University Course: Creativity and Innovation Reflection Report

This reflection report examines the importance of creativity and innovation in both professional and personal contexts. It delves into key concepts such as divergent and convergent thinking, the six thinking hats, and lateral thinking, highlighting their roles in generating and refining ideas. The report reflects on a group project that analyzed the failure of Hindustan Motors, attributing its downfall to a lack of innovation and an inability to adapt to changing customer needs. The author emphasizes the need for continuous learning and the application of creativity models to overcome business challenges. The report concludes by underscoring the significance of creativity and innovation as essential skills for problem-solving and informed decision-making in today's dynamic market, advocating for a proactive approach to change and strategic innovation within organizations.

Running head: REFLECTION 1
Reflection
Name
Institution
Date

REFLECTION 2
Course Reflection
Creativity and innovation are among the most important concepts that we apply in our
daily life. As a course, creativity and innovation is an essential subject that helps us in our
jobs and even personal life. Creativity and innovation mainly involve the process of creating
and applying knowledge. It can, therefore, be said that creativity and innovation form the
basis of knowledge management. Creativity can be viewed as the process by which people
generate ideas, while innovation is the process of refining and sifting the generated ideas
more critically (Amabile & Pratt, 2016). When considering the models of thinking, creativity
concerns divergent thinking, while innovation concerns convergent thinking. While creativity
helps us in coming up with ideas, we still need innovation in order to put these ideas into
action. This requires us to apply the knowledge we have acquired.
We also learned about the various models of thinking, some of which include the six
thinking hats, lateral thinking, and convergent and divergent thinking. By definition,
convergent thinking refers to the type of thinking that we embrace when we want to solve a
straightforward answer to a problem while divergent thinking is used to solve n abstract or
new problem that has several alternative solutions (Cropley, 2015). Six thinking hats, on the
other hand, refer to the models of thinking that help us to have a better understanding of
people with a mindful approach (Shah, 2018). Lateral thinking is another model which refers
to the ability to use imagination to understand an issue from a different perspective
(Forgerad, Marie & Kufman, 2016).
Creativity and innovation are among the most important skills that employers want in
many organisations. These skills will help me in solving problems in my current job and even
in my daily life. The course has enabled me to change the way I think and solve problems. It
has equipped me with the essential skills to become a problem solver.

REFLECTION 3
What is unique about this course is the fact that there was always a reflection after
every module. This enables one to reflect on how the lessons learned can be applied in real
life. There is also the aspect of using real-life case study examples when explaining concepts,
which is important as it helps me see the true picture of how the concepts can be applied.
Reflection on the Group Project
The group project that we did is a true reflection of the significance of creativity and
innovation in organisations. It shows us that the success of any organisation mainly depends
on creativity and innovation. We can learn a lot of lessons on business failures because what
was once the iconic brand with the highest market share in Indian market failed despite the
growth of car sales in the Indian market as a result of economic growth. The automaker faced
stiff competition from its rivals, which made it lose a significant portion of market share and
ceased to be the market leader.
Its fall is associated with the failure to make significant innovations. It is imperative
to note that customer needs change with time; therefore, the company should respond to such
needs through creativity and innovation. While the company made some changes, they were
not in line with customer demands, and this made its rivals to take advantage of the situation.
While Hindustan Motor did not change, its rivals were busy producing different innovative
products every year.
The challenges I experienced when handling my portion is the application of the
various theories learned in class to analyse the problems that the company faced that led to its
fall. The most difficult task was, however, finding out the most appropriate strategies that
would help the company to get up from its knees. The best strategy that the company should
embrace is innovation. Creation of new and improved products is what will set the company
apart from the rest.

REFLECTION 4
In conclusion, I would say that creativity and innovation are important skills that
everyone ought to have, regardless of the position that an individual holds in a company.
Somebody once said that the only thing that is constant is change. We, therefore, need to be
creative and innovative in order to make appropriate changes and also make well-informed
decisions that will enable our companies to remain relevant in the market.

REFLECTION 5
References
Amabile, T. M., & Pratt, M. G. (2016). The dynamic componential model of creativity and
innovation in organizations: Making progress, making meaning. Research in
Organizational Behavior, 36, 157-183.
Cropley, H. (2015). Promoting creativity and innovation in engineering education. American
psychology association , 9(2), pp.161–171.
Forgerad, H., Marie, C. and Kufman, J. (2016). Who cares about imagination, creativity, and
innovation, and why? A review. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts,
10(3), pp.250–269.
Shah, R. (2018, January 27). Iconic Ambassador car to make a come back in India: Here's all
you need to know. Retrieved from
https://www.financialexpress.com/auto/car-news/republic-day-2018-iconic-
ambassador-car-to-make-a-come-back-in-india-heres-all-you-need-to-know/1030389/