For a long time the concept of creativity was a very little studied subject and very little discussed, it was until a few years ago that theorists emerged who were in charge of going deeper, developing works and contributions related to the subject.
Although it may not seem like it to many, creativity has become one of the bases of innovation, which allows organizations to develop multiple processes to become more competent. That is why creativity has taken an interest in current organizations, not only in aspects of advertising and design but as a potential human source that, in addition to the ability to generate ideas, carries out a projection to put them into practice to achieve products., innovative processes or services.
Because creativity has been considered as something complex, it has not been taken into account to be part of an organization, therefore, when there was something creative in the organization it came from abroad: it came from inventors who generated things to sell them to. companies, such as technology transfer.
It is common that creativity has been associated with the artistic field, which distances it from the administration, since it is not considered necessary for the resolution of problems. Usually when a problem occurs, it is defined, resolved, and the process continues. When there are difficulties to solve it, different alternatives are tried, including trial and error, or simply someone with experience in solving this problem is called. That is why we will not seek to enhance creativity. However, today that way of thinking has changed, because the world is more complex than before, as well as dynamic and constantly evolving, where needs and problems emerge, in which the creativity of each individual is the best resource to solve them competitively.
Background
The investigations on the concept of creativity are given at the same time from the ideas that were held at each moment in history, which currently vanish between the different problems that are related to the creative fact. That is why there are different attempts to make sense of the research about creativity, to mention some there is H. Poincaré, Wallas, Young, Guilford, among others that can be seen in the following table (SERRANO, 2001):
"Creativity" is a word that is classified as a usual English neologism, however, this concept was not considered included within the usual French dictionaries and likewise, it did not appear in the Dictionary of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language of 1970 as a formal concept. It was not until the 1992 version that this dictionary defines it as: "faculty to create", capacity for creation ". In 1971, the Royal Academy of the French Language discussed the acceptance or rejection of this word and the refusal was chosen. As of today, this concept has already become generalized and is used universally.
In the 1998 Ocean Encyclopedia of Psychopedagogy, “creativity” is defined as:
Willingness to create, which exists in a potential state in every individual and in all ages ”. Meanwhile, in the Santillana Dictionary of Education Sciences of 1995, the term creativity is indicated as: “valuable and recently created innovation”.
From the end of the 19th century and during the first half of the 20th century, the theory of
"Genius": certain people were born with this gift, they were different from the others and the "muses" visited them. Galton and Terman are representatives of this theory.
However, Guilford's article "Creativity" (1950) and Brewster Ghiselin's book "The creative process" (1952) marked the definitive end of the "genius" theory and began to emphasize "specific thought processes ”(Rooms, 2002).
Guilford distinguished between convergent thinking and divergent thinking. The first type of thinking supports that there is only one correct solution for each problem. Based on our previous knowledge, we logically order the available information to arrive at that indisputable solution that ends the problem. Divergent thinking, on the other hand, observes and contemplates various options that lead to multiple responses, all of which can be correct (Morcillo, 2005).
Guilford (1950) and Dedboud (1992) have suggested eight as the skills that make up creativity: Guilford further demonstrated that creativity and intelligence are different qualities. These skills are:
- Sensitivity to problems Fluidity Flexibility Originality Redefinition Analysis Synthesis Penetration (Serrano, 2004).
In relation to the creative process of Torre (1984) he establishes a differentiation of the studies that have been aided by the different investigations carried out in the matter, thus distinguishing:
- The preparation. It aims that any process begins with the exposition of a need or problem. Incubation. It corresponds to the phase related to inspiration and which according to Guilford continues to cover up the unknown reality. The lighting. It presents notional vagueness, and corresponds to the result of the process. Evaluation and verification. It corresponds to the moment to check if it is the best possible idea.
By his side. Tejada (1989. 19) distinguishes three conceptual schemes that explain the creative process
- Creativity as a sequential series of stages of activity where each one contributes in a certain way to the whole process. Creativity as vertical levels of psychic functions. Creative activity involves an exchange of energy between the different levels or strata. Creativity as types of mental operations. So the creative act implies the mixing of different ways of thinking in a new relational field (Artero, 2001).
Concepts related to creativity
Creativity has always been related to many activities and skills; within which the capacity of invention, inspiration, imagination or freedom can be mentioned to name a few. All of these give us an idea of the level that people can reach when they decide to develop as creative beings.
