Chapter 3: Creativity and innovation

Alex Antonites

Part B: The entrepreneurial process

Chapter 3:
Creativity and
innovation
© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

 understand the basic theory behind creativity and innovation

 create an awareness of your current creative abilities
 remove all the possible obstacles to creative thinking
 develop and improve creativity within yourself to excel in
the expected fields of entrepreneurial venturing and small
business management
 generate new ideas
 create new feasible products, services or processes,
and thus innovate
 assess the likely commercial success of your new innovation

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

 THE THEORY OF CREATIVITY
Figure 3.1 Types of creativity (Textbook page 63)

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

 THE CREATIVITY MODEL
 What is creativity?
 Our brain
 Using creative thinking skills to solve problems
 Creativity definitions
 Couger (1995) definition and conditions
 Blanchard (2010) definition
 Creativity – defined within three core fields of
application (Sawyer 2010)
– Newness
– Combinator
– World
© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS
 THE CREATIVITY MODEL

 Importance of creativity in the socioeconomic environment

 Different types of creativity

Figure 3.2 The 4P

model of creativity
(Textbook page 64)

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

 THE CREATIVITY MODEL

 The person
– The brain – Left and right hemispheres
– Von Stamm (2008) – 32 traits of a creative person

Table 3.1 Traits of highly creative people (Textbook page 64)

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

 THE CREATIVITY MODEL

 The creativity myth

– Creativity is an innate skill and cannot be acquired by
means of training
– You need to be a rebel to be seen as creative
– Artists are the only creative beings
– You need to be “crazy” before creativity will kick in
– Intelligence and creativity
 Much ado about heteroscedasticity (Textbook page
65)
– Group vs. Individual creativity
– All new products were accidental discoveries

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

 THE CREATIVITY MODEL

 Blocks to creativity
– Environmental barriers
 Social environment
 Economic environment
 Physical environment
– Cultural barriers
– Perceptual barriers

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

 THE CREATIVITY MODEL

 The process
Figure 3.3 Psychological elements involved in achieving
a creative product (Textbook page 68)

Stages
– Information
– Incubation
– Illumination
– Verification
– Communication
– Validation

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

 THE CREATIVITY MODEL

Figure 3.4 The creative problem-solving process

(Textbook page 70)
 THE CREATIVITY MODEL

Creative process solving steps

1. Generate idea
2. Develop idea
3. Turn idea into product/service

Figure 3.5 The process of developing an innovation

(Textbook page 71)
 THE CREATIVITY MODEL

Figure 3.6 Beerbrella (Textbook page 71)

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

 THE CREATIVITY MODEL

Creative techniques
– Random input
– Problem reversal
– The 5Ws & H technique
– Association technique
– Discontinuity principle
 AFRICA PRIME EXPORT DESTINATION FOR
SOUTH AFRICAN FACTORIES (Textbook page 73)

Idea vs. Opportunity

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

 THE CREATIVITY MODEL

 The product – innovation at work

– Case Study – Capitec: Riaan Stassen (Textbook page 74)

Critical areas where innovations might be made

– New products
– New services
– New production techniques
– New operating practices
– New ways of delivering the product or service to the
customer
– New ways of managing relationships within
the organisation
– New means of informing the customer about the product

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

 THE CREATIVITY MODEL

Types of innovation
– Two broad classifications based on knowledge
 Component knowledge
 System knowledge

Figure 3.7 The

components of a
mountain bike
(Textbook page 82)

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

 THE CREATIVITY MODEL

– Four generic types of innovations

 Radical innovation
 Incremental innovation
 Modular innovation
 Architectural innovation

Table 3.2 Types of innovation (Textbook page 83)

 THE CREATIVITY MODEL

The process of innovation

– Case Study – UNIVERSITY’S “SOLAR FLOWER” TO
CHARGE STUDENTS’ CELLPHONES (Textbook page 84)

– Pull technology - Figure 3.8 Pull technology (Textbook page 84)

– Push technology - Figure 3.9 Push technology (Textbook page 84)

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHE

 LOOKING BACK

1. Define creativity and include all the variables of a

possible definition. 

2. Graphically illustrate the creativity model and explain

its contents. 

3. List the myths of creativity. 

4. List and discuss the potential blocks to creativity. 

5. Graphically illustrate the creativity process. 

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

 KEY TERMS

 5Ws & H technique

 Architectural innovation
 Association technique
 Creative myths
 Creative process
 Creative thinking skills
 Creativity
 Cultural barriers
 Discontinuity principle
 Discovery

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

 KEY TERMS

 Economic blocks
 Environmental blocks
 Fundamental change
 Idea
 Incremental innovation
 Innovation
 Invention
 Modular innovation
 Opportunity
 Perceptual barriers
 Physical blocks
 Problem reversal
 Radical innovation
 Random input

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

 LOOKING BACK - ANSWERS
1. Define creativity and include all the variables of a
possible definition.
– The product of creativity is firstly a product or result of a
thinking process.
– This product or idea should have novelty as a result
and should create value.
– It should involve unconventional thinking.
– The thinking process is supported by
performance motivation.
– The initial problem is normally vague and unstructured.


© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS
2. Graphically illustrate the creativity model and explain
its contents.
Figure 3.1 Types of creativity (Textbook page 63)


© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS
3. List the myths of creativity.
– Creativity is an innate skill and cannot be acquired
by means of training.
– You need to be a rebel to be seen as creative.
– Artists are the only creative beings.
– You need to be “crazy” before creativity will kick in.
– High intelligence and creativity go hand in hand.
– The group is always right.
– All new products were accidental discoveries.

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

4. List and discuss the potential blocks to creativity.
– Environmental barriers:
 Social environment
 Economic environment
 Physical environment
– Cultural barriers
– Perceptual barriers

© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS

5. Graphically illustrate the creativity process.
Figure 3.2 The 4P model of creativity (Textbook page 64)


© VAN SCHAIK PUBLISHERS