Creativity: Difference between revisions

In a summary of scientific research into creativity, psychology professor Michael Mumford wrote, "We seem to have reached a general agreement that creativity involves the production of [[originality|novel]], useful products."<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Mumford | first1 = M.D. | year = 2003 | title = Where have we been, where are we going? Taking stock in creativity research | journal = [[Creativity Research Journal]] | volume = 15 | issue = 2–3| page = 110 | doi=10.1080/10400419.2003.9651403| s2cid = 218546467 }}</ref> In psychologist [[Robert Sternberg]]'s words, creativity produces "something original and worthwhile."<ref name="Sternberg Cognitive Psychology 2011">{{cite book|last1=Sternberg|first1=Robert J.|last2=Sternberg|first2=Karin|title=Cognitive Psychology|url=https://archive.org/details/cognitivepsychol00ster_511|url-access=limited|year=2011|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-1-133-38701-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/cognitivepsychol00ster_511/page/n510 479]–483|edition=6|chapter=Creativity}}</ref>

Philosophy professor Ignacio L. Götz, following the etymology of the word, argued that creativity is not necessarily "making." He confined it to the act of creating without thinking about the end product.<ref name=":16">{{cite journal | last=Götz | first=Ignacio L. | title=On Defining Creativity | journal=The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism | publisher=JSTOR | volume=39 | issue=3 | year=1981 | issn=0021-8529 | doi=10.2307/430164 | pages=297–301| jstor=430164 | s2cid=192221761 }}</ref> While many definitions of creativity seem almost synonymous with originality, Götz also emphasized the difference between creativity and originality. Götz asserted that one can be creative without necessarily being original. When someone creates something, they are certainly creative at that point, but they may not be original in the sense that their creation is not something new. However, originality and creativity can go hand-in-hand.<ref name=":16" />

Creativity in general is usually distinguished from [[innovation]] in particular, where the emphasis is on implementation. Academics and authors [[Teresa Amabile]] and Michael Pratt defined creativity as the production of novel and useful ideas and innovation as the implementation of creative ideas,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Amabile |first1=Teresa M. |last2=Pratt |first2=Michael G. |title=The dynamic componential model of creativity and innovation in organizations: Making progress, making meaning |journal=Research in Organizational Behavior |year=2016 |volume=36 |pages=157–183 |doi=10.1016/j.riob.2016.10.001|s2cid=44444992 }}</ref> while the [[OECD]] and [[Eurostat]] stated that "innovation is more than a new idea or an invention; an innovation requires implementation, either by being put into active use or by being made available for use by other parties, firms, individuals, or organizations."<ref>{{cite book |title=Guidelines for Collecting, Reporting and Using Data on Innovation (Oslo Manual 2018) |series=The Measurement of Scientific, Technological and Innovation Activities |year=2018 |publisher=OECD/Eurostat |location=Paris/Luxembourg |page=44 |edition=4th |url=https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/science-and-technology/oslo-manual-2018_9789264304604-en|doi=10.1787/24132764|isbn=978-92-64-30455-0 |issn=2413-2764}}</ref> Therefore, while creativity involves generating new ideas, innovation is about transforming those ideas into tangible outcomes that have a practical application. The distinction is critical because creativity without implementation remains an idea, whereas innovation leads to real-world impact.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) |url=https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_435 |encyclopedia=International Encyclopedia of Civil Society |location=Berlin/Heidelberg |publisher=Springer-Verlag |doi=10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_435 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-01-02}}</ref>