUE OR FALSE

06/03/21
Activity 1

6. When I am passionate about something, I can work on it

for days on end,
sometimes sacrificing getting the proper rest.
TRUE OR FALSE

06/03/21
Activity 1

7. Hard work and a successful financial backing will not

ensure the success of
a small business.
TRUE OR FALSE

06/03/21
Activity 1

8. You should advertise and focus the sale of your product

or service to meet
the needs of as many people as possible.
TRUE OR FALSE

06/03/21
Activity 1

9. When you have an idea you feel will be successful, you

rarely let anyone
talk you out of it, even if they speak with the voice of
reason.
TRUE OR FALSE.

06/03/21
Activity 1

10. I am not afraid of taking a calculated risk.

TRUE OR FALSE

06/03/21
Activity 1

Score 1 point for each TRUE answer. This number

represents your entrepreneurial I.Q.
9–10 Very good – Keeping pace with successful small
business strategies in the twenty–first century will be
crucial to successful business survival.
7 – 8 Satisfactory – Today’s fast–paced small business
environment won’t always let you get away with a few
mistakes.
0 – 5 Questionable – You could lose the farm!

06/03/21
Activity 1

• SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO THE

ENTREPRENEURIAL I. Q. TEST

1. As a child, you looked for ways of making or earning

money instead of relying on an allowance.

TRUE – Innovation is essential to the entrepreneur and

often starts at a very young age.

06/03/21
Activity 1

2. I am responsible for my own fate. People who rely on

luck are irresponsible.

TRUE – Most entrepreneurs are driven by what has

been termed an internal locus of control, whereby they
take responsibility for all their successes as well as
disappointments. Good or bad, they prefer not to rely on
luck or make excuses for their various circumstances. As
such, they may view people who blame others as weak
or unrealistic. These people are seen to have what has
been termed as an external locus of control.

06/03/21
Activity 1

3. Just because a product can be sold cheaply doesn’t

mean everyone in that market will buy it.

TRUE – Successful entrepreneurs know that cutting

prices is easily copied by a larger store or corporate
chain. Establishing a creative competitive edge is what
allows the small business owner to compete for loyal,
repeat customers who don’t jump to competitors each
time a price is lowered a few cents.

06/03/21
Activity 1

4. I can handle having incomplete information before

venturing into a new project.

TRUE – An ability to handle a little ambiguity is

imperative to the entrepreneurial psyche. Operating in
the real world where everything is not always under
his/her control is a daily requirement.

06/03/21
Activity 1

5. Statistics support the fact that entrepreneurs who have

had family members venture into successful small
business ownership before them are more likely to be
successful.

TRUE – Just as in most things, having a mentor or

someone who understands your current challenges
can act as a positive catalyst (channel/mechanism,
medium).

06/03/21
Activity 1

6. When I am passionate about something, I can work on it

for days on end, sometimes sacrificing getting the
proper rest.

TRUE – Successful entrepreneurs are driven with an

internal excitement that motivates them when others
might be overwhelmed.

06/03/21
Activity 1

7. Hard work and a successful financial backing will not

ensure the success of a small business.

TRUE – Many hard working, motivated entrepreneurs

making loss by simply failing to clearly establish
whether or not a justifiable need existed within the
community for their product/service.

06/03/21
Activity 1

8. You should advertise and focus the sale of your product

or service to meet the needs of as many people as
possible.

TRUE – Beating the competition these days requires

attracting the right customer with that special
innovative style.

06/03/21
Activity 1

9. When you have an idea you feel will be successful, you

rarely let anyone talk you out of it, even if they speak
with the voice of reason.

TRUE – If every entrepreneur allowed someone to talk

them out of something simply because it appeared the
reasonable thing to do, most inventions would never
reach maturity or distribution. Rumor has it that Bill
Gates’s first Business Plan was not accepted as a
feasible idea by his college instructor.

06/03/21
Activity 1

10. I am not afraid of taking a calculated risk.

TRUE – A strong trait in the innovative spirit of the

American entrepreneur is his/her ability to take on risk.

