Constraints that Help or Hinder Creative Performance: A Motivational Approach

The proposed framework predicts the effects of working under two distinct types of constraints (those that limit vs. channel cognitive resources) depending on people’s motivational orientation (approach vs. avoidance). The main predictions are that constraints that limit cognitive resources undermine performance more under avoidance than under approach motivation, and that constraints that channel cognitive resources facilitate creativity under avoidance but not under approach motivation. While some of the predictions within this framework deserve more (direct) study, they provide several directions for developing strategies to successfully stimulate creative performance.
Creativity is often undermined by avoidance motivation, and in the best cases seems to be difficult and depleting. Yet, avoidance goals are prevalent in the workplace – a study comparing goal orientations in different domains revealed that approximately 61 per cent of the people participating in the study had a dominant avoidance goal in the work domain (Van Yperen, Hamstra & van der Klauw, 2011). Moreover, avoidance goals tend to be stronger than approach goals (Van Yperen & Orehek, 2013). In addition, threatening situations, such as a financial crisis in which people fear losing their jobs and security, are likely to evoke avoidance motivation. It has been proposed that avoidance motivation is best shunned, particularly when striving for creativity, but this may not always be feasible. Therefore, it is important to consider ways to stimulate creativity, even among avoidance motivated people and in situations that evoke avoidance motivation.

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Emotions as Constraining and Facilitating Factors for Creativity: Companionate Love and Anger

This article indicates that the effects of anger on organizational innovation involve behavioural and cognitive facets. The behavioural effects of anger lead employees to criticize imperfection, correct errors, propose ideas boldly and take spontaneous actions. These behaviours are advantageous for asserting and evaluating ideas. The cognitive effect of anger enhances creativity and increases cognitive fluency. However, anger can cause distractions at work and hurt relationships and co-operation among co-workers. In summary, anger is beneficial for idea creation, assertion and evaluation, but is detrimental to idea implementation.

Employees in a state of companionate love tend not to criticize others and to show agreement, tolerate mistakes and worry about failure. These behavioural tendencies can damage the efficiency of idea creation, idea evaluation and prevent employees from adopting innovative ideas. However, companionate love enhances solidarity and co-operation, which is beneficial for idea implementation.

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Ten Faces of Innovation in an Infographic

Ten Faces of Innovation in an Infographic

This time, we’ll put Kelley’s Ten Faces of Innovation in the spotlight. First published in 2005, but still growing in popularity, this work focuses on the different roles people can adopt in innovation teams. I’ve created an infographic that is inspired by the work of Kelley.

The Ten Faces of Innovation are:
– The Anthropologist
– The Experimenter
– The Cross-Pollinator
– The Hurdler
– The Collaborator
– The Director
– The Experience Architect
– The Set Designer
– The Caregiver
– The Storyteller

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Barroso about boosting innovation in the European Union

viEUws just published an exclusive video interview in which José Manuel Barroso, the outgoing President of the European Commission, talks about what needs to be done to boost innovation, competitiveness and business in the European Union. Barroso discusses the benefits of TTIP (the EU-United States trade deal) for Europe, identifies measures to improve access to credit for SMEs as well as ways to boost Europe’s skills & innovation, including the impact of Horizon 2020.

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Finding opportunities in a culture of (European) regulations

Excellent article by Angele Grech: “Regulation is complex, multifaceted and dynamic. Financial markets today are characterised by rapid innovation and an evolving business environment, together with changes in customer needs and profiles. Implementing change in this environment is challenging and the process is ongoing.”

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How to Manage Improvisation: a succesfull ingredient for Creativity and Innovation

This article discusses different forms of organizational improvisation (ad-hoc, covert, provocative and managed) and relates them to organization theory. Moreover, they propose an interesting overview of different forms of improvisation (ad-hoc, covert, provocative and managed improvisation) and answering questions like: what is improvisation?, when does it take place?, how does it take place?, and how is improvisation presented?

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How Nonprofits are Leveraging Innovation Management Platforms

Last year, we wrote a popular article about the Golden Circle of Innovation and the way that not-for-profit organizations are using Open Innovation.

Recently, another article was published on this matter. To sum up, it says innovation management can help nonprofits in three different ways:
– better funding
– internal efficiency
– unlock growth

Read full article: How Nonprofits are Leveraging Innovation Management Platforms

The Rise of Innovation Districts in Europe

According to High Tech Campus frontman Bert-Jan Woertman, building bridges between innovation district is the way forward. He follows up upon a recent publication of Brookings Institution, The Rise of Innovation Districts, and benchmarks the Technology Region of Southern Netherlands with districts mentioned in the report. So, this would be a form of open innovation of open innovation regions.

According to Katz and Wagner, Innovation Districts are: “a new complementary urban model is now emerging, giving rise to what we and others are calling “innovation districts”. These districts, by our definition, are geographic areas where leading-edge anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with start-ups, business incubators and accelerators. [….] Our most creative institutions, firms and workers crave proximity so that ideas and knowledge can be transferred more quickly and seamlessly.”

Read full article: High Tech Campus Eindhoven – Campus Newsletter

Disruptive Innovation: why the theory absolutely makes sense.

Recently, there has been some debate about whether or not the theory about Disruptive Innovation should be followed upon by business leaders or not. In her article The Disrupting Machine Jill Lepore suggests that the theory is based upon flawed assumptions. Many articles have tried to support Lepore – such as John Parkinson – and many others, including Christensen and Irvin Wladawsky-Berger have tried to proof why it’s a trustable theory.

But the discussion is about the wrong topic: it shouldn’t be about whether or not the theory is suitable, it should be about whether or not theories could ever be undiscussible. They can’t. Theories are build upon models; aggregated from results, averages of true situations and therefore there will always be examples of situations in which they don’t seem to fit. That is the nature of theories. Reality is far more complex than theories could ever describe and business owners and leaders should always keep that in mind before rigurously implementing one single strategy based upon a certain theory.

We should embrace scholars who use true data to gather results, analyse them and draw significant conclusions. But we should even more embrace scholars who have the courage to use their intuition and vision to fill in the gaps – and of course make those steps clear to the reader – and create possible new ways of thinking about ongoing matters. It is them who have changed management and business in general.

Please read the article below for another way of looking at disruptive innovation – and sustainable innovation.

Read full article: Disruptive Innovation: why the theory absolutely makes sense.