Paradigm of Human Life - Term Paper Example

 Executive summary: - For the past two years after the introduction of computerised operations in a pivotal section of delivery, Vangy, a local bank-cum-financial institution has suffered much and the development as per the project report is abysmally low. The senior executives and other top brass had hectic consultations on the issue of this set back and wanted to near the nucleus of the crux. What went wrong even after computerising the whole show in delivery section? Actual physical weariness experienced by the employees hitherto had been almost alleviated. Then what’s wrong? A team headed by an HR executive hired for the purpose made a survey on the input and output rendered in the system. To the surprise of all, the team arrived at a finding that the level of creativity before computerisation was relatively high. The fall in creativity lead to nil innovation albeit scores of channels were available to finish the job in no time. The team sample picked a section comprising about thirty employees who gave relatively greater output during the regime of their manual working pattern. The team found that the employees who were new to the use of computers in their work field were over loaded with technical bottle-necks, which they were forced to get redressed with the help of computer engineer on visit to the firm only on call. The types of fall in creativity and the cause were analysed and arrived at a point that the administration in its stubborn ambition of modernisation by computerisation paid very little heed to the human resource and related innovative possibilities. Compulsion to give their output only through computers – hitherto unacquainted -- had formed a sort of psychic inhibition in the minds of the employees, a chunk of who were even mentally forced to quit the job. The team empirically permitted a couple of the employees who were giving much yield in their pre-computer era to have a manual back up and condoned the delay for such additional load of work. In addition they were afforded incentives even for paltry improvements in their technical operations. Over a spell of 90 days the two employees began to excel in computer operations and were willing to work only with computers bidding a bye to traditional type of manual work. Thus freedom in their realm of activities and rewards made employees to come up with a flood of new ideas. Imparting training in the field clubbed with freedom certainly improved the level of creativity and innovation. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction … … … … … … … … … 3 I. Understanding the definitions and related atmosphere of creativity… … 4 II. Creating creative environment… … … … … … … 7 III. Fertile soil for creativity… … … … … … … 9 IV. Blocks identified… … … … … … … … 10 V. Methodology .. … … … … … … … … 11 VI. Findings… … … … … … … … … 12 VII. Conclusion … … … … … … … … 12 VIII. Recommendations… … … … … … … … 13 IX. Appendices … … … … … … … … 13 INTRODUCTION: Creativity although is universally accepted as a needful and useful paradigm of human life, is not at easy access as far as organisational creativity is concerned. It could be hypothetically accepted that in an organisation too creativity be allowed for the sake of production. However, the modalities of harnessing the skill and creativity of the constituent members or employees in any organisation fix the result. As the concept of culture—purely a dynamic phenomenon -- is generally conceived to comprise assumptions, values and activities of a group of people, the relationship of culture with leadership plays a crucial role while talking about organisational culture. Understanding a culture, giving its due and proper self-analysis to the effect of understanding becomes mandatory for leaders. (Edgar. H. Schein, 2004). Since learning in an organisation is a never ending phenomenon in addition to the tasks of production, creativity becomes part and parcel of the unit that necessarily drives the entire organisation towards greater yields and production. In the process, ironically the very purpose is sometimes shattered by way of diminishing creativity. The real sense of creativity thus lies in learning from such debacles too. The control fraud mechanisms devised in the aftermath of S&L debacle proved the complete understanding of the need for a new way of acquisition in addition to conservative ship. (Willium Kurt Black, 2005) The purpose of this report is to identify the modes of enhancing creativity in any realm of activity in Vangy, the bank by fixing the blocks and finding a way out to defuse the blocks by converting them as means for further creativity. The aim of this research is to identify to what extent creative and innovative practices are present and, in particular, to what extent they are stimulated, encouraged and rewarded. The bank with about 1500 employees all over the state was recently introducing the use of computers in delivery section with an aim to speed up delivery and thereby procuring more business and resultant profit in the business. But to