CHAPTER 3:
CREATIVITY AND
INNOVATION
LEARNING OUTCOMES
• LO1: Explain the basic theory behind creativity and innovation.
• LO 2: Discuss the contents of the model of creativity.
• LO 3: Overcome possible obstacles to creative thinking.
• LO4: Apply the process of creativity and its supporting techniques.
• LO5: Create new feasible products, services or processes, and thus innovate.
3.1 INTRODUCTION
• In recent times several disruptive changes significantly impact local and
global socio-economic environments.
• Entrepreneurs and corporate businesses are forced to adapt with speed and
act with agility as the key business driver.
• Read: The business: Ek Sê Tours
3.2 THE THEORY OF CREATIVITY
• Read: Top skills for 2025 (fueling 4IR) (Table 3.1)
• Creativity contains the following conditions (Cougar, 1995):
– It is a product or the result of a thinking process, resulting in value.
– This thinking process is usually unconventional.
– The thinking process is time and energy consuming.
– The initial problem is vague and unstructured.
– It is unusual, uncommon, unique, something with surprise value.
– It is practical, functional, and feasible.
– It is understandable and could be used by others.
3.2 THE THEORY OF CREATIVITY (continued)
• Creativity is defined within three core fields of application (Sawyer 2012):
– Creativity creates newness (new ideas, new problem-solving techniques
and, in the end, new products).
– Creativity is a combinator (it combines and associates unrelated
thoughts, ideas and concepts).
– Creativity is articulated in the world (creativity has to express and not
merely resemble dreams).
3.2 THE THEORY OF CREATIVITY (continued)
The 8 Ps of creativity
Purpose What creativity is for
Press Environmental forces that incite people to produce creative work
Persons The characteristics of creative people
Problems The tasks and situations requiring creative solution
Processes The mental operations that produce creative work
Products The outcomes of creativity
The way in which and the rate at which creativity changes people’s
Propulsion
thinking
Public The audience for creative work
Source: Sternberg and Karami (2022:58)
3.2 THE THEORY OF CREATIVITY (continued)
Figure 3.2 Types of creativity
Source: Adapted from Sawyer (2012)
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL
Figure 3.3 The 4P
model of creativity
Source: Couger (1995),
reprinted with permission of
South-Western, a division of
Thomson Learning
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.1 The person
• The most important variable in the creativity model.
• Creativity is a fundamental entrepreneurial skill, learnable or acquired, but
driven by brain function.
The left hemisphere of the brain
The right hemisphere orientates itself
orientates itself towards factual,
towards musical, spiritual, talkative,
logical, rational, theoretical,
emotional, empathetic, artistic,
mathematical, ordered, detailed,
holistic, flexible, imaginative and
sequential, controlled and
synthesising matters.
conservative matters.
Creativity is predominantly a right-brain activity, but in the
entrepreneurship environment a process of whole-brain activity is
utilised.
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.1 The person (continued)
Creativity myths
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
Group vs individual creativity
All new products were accidental discoveries
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.1 The person (continued)
The following barriers are normally obstacles to thinking and acting creatively:
Social environment
Environmental Economic
barriers environment
Physical
Barriers Cultural barriers
environment
Perceptual barriers
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.2 The process
Figure 3.4 Psychological elements involved in achieving a creative product
Source: Adapted from Cropley in Runco and Pritzker (2011: 367)
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.2 The process (continued)
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.2 The process (continued)
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.2 The process (continued)
Figure 3.5 The
creative problem-
solving process
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.2 The process (continued)
The process of developing an innovation
Figure 3.6 The process of developing an innovation
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.2 The process (continued)
Is the following an example of a feasible innovation?
Figure 3.7 Gums Glove
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.2 The process (continued)
Random Random
input words/images.
Problem “Opposite.”
reversal
Who, what when,
5Ws & H where, why, how?
Creative
techniques
Association Links with
principle concepts.
Discontinuity Change routine.
principle
Idea vs Feasible
opportunity opportunity.
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.2 The process (continued)
Figure 3.8
Design
thinking
process
Source: Liedtka
and Ogilvie
(2011:25)
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.3 The product – innovation at work
Wickham (2006) identifies 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 business
• New means of informing the customer about the product
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.3 The product – innovation at work (continued)
Types of innovation
• Component knowledge
– All larger systems logically consist of smaller but critical components that
directly and indirectly contribute to the effective and efficient functioning
of the overall system.
• System knowledge
– The system consists functionally of the efficient combination and
interaction of all the components. The integration of all the components
in a working system provides us with knowledge of the system
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.3 The product – innovation at work (continued)
Four generic classifications of innovation (Smith 2015):
• Radical innovation
• Incremental innovation
• Modular innovation
• Architectural innovation
3.3 THE CREATIVITY MODEL (continued)
3.3.3 The product – innovation at work (continued)
• Push technology – Inventing something new, and then assessing the market
potential for the invention or whether a feasible opportunity exists.
• Pull technology – Screening the market environment to identify an
opportunity, and then inventing a solution to the problem.