06/03/21
Part 2
BARRIERS TO CREATIVITY

06/03/21
Barriers to Creativity

Roger Von Oech (1990) identifies ten, mental locks‟ that limit individual
creativity:
• Searching for the one “right” answer
• Focusing on “being logical”
• Blindly following the rules
• Constantly being practical
• Viewing play as frivolous
Barriers to Creativity
(continued)

• Becoming overly specialized

• Avoiding ambiguity
• Fearing looking foolish
• Fearing mistakes and failure
• Believing that “I’m not creative”
 Barriers to Creativity
Searching for the one “right” answer

• Most educational systems teach that there is one “right” answer to a

problem. This is a boon (contributing factor) to creativity since it acts as a
block to brainstorming.
• Much of our educational system is based on the search for the one right
answer. Thus the “right answer” approach becomes deeply ingrained
(embedded) in our thinking. The problem is that life is ambiguous
(vague/unclear); there are many right answers – all depending on what you
are looking for.
• One of the worst aspects of formal education is the focus on the correct
answer to a particular question or problem. While this approach helps us
function in society, it hurts creative thinking because real-life issues
are ambiguous. There’s often more than one “correct” answer.
• Many of the following mental blocks can be turned around to reveal ways to
find more than one answer to any given problem. Try reframing the issue in
several different ways in order to prompt different answers, and embrace
answering inherently ambiguous questions in several different ways.

06/03/21
 Barriers to Creativity
Focusing on “being logical”

• Being logical is valuable when evaluating ideas and implementing them,

however, focusing too much effort on being logical in the early
imaginative phases discourages the use of intuition
instinct/insights/perception).( Intuition is thus often conceived as a kind of
inner perception, sometimes regarded as a real  understanding. Intuition
provides us with views, understandings, judgments, or beliefs that we
cannot in every case empirically (relying on) verify or rationally justify)
• While critical thinking skills based on logic are one of our main strengths in
evaluating the feasibility of a creative idea, it’s often the enemy of truly
innovative thoughts in the first place.
• One of the best ways to escape the constraints of your own logical mind is
to think metaphorically. One of the reasons why metaphors work so well in
communications is that we accept them as true without thinking about it.
When you realize that “truth” is often symbolic, you’ll often find that you are
actually free to come up with alternatives.

06/03/21
 Barriers to Creativity
Metaphorically
• metaphors allow you to create extraordinary meaning out of the seemingly
mundane (dull/boring).
• People often associate metaphor with poetry, literature and art, but we all
use metaphor in our day-to-day conversation, often without realizing it.
Because they are so effective at instantly communicating both tangible and
conceptual information, metaphorical expressions are woven throughout the
fabric of the English language.
• Metaphors Ignite Understanding
• Consider the following:
• She has a special place in my heart
• I’m at the height of my career
• Education is the gateway to success
• Life in the fast lane
• She followed in her mother’s footsteps
• A blanket of snow fell last night

06/03/21
 Barriers to Creativity
Blindly following the rules

• Often times, creativity depends on our ability to break existing rules so we

can find new ways of doing things.
• Our culture puts a great deal of pressure on one to “follow the rules”. From
“don’t color outside the lines” to “don’t shout in the library”; our daily lives
are governed by rules. Although some rules are good and serve to protect
society, “following the rules” can result in only “thinking of things as they
are”.

Constantly being practical (sensible/realistic)

• Like logic, practicality is hugely important when it comes to execution, but

often stifles innovative ideas before they can properly blossom.

06/03/21
 Barriers to Creativity

• Try not to evaluate the actual feasibility of an approach until you’ve allowed
it to exist on its own for a bit. Spend time asking “what if” as often as
possible, and simply allow your imagination to go where it wants. You might
just find yourself discovering a crazy idea that’s so insanely practical that no
one’s thought of it before.

• suspending (defer/delay/postpone) practicality for a while frees the mind to

consider creative solutions that, otherwise, might never arise.

06/03/21
 Barriers to Creativity
Viewing play as frivolous (not serious/Not having any serious purpose or
value)

• Play gives us the opportunity to reinvent reality and to reformulate

established ways of doing things.(eg: engineers often do at work is also
"play": they investigate a problem with a machine, for example, by "playing"
with it. They start with a concrete problem, then think in abstract terms
about how to solve it (perhaps by building a model or writing an equation),
and then apply the abstract solution to the concrete problem.
• Allowing your mind to be at play is perhaps the most effective way to
stimulate creative thinking, and yet many people disassociate play from
work.
• These days, the people who can come up with great ideas and solutions are
the most economically rewarded

06/03/21
 Barriers to Creativity

• Many times an idea will be generated when you re involved in a task

completely unrelated to your problem. But for some, the attitude is “stop
playing around and get down to business”.
• You’ve heard the expression “work hard and play hard.” All you have to
realize is that they’re the same thing to a creative thinker.

