ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING

Organizational Creativity and Learning

Organizational Creativity and Learning

Introduction

This work starts with the definition of creativity and goes through the importance of creative thinking to today's business. In this paper I tackled major issues that may face managers while encouraging creative behavior and pursuing innovation highlighting some techniques which foster creativity. How creativity is linked to performance is also mentioned using examples to support my argument within my organization and from outside.

The need for creativity

"Creativity involves an ability to come up with new and different viewpoints on a subject" (Anon 2007, P.88). It is also said that "Creativity is the generation of novel ideas that might meet perceived needs or respond to opportunities for the organization" (Daft, R. L 2006,P. 396).

Creativity plays a major role in today's business as it shifts the concept of zero-sum game into non-zero sum game. In other words from a win-lose to a win-win strategy. It opens new market opportunities without referencing competition or using war analogy. "Every organization can break free the head-to-head zero-sum competition and open up the blue oceans of new markets" (Kim, W. C. and Mauborgne, R. 2007, p. 20).

Change is a part of everyday life. Unless organizations change continuously, they will wither and die. "Many organizational leaders argue that creativity is the key to business success" (Anon 2007, P.90). Their opinion stands from their belief that the rapidly changing environment requires differentiation of the product from competition and thus leads to the need for creativity and innovation.

Issues face creativity and counterbalance techniques:

Believing in creativity and its impact on business, Thomas Ebeling the CEO of Novartis Pharma is trying to encourage creativity via launching the "ASPIRE" program which stands for: Achieving Sustained Performance through Innovation, Recognition and Empowerment". He previously developed the IQP program which is the acronym of Innovation, Quality and Productivity. ...