Course Materials

Michael Michalko, Cracking Creativity:  The Secrets of Creative Genius, 1998, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA  ISBN:  0898 159 13X.

Handouts distributed in class.

Materials on reserve.
 

Course Objectives

· · Help you define useful definitions of creativity and innovation

· Challenge myths about creativity/creative people that inhibit your personal explorations

· Develop a perspective of what organizational attributes lead to a creative/innovative culture

· Learn skills that foster/enhance our capacity to be creative/innovative

· Draw generalizations about how creative/innovative people behave

· Draw generalizations about how creative/innovative groups/organizations behave
 

Course Description

The nature of this course will be learning through experience.  There will be a modest amount of reading.  There will be a minimum amount of lecturing.  There will be a maximum amount of experiential learning.  Creative/innovative people/organizations are known for what they produce.  Production takes many forms.  You can become more creative/innovative by effectively tapping into your minds’ knowledge and your life experiences.  The course is designed to foster and reward your production of ideas and perspectives that you here-to-for have not had.

 There will be an emphasis on both quantity and quality.  The two are intimately related.  The biggest hurdle you will have in this course will be saying to yourself, “This won’t work”, “This is a dumb idea”, “My classmates will really think this is stupid”, “Gee, I can’t believe what an idiot I am”, “This sucks”,……..the list goes on.  A common thread that characterizes all creative people/organizations is tolerance for FAILURE.

Example 1.  Leonardo da Vinci worked on the Mona Lisa for decades.  He still possessed it when he died.  He still was not satisfied.

Example 2.  The post-it note made billions for 3M.  It was a failed product of a research project.
 

Course Requirements

I. Class attendance AND participation

II. Five-page “paper” discussing a creative person or organization (Your choice)

III. Home work ----- every week

IV. Group creativity exercise

V. Portfolio.  All of your creative efforts during the course and above and beyond any homework assignments
 

Participation

Throughout the course we will be in an environment in the classroom designed for interactive learning.  Most of the content of the course can be gleaned from the assigned book, and the handouts.  There will be a minimal amount of lecturing to supplement this material.  A typical class (and they will all be different) will involve a modest amount of lecturing, discussion of relevant topical areas, and involvement in various exercises and simulations which provide some reality to theory and give you the opportunity to reflect and respond to a variety of situations in a risk-free environment.  For all classes there will be homework assignments to be completed before class.  My philosophy is that the classroom in a course like this should be a learning laboratory.  I don’t consider this to be my course or your course, but OUR course.  In that vein, I will frequently NOT assume the traditional role of professor – lecturer and disseminator of information.

 Since class only meets once per week, missing class means missing an entire week.  Please email me prior if you MUST miss and why.

 Because of the uniqueness of what we sometimes do in class, occasionally students ask if a spouse or friend can attend class.  I welcome visitors, but would also appreciate email notice.
 

Individual “Paper”

You will study either a person or an organization of your choosing.  On the last day of class you will have an opportunity to enlighten your classmates/me on what you found out.  The format of your five-page paper is up to you.  Use of prose, diagrams, pictures, references, websites, laundry lists, etc., etc. are all means by which you can choose to “produce” a valuable/interesting/creative document.
 

Group Creative Experience

Each class will have a creative learning experience(s).  I will take responsibility for the first two.  You will be a team member for one of six others.  This will be an opportunity to:
· structure a learning experience
· experience group creativity
· open mind’s to new horizons, perspectives, problem-solving techniques, etc., etc.
 

Homework

There will be homework assignments for the first six classes.  This is to be prepared and brought to class.  It will be turned in and returned the following class.  We will discuss the homework in class.
 

Creative Portfolio

The Creative Portfolio will be your final project (in lieu of an exam) in the course.  It will be a composite of everything you “produced” during the eight weeks that was above and beyond all the other course requirements. It does not include all the homework you have already turned in during the course.  It is what you have done in addition to the homework.   It will be evaluated on both quantity and quality.  It will also be assessed as to the variety of activities you engaged in.  Unless you are willing to put in a minimum of two hours per week in building your portfolio, the likelihood of it receiving a high evaluation is not good.  This will be the crucial determinant in deciding who receives an “excellent” or a “distinguished” in the course.  A second judge will be used to validate/suggest changes in my evaluations.  Just submitting a portfolio does NOT insure you will get an evaluation of excellent or distinguished in the course.
 

MBA Grading Policy

The following grading system has been adopted for both first year core classes and second year classes.  The targeted distribution of grades in each class is:
 

Category Designation	Reported Grade	Targeted Distribution
Distinguished	A	10-15%
Excellent	A-	25-35%
High Pass	B+	0-50%
Pass	B	0-50%
Marginal Performance	B- or C+	0-20%
Failure	F	As Needed
Incomplete	I	As Needed

W-503 Grading Parameters

Pass – come to class, participate, and complete all the assignments.
 
High pass – the above with some evidence of pushing yourself to new horizons.

Excellent – the above plus an excellent creative portfolio.

Distinguished – the above plus distinguished creative portfolio.
 

