creativity and strategic thinking

2. *
*the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules,
patterns, relationships, or the like, and to
create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods,
interpretations, etc.; originality,
progressiveness, or imagination:

3. *
*creativity involves transforming your
ideas, imagination, and dreams into reality
*Creativity is the ability to transcend traditional
ways of thinking or acting, and to develop new
and original ideas, methods or objects.
*According to George Land’s Creativity Test,
young children are creative geniuses, and
become less creative as they age. ?

4. *
*Creativity is defined as the tendency to
generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or
possibilities that may be useful in solving
problems, communicating with others, and
entertaining ourselves and others
*Robert E. Franken

5. *
*“Seeing the intersection of seemingly
unrelated topics and combining them into
something new.” – Brian Clark
*“Starting with nothing and ending up with
something. Interpreting something you saw or
experienced and processing it so it comes out
different than how it went in .” – Henry Rollins

6. *
• need for novel, varied, and complex stimulation
• need to communicate ideas and values
• need to solve problems

7. *
* Creative individuals have a great deal of energy, but they are also often
quiet and at rest.
* Creative individuals tend to be smart, yet also naive at the same time.
* Creative individuals have a combination of playfulness and discipline, or
responsibility and irresponsibility.
* Creative individuals alternate between imagination and fantasy ant one end,
and rooted sense of reality at the other.
* Creative people seem to harbor opposite tendencies on the continuum
between extroversion and introversion.
* Creative individuals are also remarkable humble and proud at the same
time.
* Creative individuals to a certain extent escape rigid gender role stereotyping
and have a tendency toward androgyny.
* Generally, creative people are thought to be rebellious and independent.
* Most creative persons are very passionate about their work, yet they can be
extremely objective about it as well.
* The openness and sensitivity of creative individuals often exposes them to
suffering pain yet also a great deal of enjoyment.

8. *Creativity is a type of intelligence
*Intelligence is a type of creativity
*Creativity and intelligence are overlapping
constructs (they have some traits in common)
*Creativity and intelligence are part of the same
construct (they’re basically the same thing)
*Creativity and intelligence are distinct constructs
(there is no relationship between them)
* Sternberg and O’Hara ,1999

9. *Creativity is a vitally important facet to human
development.
*Creativity can be deployed anywhere
*smartphone, creativity applies to more than
just a student sitting in an art class
*Creativity drives us to not only create but to
innovate

13. *
*"the science and art of employing the
political, economic, psychological,
and military forces of a nation to
afford the maximum support to
adopted policies."

14. *
*"Strategic thinking" is not merely
thinking about strategy. It is a
process in which key, significant
issues are considered in a
comprehensive, special way. It
involves recognizing and
concentrating on issues and events
that are of core importance.

15. *
*Strategic thinking is a process that defines the
manner in which people think about, assess,
view, and create the future for themselves and
others
*strategic thinking is simply an intentional and
rational thought process that focuses on the
analysis of critical factors and variables that
will influence the long-term success of a
business, a team, or an individual.

16. *
*the ability to clearly define the objectives and
develop a strategic action plan with each
objective broken down into tasks and each task
having a list of needed resources and a specific
timeline.
*the ability to balance the tremendous amount
of creativity with a sense of realism and
honesty about what is achievable in the longer
term

17. *
*The Amazon Effect
*Amazon took the shopping process and
turned it upside down. Not only does the
company offer products at competitive
prices, but it also altered the way people
view online buying. Sunday delivery and
drone drop-offs are innovative ways to give
consumers an enhanced positive online
shopping experience.

