Enhancing creative thinking within organisations
Abstract
Creative problem solving (CPS) and innovation are very important to companies who want to gain flexibility and competitive advantage. This article describes how an organisation can enhance its creativity by developing a creative culture within the company. In addition, the paper discusses group creative problem solving. A creativity continuum is presented which describes three different types of techniques ‐ paradigm preserving, paradigm stretching and paradigm breaking. It is important to know which type of technique should be chosen for a particular type of situation. Paradigm preserving techniques are deemed to be more comfortable but less innovative whereas paradigm breaking techniques encourage participants to develop highly novel ideas. They can, however, be uncomfortable to use and should therefore not be utilised by the unwary. This article describes six different CPS techniques ‐ two paradigm preserving, two paradigm stretching and two paradigm breaking techniques.
Keywords
Citation
McFadzean, E. (1998), "Enhancing creative thinking within organisations", Management Decision, Vol. 36 No. 5, pp. 309-315. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251749810220513
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 1998, MCB UP Limited