the contrary, the delivery graph fell below the line of optimum. As the team assigned for the job of finding out the crux of the problem ascribed a drastic fall in the level of creativity of the employees to the business fall, we are to deduce the part of creativity and innovation in an organisational learning process. LITERATURE REVIEW: I. Understanding the definitions and related atmosphere of creativity: - In this approach, understanding the definitions of creativity and innovation along with understanding of the related atmosphere becomes necessary. Awareness of a know-how is knowledge and the inquisition of a know-why is creativity (David Curteen, 1998). Creativity is defined as the product of novel and useful ideas in any domain. Innovation is defined as the successful implementation of creative ideas and thoughts within an organisation. (Teresa M. Amabile, 1996). While defining a creative organisation Andriopolous (2000, p.734) has neared the nucleus of the definition in which he explores the utter need for new ideas in any organisation wherein budgets are squeezed and margins of profits go small. Any business entity whose main source of income comes from the production of novel and appropriate ideas, processes, products or services to tackle client’s problems or opportunities identified is termed a creative organisation. (Andriopoulos Constantine, 2000) When looking into the atmosphere of creativity we are forced to pay much attention to the blocks that hinder creativity. As problem solving is usually the most pivotal area of attention in any organisation, finding way out to tackle any problem via creativity is applauded and given due weight and regard. As such, blocks for creativity become the main focus of attention in several organizations. People enriched with problem solving capability virtually wish to feel the problem first. In their explorative and systematic analysis emerging patterns suggest best ideas to handle and proceed further with problems (Loren C. Larson, 1990) A thorough view of literature reveals that the way of viewing the blocks of creativity differ from organization to organisation and authors to authors. Of these, David Curteen, (1998) focuses chiefly on the psychological side of the blocks. He finds a pure misconception of creativity as follows: a) considering creativity as a serious job, (b) considering creativity as something requires specialised and extra skill, (c) considering creativity as not needed for the job undertaken and above all he emphasises the paradigms. They are: - Inappropriate belief on absolutes, Worry and ‘rewards & punishments’, Fear and lack of truth, Infanticide or nipping in the budding stage, Information overload &Judgement The author suggests dialogue and discussion as way out to remove blocks. Of these two, he prefers dialogue to lead faster resolution. To establish his views on dialogue over discussion a comparison table is laid as follows: Dialogue Discussion Non-judgemental Judgemental Exploring Confrontation Win-Win Win-Lose Synergistic Fragmenting Inquiring Defending Learning Persuading, telling & selling Divergent Convergent Creative Destructive Trust Cynicism (David Curteen, 1998) Amabile et al (1996) in their research has found that certain organisation characters are impeding creativity. Rigid formal management structures, conservatism and internal strife are listed as impediments by the author. The explanation laid by the team for their findings is notable. According to their research the intrinsic motivation required for creativity is usually outweighed by the extrinsic motivation if the above laid factors of organisational character prevails. The model explained by the team in the chart form portrays the overall implications of an organisational approach towards creativity. (Teresa M. Amabile et al, 1996) With regard to pressures, it is the pressure from over work load that impedes creativity. However, pressure experienced in meeting a challenging work does not impede but adds to more of creativity. II. Creating creative environment: - Perpetual challenging involves formation of chaotic situations in work environment thereby eliciting the innovative skills of the employees. Moving along a laid track in monotonous manner naturally drains the human interest in any job. Hurdles, diversions and challenges met in accomplishing the target hones the human brain power thereby leading to creativity and subsequently to innovation. The team explored in their grounded theory research four components of perpetual challenging. The sub-core variables of the theory are adventuring, overt confronting, portfolioing and opportunising. The component of adventuring that occurs implicitly when the goal of the employees is just generation of new ideas encourages the employees to explore uncertainty from which they are propelled to land on creative and innovative suggestions. The feedback got from their research in which employees were not afraid of any experimenting reveals that the experimenting offers great opportunities to try something new and untried before. The employees