In addition to capacity building, it is common to assume that the creative person requires inspiration, This involves word take time to relax, take a breath, inhale, which comes from the ancient Greek belief that the Muses, blowing to the ear of the artist and inventors to deposit ideas in them. Today we know that inspiration is not spontaneous, but the product of a whole process that goes from the original idea, the collection of information, the time dedicated to the work and other elements.
Another concept related to this theme is the ability to invent, that is, the ability of the human being to translate and transform an idea into a work, to make possible an original solution that perhaps is crazy or impossible for other people. At some point, for example, it occurred to someone that a device capable of calling other people at a distance would be necessary and that is how the telephone was invented, which thanks to inventiveness continued to evolve into the cellular devices of which being human is a prisoner today.
Thanks to the fact that someone imagined great inventions, today we enjoy things that at the time would never have been thought. The imagination is the ability to produce images in the mind without the presence of objects, which is the trigger to create, but most important is that this will not remain mentally (Bautista, 2013).
Creativity and Imagination
There is a great risk in acquiring a lot of knowledge: creativity can fade away. A child does not know much about the world and “reality”, so it is common for her to use her imagination. Most inventions were created based on 15% prior knowledge and 85% creativity and imagination. It is important that we have knowledge, but imagination and creativity are more relevant. There are millions of people who know but very few who innovate, and the latter are the people who with passion and creativity have succeeded in inventing useful things.
How to develop creativity and imagination? Having a passion and constancy. Maybe ideas don't come first, but surely dreaming and wishing for something will light a spotlight in our heads. For example, Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple (Mac, iPod, iPhone, etc.) never graduated from college. It only required passion and creativity to achieve what he did. Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of incandescent light, the phonograph and other devices, was considered a lousy student at school. It only required imagination and perseverance to reap his victories.
Organizational creativity
The term creativity, used in the context of organizations, has different interpretations. The main theories that explore creativity are grouped into four categories: personal qualities, conceptual techniques, behaviors and processes. Each of these elements includes one or more variables of influence for creativity. Together, they describe the possible causes of the creative process, a person with creative qualities can be observed.
- Personal qualities: Creativity depends more on the person than on the organization and its conditions. Creative people have common qualities such as independence, autonomy, intuition and spontaneity. Conceptual qualities: There is a set of techniques that focus on cognition. This provides thought models that provide a more intuitive vision when facing problem solving in complex situations. People take back what they have learned to analyze how they solved previous situations and thus develop new strategies. Behaviors:The actions and activities that bring something new must have careful attention. A creative product means a novel behavioral response, it is not a predefined behavior for it. The appropriate behaviors result in the development of creative techniques that generate greater degrees of creative performance in the long term. Process: Creativity is a complex phenomenon that requires capacities, techniques and individual actions, as well as conditions in the organization. The combination of these factors will allow something new to emerge. Creativity is the consequence of management and interaction between the person and the context of the organization.
Creativity requires not only the right tools for development but also management stimuli that enhance the emergence of creative talent. Creativity only survives in organizations where the climate enhances that process. In general, the climate of a company is a difficult point to promote and requires a full commitment from management.
The aspects that characterize the environment in creative companies are the following:
- Challenge. The degree of employee participation and the degree of effort required. Freedom. Margin that people have to define and develop their work. Dynamism. Degree of activity of the organization. Time to imagine. Dedication to new ideas. Support for ideas. As they are received, they are cared for, they are put into practice. Debates. Freedom to question processes, norms, knowledge. Assumption of risks. Ideas may have mistakes or ambiguities
Creativity is an aid to solving problems within an organization. It provides new ways to analyze the nature of a problem and to generate a wide variety of options for the solution.
Creativity and innovation are seen as synonyms and although they are closely related concepts, they are not exactly the same. An innovation can be reached without creativity, and an idea does not necessarily consolidate as innovation.
Both concepts are related because, in an organization, creativity only makes sense when looking for its practical application. This is innovation
The concept of innovation represents in itself a creative solution, that is, it supposes a change that is made with the purpose of solving a problem or improving a situation.
In a more elementary, but not less clear, way, Simon Majaro defines both terms as follows:
- Creativity is the mental process that helps generate ideas. Innovation is the practical application of ideas, which are implemented in order to achieve the objectives of the organization more effectively.
Creativity and innovation are two words that go hand in hand. The idea of a creative or innovative organization has a better chance of achieving excellence, enjoys universal acceptance, but the truth is that in practice few organizations manage to translate theory into practice. There is a gap between the process of generating ideas and the implantation of these (Soler, 2010).
