John F. Cabra

Creative Problem Solving in Second Life: An Action Research Study

A digital Creative Problem-Solving (CPS) process was facilitated in a 3D virtual world in order to assess whether such an environment was conducive to remote synchronous creative collaboration. IBM associates comprised the majority of the group that was involved in the process. Insights regarding the experience working within this virtual environment are discussed at length as seen through the eyes of the authors (CPS facilitators) of this paper and through the eyes of the participants. Data was gathered through a short feedback form administered to all participants, and informal interviews were also held to explore ways to improve the CPS experience. Results were encouraging. In common, participants reported that their experiences were deeply engaging and conducive to creative collaboration. An argument is made for the early adoption and use of this type of virtual worlds for remote-synchronous creativity interactions. Finally, from a systems view of creativity, the authors identify opportunities for future research studies that examine the efficacy of creative collaboration within virtual worlds.

Creativity on demand: Historical approaches and future trends

Abstract This paper provides a brief introduction to the field of creativity studies. After more than 60 years of scientific study, there is much that has been learned about how to teach and facilitate creative thinking. We review some of the well-known methods for fostering creativity on demand, as well as the research that has explored the efficacy of these approaches.

Idea Generation and Idea Evaluation: Cognitive Skills and Deliberate Practices

Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates precise aspect of the creative process, reviews descriptions, skills and practices associated with idea generation and idea evaluation. Before delving headlong into a review of idea generation and idea evaluation, it is important first to define these terms, and then to locate these constructs within the network of related creativity concepts. Creativity studies are a young field, and within this field, the topic of organizational creativity is a recent area of interest. With the increased concern for innovation among corporations, it would be useful to engage in more field studies. Within the field of creativity, idea generation in general and the usefulness of idea generation methods has received much greater attention than idea evaluation. Idea evaluation research needs to catch up to the body of literature dedicated to idea generation; what training approaches work best, to what degree does training transfer to the workplace, what are the most effective approaches for organizations to vet and develop the most promising ideas, what idea evaluation tools are most useful to individuals and teams, and what dynamics impact successful idea evaluation in teams. These are just a few of the questions that might be useful to explore in future research.Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates precise aspect of the creative process, reviews descriptions, skills and practices associated with idea generation and idea evaluation. Before delving headlong into a review of idea generation and idea evaluation, it is important first to define these terms, and then to locate these constructs within the network of related creativity concepts. Creativity studies are a young field, and within this field, the topic of organizational creativity is a recent area of interest. With the increased concern for innovation among corporations, it would be useful to engage in more field studies. Within the field of creativity, idea generation in general and the usefulness of idea generation methods has received much greater attention than idea evaluation. Idea evaluation research needs to catch up to the body of literature dedicated to idea generation; what training approaches work best, to what degree does training transfer to the workplace, what are the most effective approaches for organizations to vet and develop the most promising ideas, what idea evaluation tools are most useful to individuals and teams, and what dynamics impact successful idea evaluation in teams. These are just a few of the questions that might be useful to explore in future research.

Ingredients of Creativity: Originality and More

In spite of voluminous research into the nature of creativity, the definition of the term is still highly controversial. Much of the work in this area has focused on the questions of what, and how many, factors should form the definition. This study took an empirical approach to the question considering the various perspectives such as the standard definition of creativity, the US Patent Office definition, and the Creative Product Analysis Model. Subsequently, the usefulness of four major factors of creativity—originality, value, surprise, and aesthetics in the context of 3 types of outputs (ideas, everyday products, and socially recognized products) were investigated. The major focus of the study was to reveal which of these 4 factors are most crucial to creativity. The analyses were also extended to the concept of innovation. Data collected from both experts and nonexperts indicated that originality was the strongest correlate of both creativity and innovation. Surprise explained a significant amount of variance in creativity above and beyond originality and value, which supports the 3-dimensional Patent Office definition. However, it played a less significant role in explaining differences in innovation. Aesthetics was also significantly related to creativity in all types of outputs but was mostly unrelated to innovation. Interestingly, expertise mostly did not influence the evaluations. Limitations and further research are discussed.