were prepared and skilled well to recycle the response obtained for such innovative attempts. Converting the responses into stimulus for furtherance was the real secret of their creativity. (Andriopoulos and Lowe, 2000) Inculcating the capacity to brainstorming paves a smooth way for creativity. In brainstorming, imagination is a most needed and applauded entity. Starr Cline (2007, p.74) delineates that one of the valuable principles of brainstorming is deferring judgement. She views that deferring judgement releases the human brain from analysis mode of thinking. Evaluation of any idea or thought naturally decelerates creativity. Brainstorming taps the brain for lateral thinking and free association. (Starr Cline, 2007). Morgan (1997) had put the same in a lighter vein that a key action in sustaining their self-organising initiative the health care service providers in a case study rested in using the image of ‘telling their story’. They used this method of story telling as a concrete strategy for improving both intra and inter communication processes. The finding thus was that the modality created a shared understanding of new approach of their organisation. (Morgan, Gareth, 1997) RAJiMAR technique suggested by Dave Sharman and Almeric Johnson (1997) is a bit strange and efficiency requiring method to retain an atmosphere of creativity by repetition. RAJiMAR is an acronym for Reversion, Absurdity, Jokes, Incubation, Metaphor, Anchoring and Repetition. The technique starts from the reverse of the target. In this modality usually a negative target is assigned to be attained. The resultant absurdity and jokes are carefully brought through to reach a positive goal. A sort of meticulous calculation is required at the stages of incubation and anchoring wherein the manager/supervisor have to read a lot of the employees’ mind set. ( Sharman and Johnson, 1997). Bill Lucas (2005) called the same modality as ‘outrageous opposites’ through which a Pizza company excelled the production of Pizzas with toppings at the middle. (Bill Lucas, 2005) Cross-pollination technique in Toshiba Information systems is the best process of inventing innovation. Under this method, a creative project is set up by fusing elements of different products and often from different departments. Susan Stevens (Stevens, 2006) proudly and pompously delineates that the best brains at IT department and marketing department were allowed to join hands to bring out Toshiba’s wireless-hotspot network to provide internet telephony. As this had saved a fortune on the mobile costs of the customers, the brilliancy of the outcome was well accredited. Instead of framing rules, regulations and procedures to be followed by which creativity is killed, Susan revealed that forming concrete programs helped the employees to be more inventive. She also considered that awarding achievements is an essential part of encouraging innovation. (Susan Stevens, 2006) III. Fertile soil for creativity: - In making an organisation more productive via creativity the efforts are to be carried out at all levels. Although organisational creativity stems from individual creativity it alone is not sufficient. (Andriopolous, 2001, pp. 834) Organisational creativity is affected by five key factors like Org climate, Leadership style, Org culture, Resources and skills & Structure and systems of org. Of these five factors the first two namely, the organisational climate and leadership style are of pivotal nature that are needed to be constantly monitored and maintained at the required level of utility. In addition to the demand for perfect or near perfect performance, a working atmosphere in which participation and freedom are playing with equal strength is needed. Leadership style also constitutes an equally valuable part in an organisation. Cook’s (1998) views as endorsed by Constantine Andriopoulos (2001) a leader must effectively communicate a vision conducive to creativity through any channel of communication and constantly encourage employees to think and act beyond current wisdom. Because the ‘out of the box’ thinking styles of leaders are not only observed and interpreted by subordinates but also tried by a few in their own personal realm at first. (Constantilne Andriopoulos, 2001) In multiple skill situations, some employees may not use directly all of their skills all the time, but having them remains a critical asset for the organisation. Such employees are flexible and so can be assigned to a variety of projects. This may increase their ability to self-manage, develop new knowledge, and solve problems. Individuals may not have all their time assigned to any one project. If they have multiple skills, they can work on several projects at once, projects that use the same or somewhat different skills. (E. Jackson et al, 2003) IV. Blocks identified : - The prime factor that nips creativity in the budding stage itself is the perception bias. In most of the corporations and organisations development is viewed and measured in terms of growth in the volume of stock holding and capability to stand big among