DEVELOPING CREATIVITY

1
Entrepreneurship Program

• DEVELOPING CREATIVITY
• IN THE SMALL BUSINESS COURSE
• Dr. Marlene M. Reed

2
CREATIVITY RESOURCES

• THE CREATIVITY BOOK by Dr. Eric Maisal.
• CREATIVITY GAMES FOR TRAINERS by Dr. Robert
  Epstein.
• THINKERTOYS by Michael Michalko.

3
INTERESTING CREATIVTY STORIES

• COMMON THREAD AN IRRITANT
• George de Mestral, the Swiss inventor.
• Art Fry at the 3M Company.
• Norman Gardners invention that revolutionized
  the paper industry.

4
NEW IDEAS NOTEBOOK

• Collect and store ideas like a pack rat.
• Create a brain bank.
• Do your own content analysis
• Scan junk mail
• Business opportunities in other places
• Observe popular culture

5
BE A TRAVEL JUNKIE

• When feeling stale or bored, go to a
• Store
• Trade Show
• Museum
• Exhibition
• Flea Market
• Craft Show

6
ENTREPRENEURS OPPORTUNITIES

• Geographical translation.
• Innovate existing products or services.
• Changes in the marketplace or delivery.
• Look at things that used to be done well.

7
CHALLENGING ASSUMPTIONS

• 1950s Ocean-going freighters costs rising took
  longer to load.
• Challenge In what ways might we make ships
  more economical at sea?
• Built faster and fuel-efficient ships, reduced
  crews.
• Costs went upships are capital items.

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RESTATED CHALLENGE

• In what ways might we improve shipping at the
  docks?
• Developed the roll-on, roll-off ships and
  container ships.
• Freight traffic increased 5-fold costs went down
  60.
• All because they restated their challenge.

9
RETHINKING THE 4 Ps

• Ask In what ways can I change the product or
  service?
• The style or shape.
• The channel of distribution.
• The way it is priced.
• The way it is promoted.

10
THOMAS EDISON ON ADAPTING

• Make it a habit to keep on the lookout
• for novel and interesting ideas that others
• have used successfully. Your idea needs
• to be original only in its adaptation to the
• problem you are working on.

11
REVERSING ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT RESTAURANTS

• LIST ASSUMPTIONS
• They have a facility
• They have menuswritten or verbal
• They serve food

12
REVERSE EACH ASSUMPTION

• Restaurants have no facility.
• Restaurants have no menus of any kind.
• Restaurants do not serve food of any kind.

13
OTHER REVERSED ASSUMPTIONS

• Henry Ford reversed assumption that people had to
  go to the work.
• Alfred Sloan at G.M. reversed assumption that you
  had to buy a car before you drove it. Pioneered
  installment car buying.
• CEO of Winter Gardens Salads reversed assumptions
  about company bonuses.

14
IDEA BOX

• Challenge In what ways might I improve the
  design of laundry hampers?
• Select the parameters of your challenge.
• List variation of the parameters.
• Try different combinations.

15
CHALLENGING ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE BUSINESS

• Change assumptions about the business itself.
• Develop a variety of dimensions that are
  important to the business.
• Explore new products or services of the business.
• Example Blackboard