Oral Presentation Creativity and Innovation

Rawaa Hannouf 14/04/2011

Choose a creative innovator from your discipline area and identify the personal attributes that helped them most. What are the success factors of creative innovators? They possess certain personal attributes which release their creativity and ability to innovate. These people have persistence, determination and hard work. They have the ability to think differently and to work collaboratively. Thomas Alva Edison born on February 11, 1847 (Wikipedia, 2011), was an American product innovator and scientist who possessed the combination of these powerful characteristics. These were a key to the attainment of his goals in the business environment. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world including the long-lasting electric light bulb which was the most challenging of all. I will begin by using this invention as an example of how he put to practice his persistence and his creative thinking and how this has helped him achieve his final product. Then I will explain how he applied collaboration in his work. To achieve success, persistence, determination and hard work is important. A creative innovator should have no fear of failure and is determined never to give up. Edison never gave up. He had a positive attitude when he faced challenges seeing them as an opportunity and understood that a true genius sweats. He quoted genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration (Dodgson and Gann 2010, 85). His approach was one of trial and error (Dodgson and Gann 2010, 92). When attempting to invent the light bulb he continuously tried using various filaments thousands of times and failed repeatedly. After about 9,000 attempts, he knew that success was almost in his grasp, and after about 10,000 attempts he invented the light bulb in the year 1879 (Optimistic Journey, 2010). He claimed never to have failed, but to have discovered 10,000 ways that didnt work [emphasis added] (Dodgson and Gann 2010, 83). This demonstrates Edisons continual focus on finding solutions and learning from things that didnt work instead of giving up after an error. The ability to think differently and see the value of things is also important in order to succeed in the business environment. Edison demonstrated this skill while trying to invent the light bulb which was an incremental advance of other inventors. He depended more on his imagination and intuition rather than logic and theory, and relied more on research and experimentation. In 1878, Edison entered the race to develop a longer lasting light bulb. He found that in order for the bulb to last longer it must remain cool but the problem was how. First, he studied other peoples mistakes in which to avoid. He then conducted many experiments along with his scientists until he finally applied a woody "filament" made from Japanese bamboo, it was found to have strong electrical resistance and lasted for about 600 hours (Unmuseum, 2002). Other scientists would never have seen value and the worth of using a filament made of wood. John Donne quoted no man is an island, in other words a person cannot thrive when isolated from others (The Phrase Finder, 1996 - 2010). This suggests that innovating collaboratively provides a greater chance of success than going it alone. Edison understood

Oral Presentation Creativity and Innovation

Rawaa Hannouf 14/04/2011

this concept. He was known for applying mass production in his factory at Menlo Park during the year 1876. Edison employed more than 200 machinists, scientists, craftsmen and labourers all assisting with inventions (Dodgson and Gann 2010, 86). He registered 400 patents in just 6 years (Dodgson and Gann 2010, 86- 87). This shows how the combinations of skills from many disciplines with the provision of tools and/or resources brings new ideas and help to develop useful innovations in short periods of time. In brief, the success of creative innovators relies on the personal attributes they possess. They are determined to reach their goal no matter how challenging the problem is. They think outside the box and are able to effectively work with others or in teams. Thomas Edison demonstrated these skills and attributes in his work, and should be a role model for all of us in order to be successful in business and as creative innovators. This is how creative innovations are successfully produced. Are there any other personal attributes that a creative innovator must possess in order to be successful? Why are they needed? Do you think that having passion for what you do is what makes you have motivation, persistence and determination? Why or why not? List of References
Dodgson & Gann. 2010. Innovation: A Very Short Introduction, New York: Oxford University Press.

Gary Martin, 1996 2010. The Phrase Finder. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/no-man-is-

an-island.html (Accessed 9 April 2011) Jarrod Clark, 2010. Optimistic Journey: Edisons Persistence, Can You Use It? http://optimisticjourney.com/2010/04/13/edisons-persistence-can-you-use-it/ (accessed 14 April 2011) Lee Krystek, 2002. Unmuseum. Surprising Science: Who invented the light bulb? http://www.unmuseum.org/lightbulb.htm (accessed 14 April 2011)
Wikipedia, 2011. Creative Common Attributes. Thomas Edison. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison (accessed 9 April 2011)