the like. Achieving efficiencies in the form of reducing costs and making huge profits tends towards a ‘control’ mechanism instead towards enhancing freedom and creativity. (Pedro Cuatrecasas, 1995). Factors like top management isolation, Short term horizons, Excessive rationalism & bureaucracy and Inappropriate incentives also impede creativity. (Business Basics, 1997) The five psychological barriers to creativity are: Unawareness, Doubt, Fear, Anxiety and Judgement. (Tony Davila et al, 2007). The other generic blocks of creativity are: cultural blocks, social blocks, perceptual blocks and affective blocks. The false belief that creativity is near insanity is the main thorn in the cultural block. Over emphasis on short term and concrete goals and expectation of simple and quick results are also forming part of the cultural block. Fear of disgrace and social stigma of asking too many questions are the components of the social block. Unconscious repression of emotion, Low tolerance for Ambiguity, Chaos and Struggles and finally the lack of confidence are the outcome of affective block. (James P Downing, 1997). The real essence of creativity lies in sensing a typical way out to defuse the blocks on identification of those blocks itself. METHODOLOGY: With a view to detect where the fall in creativity had its impact a sample of employees from Loan department of the bank was hand picked. The set of questionnaires were distributed among twenty employees of the loan section. An in-person interview both with the head of HR and Loan department was conducted at different schedules of time frame. In all the three explorations it was found that the ideas, suggestions of the employees were either not asked for or left unnoticed. The procedures prescribed for overcoming any problem -- either technical or practical -- were nearly forced to be adopted. An easy and obvious way out met during the course of their working, two employees made manual back ups and reviewed periodically to land on solutions. This approach cleared way for furtherance and implementing innovations. Full-fledged training in the software and its application paved way for creativity to such a level that patch-ups were required to be released often in executing the software implementation. FINDINGS: YES NO 10 26 Of the 36 yes/no type questions 26 were responded with negation and 10 were given affirmative replies. And even among the ‘yes’ responded questions three questions were framed to reflect negative image. As such, only seven represented positive feed back. Responses from the remaining 21 descriptive type questions also gave a clear picture that creativity and innovation found almost nil places in execution level. The HR department that was functioning in the bank was found to be a mere data provider for the administration. No strategy was emulated to see that HR could check implementation of its recommendations. CONCLUSION: - Creativity being an exclusive quality of human beings the same is harnessed both individually and collectively by us. While using creativity the brilliant results lead to innovations. ‘Change’ is the only dictum that never changes. Keeping this in mind results of creativity and innovations must be continuously kept on the anvil of further efforts for creativity. As such hindrances for progress are to be viewed as the route for innovation. In respect of organisational creativity, the roles of managers and supervisors are crucial. Apart from expecting good yields and results from the sub ordinates they have to encourage their creativity in all possible ways. Encouraging comprises both incentives and freedom to err through which they are allowed and guided to come out of any fix. RECOMMENDATIONS: Recommendations of the research team on the functioning style of the bank administration with respect to loan department is that proper training its full sense be afforded to the employees. Suggestions of the employees at the time of facing any problem be heeded to first and after consideration of the same new ways for resolution be ordered. Offering chances to voluntary suggestions from employees would pave way for excellence and rewards for such suggestion would certainly create a very healthy atmosphere in which innovations become daily routine. Appendices: - QUESTIONS ON CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION 1. What policies exist within your organisation regarding suggestions? 2. Do you have policies to help promote innovative practices? NO 3. Does your company encourage team working? NO 4. What exercises are used by your company to induce creativity and innovation? 5. Are ideas recognised and acted upon NO 6. Do you think your organisation listens to its employees NO 7. What do you think a learning organisation is? 8. Are you encouraged to provide ideas and suggestions? NO 9. Are these ideas rewarded?NO 10. Do you actively try to identify your staff development needs? YES 11. Does your organisation encourage you to learn new things? NO 12. Have you ever altered the way that you work to bring about an improvement? If so what? NO 13. