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Organizational Creativity
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Organizational Creativity
A Practical Guide for Innovators & Entrepreneurs

  • Gerard J. Puccio - Buffalo State - State University of New York
  • John F. Cabra - Buffalo State - State University of New York
  • Nathan Schwagler - The Dali Museum (St. Petersburg, FL), University of South Florida - St. Petersburg


April 2017 | 264 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

Reignite your creative-thinking skills to produce innovative solutions

 

Organizational Creativity: A Practical Guide for Innovators and Entrepreneurs by Gerard J. Puccio, John F. Cabra, and Nathan Schwagler, is a compelling new text designed to transform the reader into a creative thinker and leader. Arguing that creativity is an essential skill that must be developed, the authors take a highly practical approach, providing strategies, tools, and cases to help readers hone their creative abilities. Whether students are preparing to become entrepreneurs or to work in an established firm, this text will help them survive and thrive in an era of innovation and change.


 
Introduction: Purpose and Design of This Book
 
About the Authors
 
PART I. KNOWING: CREATIVITY KNOWLEDGE TO SUPPORT A 21st-CENTURY INNOVATOR
 
Chapter 1. Innovation Wired: You Evolved to Create
Knowing—You Were Born to Be Creative

 
Doing—Tuning in to the Creativity Already Inside of You

 
Being—Making Reflection a Habit

 
 
Chapter 2. How to Survive and Thrive in an Era of Innovation and Change
Knowing—The Forces for and Against Creative Thinking

 
Doing—Removing the But in Your Thinking

 
Being—Reflecting and Redirecting Yes-But Thinking

 
 
Chapter 3. What We Know About Creativity
Knowing—Sorting Creativity Fact From Fiction

 
Doing—Creating Your Own Mood

 
Being—Developing an Internal Locus of Control

 
 
Chapter 4. The Practical Benefits of Creativity: Becoming an Innovation Asset
Knowing—Top Reasons for Studying and Developing Your Creativity

 
Doing—Selling Creativity

 
Being—Making Creativity a Habit

 
 
PART II. DOING: PROVEN PRACTICES FOR 21st-CENTURY INNOVATORS
 
Chapter 5. Think: How to Improve Your Fundamental Capacity to Think in Creative Ways
Knowing—Understanding the Creative Mind

 
Doing—Training the Creative Mind

 
Being—Internalizing the Divergent Thinking Principles

 
 
Chapter 6. Understand: The Power of Observation and the Importance of Problem Definition
Knowing—Seeing and Questioning What Others Miss

 
Doing—Acting Like a Serial Opportunist

 
Being—Living Like a Serial Opportunist

 
 
Chapter 7. Ideate: Ways to Visualize and Generate Breakthrough Ideas
Knowing—Ideating: The Mind’s Capacity to See the Future

 
Doing—Using Associative Thinking to Visualize Anew

 
Being—Living Like an Idea Generator

 
 
Chapter 8. Experiment: Strategies to Develop and Validate the Best Solutions
Knowing—Developing and Validating Through Experimentation

 
Doing—Acting Like an Idea Developer

 
Being—Living Like an Idea Developer

 
 
Chapter 9. Implement: Gaining Buy-In and Driving Change
Knowing—Everyone Is in the Business of Sales

 
Doing—Acting Like an Influencer and Change Agent

 
Being—Influencing and Leading Change

 
 
PART III. BEING: WAYS TO SUSTAIN YOURSELF AS A 21st-CENTURY INNOVATOR
 
Chapter 10. The Emotionally Intelligent Leader
Knowing—Emotional Intelligence Is Not a Soft Skill

 
Doing—Tools and Strategies for Overcoming Creative Blocks

 
Being—Actively Learning From Failure

 
 
Chapter 11. Sustaining Your Creativity: Learning to Defy and Transform the Crowd
Knowing—Investment Theory of Creativity

 
Doing—Addressing Resistance to Change

 
Being—Becoming a 21st-Century Innovator

 
 
Notes
 
Index

"Organizational Creativity is a wonderful book – so engaging, enlightening, and inspiring that readers will hardly notice how much they are learning. It gives a guided tour through each stage of the innovation process, from identifying and defining the most important problems, to generating breakthrough ideas, to successfully implementing the best solutions. Aspiring entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders will find here the keys to nurturing not only their best ideas but also their most creative selves."

Teresa Amabile
Harvard Business School
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Key features

KEY FEATURES

  • A Know-Doing-Being learning model in every chapter moves the reader through understanding knowledge to learning how to apply knowledge and to making knowledge a part of his or her make-up. Each section concludes with an appropriate learning activity to encourage readers to interact with and apply the material in the book.
  • Original case studies at the end of each chapter show readers how developing individual creativity can translate into organizational success. The cases range from well-known contemporary brands to individual innovator success stories and from large, successful organizations to community-based innovation initiatives. Debrief questions following each case provide an opportunity for the reader to test his or her understanding of the concepts taught in that chapter and provide instructors with a framework for group discussion. 
  • Thought Bubbles in every chapter invite readers to directly interact with the concepts presented in the book and to practice one of the creativity skills taught in the chapter. Readers consequently make connections and then tune into their own creative thinking. Moreover, the Thought Bubbles encourage social interaction by providing hashtags that readers can use to tweet their thoughts; instructors can follow through and thus create a social dialog in the classroom.
  • An engaging and conversational writing style stimulates thinking, reflection, and growth in the reader by making him or her feel as though the author is having a conversation with the reader.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Introduction

Chapter 5


This title is also available on SAGE Knowledge, the ultimate social sciences online library. If your library doesn’t have access, ask your librarian to start a trial.