Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Management

Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Management MSc
Entrepreneurial Creativity
(BUSI 4454 UNUK) (AUT1 21-22)
Coursework 1 – Blogs 1-5
Due Date: 11/1/2022 3 pm
Dareen Tubeileh (20410086)

Blog 1
Enhancing creativity in Entrepreneurial
Teams
I was brought up to think that creativity is synonymous with art and drama. In other words,
creativity was limited to one field. I had to learn the hard way that that was not true, it is a
subjective and abstract concept that applies to every field and stage in life. Therefore, I decided to
learn the definition of creativity to know how to both hone and enhance it in every setting and stage
in my life, whether it was my personal creativity or of those around me regardless of the field or
career choice.
Creativity was defined in Collin’s dictionary as “the ability to transcend traditional ideas, patterns,
relationships, rules or the like, and to create significant new ideas, methods, interpretations, etc...” [1]
I realised that horizons can be limitlessly broadened; you can continuously develop skills. I redefined
creativity in my mind first. As true as it is that some tend to be more naturally creative, however,
that doesn’t mean you cannot enhance your creativity and thinking process. As Kawasaki mentions
in his TedTalk 'rethink, redefine, recreate' to remain creative and innovative.

'No need to think outside the box, simply realise there is no box'
- Unknown
In entrepreneurial groups, according to Chuck Swoboda a Leadership Strategist, 'you'll never find the
best ideas until you recognise there is no box'. At its core, innovation is about solving difficult
problems. And, invariably, the advice that teams get when tasked with finding innovative solutions
to new challenges is to “think outside the box” so much so that the phrase itself has become a
mantra across the business world. This Guilford phrase itself creates an unintended, self-limiting
mind trap that prevents people from seeing what might really be possible [3].
1 - Tuckman's stages of group development [4]
Tuckman's model depicts the 5 stages that mostly takes place when creating an entrepreneurial
group. It outlined the consequences of each stage, while simultaneously providing recommendations
to handle challenges through each stage to optimise the generation of creative solutions.
Furthermore, where storming is the stage that delays and efficiency of work and productivity might
be a concern, however, norming and performing could also have their own set of issues that might
hold the outcome and project completion back [4]. Moreover, Tuckman referred to Osborn's (1953) [5]
recommended rules for brainstorming within a group, where conflict and obstacles could be
mitigated, and creativity maximised. They were then edited upon and expanded in future studies [6].

'You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more have'
-Maya Angelou
Several of the different recommendations to enhance creativity in entrepreneurial groups, of Osborn
and Litchfield, Fan and Brown research, during the brainstorming stage are [5,6]:
• Prohibit criticism
• Limitless number of ideas
• Amalgamate and improve ideas
• Reflection
• Promoting diversity
• Abundance of positive energy
• Quality
Can you continually enhance your creativity, or can you just hope for random moments of creative
genius?
A food for thought that could never be truly answered, unless we continue to put the effort to
advance and optimise both our own and group creativity.