Idea Generation and Idea Evaluation

Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates precise aspect of the creative process, reviews descriptions, skills and practices associated with idea generation and idea evaluation. Before delving headlong into a review of idea generation and idea evaluation, it is important first to define these terms, and then to locate these constructs within the network of related creativity concepts. Creativity studies are a young field, and within this field, the topic of organizational creativity is a recent area of interest. With the increased concern for innovation among corporations, it would be useful to engage in more field studies. Within the field of creativity, idea generation in general and the usefulness of idea generation methods has received much greater attention than idea evaluation. Idea evaluation research needs to catch up to the body of literature dedicated to idea generation; what training approaches work best, to what degree does training transfer to the workplace, what are the most effective approaches for organizations to vet and develop the most promising ideas, what idea evaluation tools are most useful to individuals and teams, and what dynamics impact successful idea evaluation in teams. These are just a few of the questions that might be useful to explore in future research.Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates precise aspect of the creative process, reviews descriptions, skills and practices associated with idea generation and idea evaluation. Before delving headlong into a review of idea generation and idea evaluation, it is important first to define these terms, and then to locate these constructs within the network of related creativity concepts. Creativity studies are a young field, and within this field, the topic of organizational creativity is a recent area of interest. With the increased concern for innovation among corporations, it would be useful to engage in more field studies. Within the field of creativity, idea generation in general and the usefulness of idea generation methods has received much greater attention than idea evaluation. Idea evaluation research needs to catch up to the body of literature dedicated to idea generation; what training approaches work best, to what degree does training transfer to the workplace, what are the most effective approaches for organizations to vet and develop the most promising ideas, what idea evaluation tools are most useful to individuals and teams, and what dynamics impact successful idea evaluation in teams. These are just a few of the questions that might be useful to explore in future research.

Application of Proportional Reduction Loss Formula to Distinguish Adaptive and Innovative Products and Services

This article describes a method for determining interrater reliability of adaptive and innovative products and services. Using Kirtons (1989) A–I theory, judges rated 29 products and services using a 5-point Likert scale. Percentage of agreements and Proportional Reduction Loss (PRL) coefficients (Rust & Cooil, 1994) were calculated to identify products and services that were either clearly adaptive or clearly innovative. Judges consistently identified examples of A or I products and services.

Chapter 9 – Idea Generation and Idea Evaluation: Cognitive Skills and Deliberate Practices

Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates precise aspect of the creative process, reviews descriptions, skills and practices associated with idea generation and idea evaluation. Before delving headlong into a review of idea generation and idea evaluation, it is important first to define these terms, and then to locate these constructs within the network of related creativity concepts. Creativity studies are a young field, and within this field, the topic of organizational creativity is a recent area of interest. With the increased concern for innovation among corporations, it would be useful to engage in more field studies. Within the field of creativity, idea generation in general and the usefulness of idea generation methods has received much greater attention than idea evaluation. Idea evaluation research needs to catch up to the body of literature dedicated to idea generation; what training approaches work best, to what degree does training transfer to the workplace, what are the most effective approaches for organizations to vet and develop the most promising ideas, what idea evaluation tools are most useful to individuals and teams, and what dynamics impact successful idea evaluation in teams. These are just a few of the questions that might be useful to explore in future research.Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates precise aspect of the creative process, reviews descriptions, skills and practices associated with idea generation and idea evaluation. Before delving headlong into a review of idea generation and idea evaluation, it is important first to define these terms, and then to locate these constructs within the network of related creativity concepts. Creativity studies are a young field, and within this field, the topic of organizational creativity is a recent area of interest. With the increased concern for innovation among corporations, it would be useful to engage in more field studies. Within the field of creativity, idea generation in general and the usefulness of idea generation methods has received much greater attention than idea evaluation. Idea evaluation research needs to catch up to the body of literature dedicated to idea generation; what training approaches work best, to what degree does training transfer to the workplace, what are the most effective approaches for organizations to vet and develop the most promising ideas, what idea evaluation tools are most useful to individuals and teams, and what dynamics impact successful idea evaluation in teams. These are just a few of the questions that might be useful to explore in future research.