18. *
*Identifying & focusing on important issues
*Selecting key, relevant information
*Recognizing systemic properties (linkages,
interactions, and patterns)
*Understanding through:
*Distinguishing causes from effects or symptoms
*Clarifying (often tacit) underlying assumptions.
*Considering the issue or situation in its larger
context
*Maintaining a long-term view

19. *
*Appreciating implications & consequences
*Generating alternatives & evaluating
objectively (where applicable)
*Integrating logical, rational thinking with
creative, generative, divergent thinking
*Remaining flexible
*Acting in the face of emotional discomfort
*--Rex C. Mitchell

20. *
*1) tools for analysis
*2) strategic purpose
*3) values
*4) vision
*5) key goals and
*6) action planning

22. Tools for analysis
*There are a number of different tools used for analysis in strategic
conversations. The most common is the SWOT analysis (Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). A SWOT analysis is a
helpful way for a team to begin (or continue) the conversation
about what’s working and what’s not working as well as what
potentially exciting or concerning things are happening that we
need to consider as we plan for the future.
Strategic purpose/mission
*In their book, Retreats That Work, Sheila Campbell and Merianne
Liteman describe strategic purpose as the “heart of blueprints for
the future.” We will often describe strategic purpose as clear
understanding of why we exist and why that’s important. It is also
described as a team’s essential reason for existence. When
everyone on a team or in an organization understands the essential
reason for existence, the hundreds of daily decisions about work to
be done— that must be made in a complex organization—are
informed and guided by that common purpose. Without clarity
around shared purpose, however, priorities are typically chosen
based on individual/personal criteria or in response to crisis.

23. Values
*As Peter Drucker stated, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” If
your culture doesn’t work, your strategy can’t work. Values
reflect the culture of an organization. More importantly, clarity
regarding values allows the organization to tap into those values
to foster a culture that supports its purpose and vision, rather
than one that undermines them. Teams can engage in a process
that clarifies organizational values and use these as a basis of
practices that strengthen team interactions and culture.
Vision
*Vision identifies the direction of the department. It answers the
question—“If we consistently fulfilled our purpose with
excellence, what would that look like?” Vision creates a
compelling picture of the team’s or organization’s future. Teams
(and team members) are more effective when they know where
they are headed—inspired by a clear, challenging, and meaningful
vision. An effective departmental vision can frame the work that
is done on a daily basis and help the members of the team move
in a common direction

24. Key goals
*“What must we accomplish to move toward the fulfillment of our
vision?” A fundamental component of any strategic process is to identify
those priorities that will move the team forward. Key goals play the
vital role of connecting the team’s ongoing work with the broader
purpose and vision because they help define where the team is going in
specific, actionable ways.
Action planning
*A great strategy alone does not ensure success—but the effective
implementation of a great strategy does. Oftentimes, strategic thinking
and planning processes fail because leaders did not take the time to
identify “who would do what by when.” Action planning clarifies the
ways in which our daily work will help move the goals forward. In his
book, Collaborative Strategic Planning, Pat Sanaghan provides some
helpful prompts to frame the action planning. These include: goal
statement, description of what success would look like, three important
steps toward implementing the goal, resources needed, who needs to be
involved in the successful implementation of the three important steps,
suggested champion or owner for the goal, and potential challenges or
hurdles.

25. *
*Prioritize tasks. Go over tasks, decide which ones can
wait, and brainstorm ideas that can contribute to the
success of the organisation. Always action those task that
will provide the greatest benefits today, and leave lesser
tasks for tomorrow. Ask yourself, “what is the one task I
can do today that will leverage the most benefit?”
*Be aware of bias. Everyone has biases. Take charge of
your mind by critically examining your thoughts and
questioning them. Do you hold them because they are
logical or because they’ve served you well in the past?
Admitting to some flawed thinking does not diminish your
ability to do your job. On the contrary: you are now
thinking strategically.

26. *
*Improve listening skills. Once you accept that your beliefs may
contain flaws and how to overcome them, the next step is to
improve your listening skills. Talk to your co-workers, employees
and broader network and let their perspectives teach you new
ways of thinking. Maintain an open mind, be receptive to
feedback, and evaluate everything you hear.
*Hone questioning skills. Strategic thinking requires you to
question everything you see or are told. This is not the same as
being cynical: you’re collecting and weighing facts, not
dismissing ideas or traditions. Ask if an idea is rational, with a
credible source and any proof to support its value. Taking time
to question something and understand why it is being proposed.

27. *
*Understand the consequences. All decisions
have consequences. After listening to ideas and
points of view, carefully consider the potential
impact of each one. What are its pros and
cons? Which one is most likely to help the
organization meet its goals? This step will help
you make an informed decision, and over time,
making the strategic choice will come
naturally.