Digital Commons Network^™

Biomimicry And Forced Connections To Inspire Innovation, Bernadine Murray

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

The purpose of this project was to explore biomimicry and integrating forms of nature to generate unique ideas and possible solutions to problems. Four key components of this project were biomimicry, brainstorming, forced connections, and innovation to answer the question: What can I learn about imagination, forced connections, process, mindset, and innovation by copying aspects of nature or being inspired by nature? A Biomimicry and Forced Connections Design Journal contained conceptual designs based on nature or a challenge-to-nature searching for solutions. A Reflective Learning Journal included prior experiences and working on this project that contributed to my knowledge and insights. …

Smells Like Team Spirit: How To Foster Psychological Safety And Enhance Team Creativity, Shannon S. Burrows

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Creativity is one of the most sought-after skills of the 21^st century, yet team members may be reticent to contribute to creative problem-solving out of fear of ridicule, retribution, or because of rigid hierarchical team structures. However, psychological safety is the underpinning of creativity; without it a culture of silence prevails, mistakes go unreported, and team creativity languishes. But how do leaders cultivate psychological safety in their teams? This project seeks to answer that question. Although the term “psychological safety” has become common in the corporate lexicon, misconceptions abound. Through the creation of a short, animated video, this project …

Enhancing Creativity In Organizational Teams: Development Of The Spark Program, Kimberly Morehead

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Organizational teams have experienced unprecedented change since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic—such as frequent changes in leadership, increased turnover, and shifting to full-time remote work—which have impacted their ability to form lasting creative connections. This project addresses the challenge of the above changes by introducing a creativity-boosting program called The Spark, designed to help organizational teams remain inspired, connected, and energized throughout times of change. Following an overview of the rationale for this project and a review of the pertinent literature, the process plan is provided in detail. The project resulted in a program structure based on the Torrance …

Taking Student Artists And Audiences To The West Side: Exploring The Value Of Creative Adaptation In An Arts Context Through A Case Study Of “West Side Story”, Rebecca G. Bateson-Brown

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project focuses on the practical application and conceptual acceptance of deliberate creative adaptation within the purview of the performing arts and arts education. More specifically, it centers this conversation around stagings of the iconic musical West Side Story, as my role as a choreographer and arts educator is used to further explore, examine, and emphasize these topics through the documentation of my production planning process, choreographic creation, and ultimate execution of performance material for a local high school production of the show. As such, this project builds with greater specificity off of my previous investigations of “adaptation” as …

Improving Professional Development With The Torrance Incubation Model, Susan M. Czyrny

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to introduce and integrate creativity and creative problem solving concepts and methods that are supported by the application of technology and digital media into the professional learning and career development process. The current training framework consisting primarily of instructor-led lectures supported by PowerPoint presentations is not sufficient to provide students with depth and breadth of information needed to achieve competence. Creativity and innovation are critical skills needed to succeed in a globally competitive and changing marketplace and are now required competencies that need to be demonstrated. Interweaving creativity skills training and facilitation with …

From Rocks To Amethysts: Combination Innovation To Increase Student Achievement In School, Jason M. Hall Mr.

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

My final project at the International Center for Studies in Creativity applies the Torrance Incubation Model of Learning, Creative Problem Solving, Design Thinking, creativity scholar George Land’s Transformation Theory, and skills I have gained during my work on the MSc in Creativity. My work herein provides new and useful combination innovations that catalyze creative ways of analyzing, operating more successfully within, and improving upon current state, federal and district mandates and programs in public education. This project is middle school based. The core combination innovations are designed to assist school administrators, instructional coaches, and classroom educators in their daily work …

Facilitating Creative Problem Solving When Big News Interrupts, Philip E. Marks

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

The objective of this Project was to design and deliver a 2.5 day workshop for Human Resources leaders in a large corporation. The workshop objective was to give these leaders tools and a creative experience as they develop an action plan to “Ignite Innovation” in their organization, thereby fulfilling the Human Resource team’s vision. Unfortunately, during the workshop, the organization announced that it was being sold by the present ownership and purchased by a larger organization. This big news disrupted the workshop and its participants, and the objective became, how to facilitate change when the future had just become uncertain …

Supporting Healthcare Teams With Implementation Projects: Shaping A Toolbox, Carian Van Der Sman

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project explores a) the challenges healthcare professionals experience when they work in a team to implement new (but elsewhere existing or proven) products or solutions into their practice and b) how a toolbox of creativity and change methods, tools and techniques might look like to support them to overcome these challenges. This project shows that healthcare professionals most likely benefit from 1) tools that provide teambuilding and would support the sense of growing together, 2) tools that would demonstrate an overview of types of resistance they could face and strategies to overcome them and 3) tools that provide an …

Addressing Our Implicit Bias Against Embracing Creative Ideas, Michelle K. Neumayer Ms.