06/03/21
 Barriers to Creativity

Becoming overly specialized

• Defining a problem as one area of specialty limits the ability to see how it
might be related to other issues.
• Specialization is a fact of life. Society requires you to narrow your focus and
limit your field of view. To counter this attitude, make it a habit to be on the
look-out for novel ideas that others have used successfully. Actively be on
the hunt for new and interesting approaches.

Avoiding ambiguity
• We rationally realize that most every situation is ambiguous to some
degree. 

• It’s an innate characteristic of human psychology to desire certainty, but it’s

the creative thinker who rejects the false comfort of clarity when it’s not
really appropriate.

06/03/21
 Barriers to Creativity

• Ambiguity is your friend if you’re looking to innovate. The fact that most
people are uncomfortable exploring uncertainty gives you an advantage, as
long as you can embrace ambiguity rather than run from it.

• Ambiguity encourages us to “think something different.” Ambiguous

situations force us to stretch our minds beyond their normal boundaries
and to consider creative options we might otherwise ignore.

• We have been taught to “avoid ambiguity” because of the

communication problems it can cause. And in situations where
misunderstanding would be serious, “avoiding ambiguity” is good.
However, too much detail and specificity can stifle (choke/suppress) the
imagination.

06/03/21
 Barriers to Creativity

• Fearing looking foolish

• Creative thinking is no place for conformity. New ideas are rarely born
in a conforming environment. People tend toward conformity to avoid
looking foolish./ Often times refrain from expressing ideas to avoid
criticism.

• Fearing mistakes and failure

• Trying something new often leads to failure, however, failure should not
be seen as an end; but rather as pit stops toward success/ Nobody
wants to make mistakes or fail, therefore often times people are
apprehensive about taking risks that may result in failure.

06/03/21
• Believing that “I’m not creative”
• One who believes they are not creative will likely behave in the same
way, thus making the belief a reality. Everyone has the potential to be
creative, however, one must tap into that potential first. To be creative,
one must believe in the worth of their ideas and have the persistence to
build on them.

06/03/21
Supplementary Materials/ Extra Reading

•http://wantwords.co.uk/martastelmaszak/1751/lesson-11-

overcoming-barriers-to-creativity/
•http://www.copyblogger.com/mental-blocks-creative-

thinking/

06/03/21
• By avoiding these 10 mental locks, entrepreneurs can
unleash their own creativity as well as the creativity of
those people around them.
• Research shows that successful entrepreneurs are
willing to take some risks, explore new ideas, constantly
ask “what if?” and learn to appreciate ambiguity.
• By doing so, entrepreneurs can develop the skills,
attitudes and motivation that make them much more
creative – one of the keys to entrepreneurs‟ successful
performance.

06/03/21
Conclusions

• For years, people assumed that creativity was an

inherent trait. Today, however, we know better. Research
shows that almost everyone can learn to be creative.
• The number of potential barriers to creativity is limitless,
but entrepreneurs commonly face 10 “mental locks” on
creativity.
• Entrepreneurs can stimulate creativity in their companies
by: expecting creativity; expecting and tolerating failure;
encouraging curiosity; viewing problems as challenges;
providing creativity training; providing support; rewarding
creativity etc

06/03/21
REFERENCES

 Tidd, Bessant (2013), Managing Innovation - Integrating

Technological Market & Organisational Change, 5th
edition, Wiley.
 Byrd, Brown (2002), The innovation equation: Building
Creativity & Risk-taking in Your Organization, Wiley.
 Zimmerer, Scarborough (2008), Essentials of
Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, 5th
edition, FT Prentice Hall.

March 6, 2021
Key Terms

KEYTERMS DEFINITION

Vertical thinking From one logical conclusion to the next.

Considering a problem from all sides and jumping
Lateral thinking
into it at different points.

Frivolous Not having any serious purpose or value.

Ambiguity Doubtfulness or uncertainty of meaning or intention.

Divergent thinking is a thought process or method

used to generate creative ideas by exploring many
Divergent reasoning
possible solutions

06/03/21
THE END

06/03/21