…Where Creativity meets
Team Work
GE 393-Final Project
Agnita Pandian
Foreword
The audience will enjoy learning about these key
issues since it educates Engineers to prepare for
an intense information explosive career
Exploring the nature of creativity present within
groups and presenting some nice tools and
models helps in understanding collaborative
process
Overview
Some traditional definitions of creative process
The creative process in today’s fields, e.g. software
environments differs from some of the accepted
methodologies because of its collaborative nature
Basic understandings of group creativity are
addressed
Model the creative process in team environments
Conclusion that it is unique
Traditional definitions of creativity
A personal attribute: individualist method
The real Essence is when you “surrender” &
“destroy judgment”
-Michael Ray from “Creativity in Business”
Research focuses on individuals. It tries to
unlock the creative potentials of that person
Why do we need Group Creativity?
Information explosion
Growing necessity for specialization, diverse skills
and knowledge
Development of innovations - increasingly requires
group interaction at different stages of the process
Csikszentmihalyi said that when two domains
collide, all the information is beyond the scope of a
single person
Life altering inventions of the twentieth century
came from groups of people
…Where Creativity meets Team Work
Group Creativity preserves Individual
Creativity
True
At the end of the day, creativity resides in
individuals’ heads
…Where Creativity meets Team Work
Group Creativity preserves Individual
Creativity
False
When you buy a voice recognition software,
you say….
Ah…this “Company” made a creative
product!
Collaborative Work
E.g. Software Development
Collaborative in way that requires multiple people
from disconnected fields to think about the same
thing
Online Airline Reservation System
Airline Management, Database Engineers, Internet
Guru’s, Computation Scientist
In Groups,
You’re out of your Isolation
You’re questioned constantly
Forced to explain, be clear
You have to know certain assumptions and
what exactly you want to achieve
You have alternatives to select from
Interact with results from others
Models
Delphi Method
Idea Generation-People Proposing their ideasVoting on those
Mind will initially diverge, but sooner or later
it converges to a workable solution
RUP = Rational Unified Process
CVS =
Group Dynamics
Creative groups are made, not born, and
must be nurtured
Group diversity
Group decision-making
Brainstorming = PINBALL Effect & Classics
of Creativity
Group Creativity
Communication skills
Listening skills, listening for connections
skills, and presenting skills
Need passion for the job, for innovation, and
for the organization
Group Failures
Creative groups must be permitted to take risk
and fail forward Processes that can inhibit
group creativity
To Engineer is Human – Henry Petroski
Roadblocks cause failures – Conflict
Resolution
Managing creativity in a group
Managing Management and Psychology
 expertise and beginner's mind
 creative abrasion and maintaining cohesiveness
 freedom and structure
 professionalism and play
 Group autonomy
 Group socialization
 Mentoring
 Team innovation
 Knowledge transfer
 Creativity at the level of cultures and societies
Group environment
Full understanding of group creativity cannot
be accomplished without adequate attention
to the group environment
Creative groups need to emphasize optimism
and encourage recognition of serendipity
Summary
Traditional Methods do not apply to new
group dynamics
Collaborative work
Group Work takes the center stage today
personal view vs. social view of people in
Group
Management
Conclusion
Group Process is getting more and more
engraved into our day-to-day life as we push
systems to get smarter
There are several issues that need to be
addressed within groups to foster creativity
As a result, it can-and must-be taught and
managed effectively