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

The purpose of this Master's Project is to highlight the fact that we all carry an implicit bias against embracing creative ideas experienced as psychological reactions such as anxiety related to the uncertainties that surround truly creative ideas. Two main innovation processes, Creative Problem Solving and Design Thinking will be compared against suggestions by social psychologist and creativity researcher Jennifer Mueller for addressing this bias. One of the main areas of discussion will revolve around the need to balance two opposing mind-sets often used by decision-makers, which results in the ability to think more like an inventor. Characteristics of these …

Developing A Leadership Curriculum 'Innovation, Creativity And Leadership', Pamela Zh Pauwels

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Growth and innovation are key drivers to a company’s long-term success. Creativity (creative thinking) is a necessary condition for innovation. Supervisors and managers who are able to build a positive work environment that enables creative and innovative behavior have a competitive advantage. This Master's project focuses on the development of an in-company leadership curriculum to provide leaders and supervisor with theoretical background and a “ toolbox ” to develop their own and their team’s innovative and creative behavior. A pilot version of curriculum was well received and validated the need to gain more understanding on the topic of creativity and …

The Creative Entrepreneur Leading Innovation, Karina Loera Barcenas

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

The Creative Entrepreneur Leading Innovation is a course designed for undergraduate students. Students will learn the entrepreneurial mindset through the creative process triggering innovation and leading transformation to face and adapt in the current constant and fastest changing era. This course also has a skill development component through which students will be able to experience personal transformation towards positive change.

Collaborative Creative Climate Study: Using Creative Systems To Improve Organizational Performance., James H. Wardlaw

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

In response to an increasingly complex and fast-moving competitive landscape, organizational creativity is more frequently being identified as an area of potential strategic advantage. Leadership often lacks the knowledge, tools and access necessary to effectively incorporate creativity in a manner that meets the strategic and tactical demands of businesses. The Collaborative Creative Climate Study explores this challenge and proposes a systemic approach to creativity in organizational performance that provides leadership with a comprehensive view of creativity at all levels within the organizational framework that identifies weak dimensions in the creative climate, enhances teamwork and increases employee engagement.

Communicating Creativity: A Workshop And Communication Tools For Teaching And Consulting In Creativity, Stephen J. Hammond

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project developed tools to support a consulting practice integrating the author’s interests in creative process, design and organizational strategy. The focus is on educating students and clients about creativity, creative thinking, design and innovation. Design thinking concepts of user feedback and rapid prototyping were used during the project. The resulting products are materials for a multi-day graduate level workshop for design students, a creativity website including blogging capability and a four minute educational video aimed at helping establish an Aerospace Technology Center in Northern Illinois.

Developing And Sustaining Creative Workplace Teams: A User's Guide, Thomas J. Andahl

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Developing and Sustaining Creative Workplace Teams: A User’s Guide

This project represents the initial work on a practical guide for managers and their employees on how to fashion and nurture creative teams in the workplace. I believe there is a palpable need for such a guide. Managers realize their success depends on their ability to harness the creativity and innovative talents of their employees, but many of them do not know how. For their part, employees naturally want to maximize their creative talents, but many feel that their creative urges are suppressed by the very managers who want to unleash …

Imagination In Action: Parents And Children Exploring Creativity Together Through A Children’S Book, Erica L. Swiatek

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

ABSTRACT

Imagination in action: Parents and children exploring

creativity together through a children’s book.

The purpose of this project, imagination in action, is to provide a playful way for parents and children to experience and learn a skill together using a story. The story follows a seemingly ordinary toothpaste cap from Russia to Niagara Falls. To learn about the cap’s adventure the two main characters put the cap under their pillow, and then they dream of where the cap has gone. To enhance the learning and explain the value and importance of creativity not only for children but also for …