Types of creativity
Plastic Creativity: The one that has its own characters, the clarity and precision of the forms, those whose materials are images that approach perfection; it prints forms to reality and in which associations with determined objective relations predominate. This is developed to a greater degree in the visual arts such as painting and sculpture, as well as in oratory, in that it is capable of generating imaginative forms in the listener.
Difluent Creativity: Consists of images of vague and indecisive contours, which are convened and joined according to less rigorous modes of association. It is opposed to practice and feelings predominate in it. They are manifestations of said creativity: dreams, imaginative and romantic spirit, chimerical spirit, religious and mystical symbolism. Fine arts such as lyrics and music fall within this area.
Philosophical Creativity: Philosophical creativity builds images that are, for him, knowledge and interpretation of the world. To understand it, the following scores should be noted:
- It is a conceptual way of thinking that transforms images into abstract symbols. It uses analogies and comparisons. It accompanies science to the maximum unconditional and permanent degree.
Scientific Creativity Focuses on research and involves the search for truth and principles. It depends on the nature of the materials with which it works, according to the different fields of science.
Inventive Practical Creativity It deals with details of what it does ordinary, it has abilities that act on things and processes to make a tool or machinery more useful or productive or a method more useful or productive. At a high level it produces the invention of sophisticated devices and new technologies.
Social Creativity Characterized by its human raw material, the person with social creativity is capable of generating new human relationships, founding original groups or associations, as well as organizing social or political activities. As we can see, creativity extends to all areas of what to do humanly and influences it in a significant way, transforming its life and environment (Bautista, 2013).
Analog Creativity: The greatest innovators have used analogies to solve complicated problems. Analogies allow us to pass information from one domain to another to deal with unknown problems. Analogies allow you to think outside the box and spark new ideas. You can take the known and try to create an analogy to the unknown, a process known in the art world as "unfamiliarity."
Narrative Creativity: Stories usually follow a coherent order, generally based on chronology. They represent a complex mix of characters, actions, plots and grammar. The way you tell the story also affects its appeal. It is also easy to rebuild and create something new, so it can be extremely useful to think in different ways.
Intuitive Creativity: Intuition is not something that we can mold so easily, but you must manage to empty your mind. There are numerous ways to achieve this (meditation, yoga, chants…), but it involves creating such a state of consciousness so that ideas begin to flow naturally (Universia, 2013).
Elements of the creative process
Studies of creativity suggest that the creative process can be better understood through the following phases Alvarado and Rojas (1995):
l.- Cognition or Knowledge: You must be aware of the need to create, solve a problem or externalize the ideas that concern you.
2.- Conception or Immersion: The individual contributes everything that is in his hand to solve the problem or thoroughly investigate the possibilities of the germinating idea. The creator reads, discusses, asks, collects, explores; Then, with ideas, he advances possible solutions and weighs his strengths and weaknesses.
3.- Combustion or inspiration moment: It is the moment in which the solution arrives.
4.- Completion or Completion: It is the phase during which the project or creation materializes. It may require a review, modification or renewal, that is, an evaluation.
5.- Communication or Sharing Act: The product is disclosed.
Every creative process requires imagination, knowledge, experience, as well as a new organization of experiences, in order to produce new ways of dealing with it unexpectedly (Bautista, 2013).
The cerebral hemispheres and creative thinking
The human brain consists of two hemispheres, which are related to very diverse areas of activity and function very differently, though complementary.
The left cerebral hemisphere controls language, logical thinking, and writing. In it is the center of speech, of thought that allows us to analyze what is happening and of the control of the right hand. It also controls math ability and sensitivity.
It is the motor part capable of recognizing groups of letters forming words, and groups of words forming sentences, both in terms of speech, writing, numbering, mathematics and logic, as well as the faculties necessary to transform a set. information in words, gestures and thoughts
The right cerebral hemisphere controls creative thinking, controls the left hand, fantasy, musical talent and all the artistic activities that we can develop. He specializes in visual and spatial perception, rather than words and concepts. His way of approaching the world is not linear, ordered and sequential. Observe reality in a global way; that is, it does not stop at the parts that make up a whole, but rather on what they make up as a whole. The right side of the brain, moreover, is more linked to intuition and feelings. As Pascal said: "The heart has its reasons, that reason does not understand" (Bautista, 2013).
THESIS PROPOSAL
Use of creativity as a quantitative resource in relation to knowledge
OBJECTIVE
Demonstrate that creativity can be considered as a resource that gives value to each member of a certain company
Bibliography
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