Compare Parameter Weighting
 

Participation	20%
Individual "Paper"	20%
Group Creative Experience	20%
Homework	20%
Creative Portfolio	20%
Total	100%

Course Outline
 

Date	Questions Addressed	Assignment
August 30	What will we strive to accomplish in this course?  What are your personal expectations of the course and of yourself? How do we think?  Do you have a “method” for solving problems?  What are paradigms?  How do they help us?How do they hinder us? In what ways has graduate school been enlightening?  In what ways has it been stifling?	Michalko  1-18 Creative Experience:  Hegarty Homework assignment given prior to class
Sept. 6	What are some commonalities of men/women who have been deemed creative? What are some myths about creativity?  How can we grow by overcoming these myths? How do we perceive?  How can we expand our perceptions? What are the ways we can use questions to expand our horizons? Can you find the child inside of you?  Why is s/he more creative than your adult? What is the cost of only rewarding “adult” behavior? What values/norms are common in creative/innovative organizations?	Michalko  19-80 Creative Experience:  Hegarty Homework assignment given in class
Sept. 13	How does my “voice of judgment” kill my creative mind? How can always asking myself questions force me to think beyond the obvious? How can improvement be as important as something NEW? Can force field analysis be a tool I can use forever?	Michalko  81-112 Group Learning Experience:  Home work assignment given in class
Sept. 20	How can I use multiple attributions to paint a geometric picture? Does looking for “non-sensical” combinations produce produce? How can random thoughts be combined to yield logical connections? Will drawing (even though I am NOT an artist) help me discover new perspective?	Michalko  113-172 Group Creative Experience:  Homework assignment given in class
Sept. 27	Can reversing assumptions open closed doors? What are the merits of working backwards? What happens when I take “my problem” to a totally new arena? What keeps groups from being more creative?	Michalko 173-225 Group Creative Experience:  Homework assignment given in class
October 4	What would I do if I could? What makes you think you can’t? Why do I REALLY want do this? What are some alternatives to get what I want/need?	Michalko  227-286 Group Creative Experience:  Prepare your “Individual Paper”
October 11		Individual “Papers” turned in Group Creative Experience:
October 15	Learning    To      Look        Through          New             Windows               Yeilds                 Unforeseen                    Insights	Portfolios turned in

Selected Bibliography

Adams, James, Conceptual Blockbusting, 1986, Perseus Books.

Bacon, Frank & Butler, Thomas, Achieving Planned Innovation, 1973, The Free Press.

Barker, Joel, Paradigms:  The Business of Discovering the Future, 1992, Harper Business.

De Bono, Serious Creativity, 1992, Harper Business.

Brookfield, Stephen, Developing Critical Thinkers, 1987, Jossey-Bass.

Cameron, Julia, The Artist’s Way, A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, 1992, Penguin Putnam.

Dennett, Daniel, Kinds of Minds, 1996, Harper Collins Publishing.

Edwards, David, How to Be More Creative, 1979, Occasional Productions.

Ford, Cameron & Giora, Dennis, (Editors), Creative Action in Organizations, 1995, Sage Publications
.
Gardner, Howard, Creating Minds, 1993, Perseus Books.

Glover, John; Roming, Royce & Reynolds, Cecil, (Editors), Handbook of Creativity, 1989, Plenum Press.

Grudin, Robert, The Grace of Great Things:  Creativity and Innovation, 1990, Mariner Books.

Henry, Jane, (Editor), Creative Management, 1991, Sage Publications.

Koestler, Arthur, The Act of Creation, 1964, Penguin Books.

Kuhn, Robert Lawrence, (Editor), Generating Creativity and Innovation in Large Bureaucracies, 1993, Quorum Books.

MacKenzie, Gordon, Orbiting the Giant Hairball, 1996, Viking Books.

Mattimore, Bryan, 99% Inspiration, 1993, Amacom.

Meehan, Eugene, The Thinking Game, 1988, Chatham House Publishers.

Miller, William, The Creative Edge:  Fostering Innovation where you Work, 1987, Perseus Books.

Mitroff, Ian, Business NOT as Usual, 1987, Jossey-Bass.

Morgan, Gareth, Imagin-I-zation, 1997, Berrett Koehler.

Nadler, Gerald; Hibino, Shozo & Farrell, John, Creative Solution Finding, 1995, Prima Publishing.

Peters, Tom, The Circle of Innovation, 1999, Oakhill Press Vintage Books.

Ray, Michael & Myers, Rochelle, Creativity in Business, 1989, Doubleday Publishing.

Ricchiuto, Jack, Collaborative Creativity, 1997.

Shekerjian, Denise, Uncommon Genius:  How GREAT Ideas are Born, 1991, Penguin Books.

Silber, Lee, Time Management for the Creative Person, 1998, Three Rivers Press.

Smilor, Raymond & Kuhn, Robert, (Editors), Corporate Creativity, 1984, Praeger.

Sternerg, Roger, (Editor), Handbook of Creativity, 1999, Cambridge University Press.

Utterback, James, Mastering the Dynamics of Innovation, 1996, Howard Business School Press.

von Oech, Roger, A. Whack on the Side of the Head, 1998, Warner Books.

Wallace, Doris & Gruber, Howard, Creative People at Work, 1989, Oxford University Press.

Weiss, Lynn, A.D.D. and Creativity, 1977, Taylor Publishing.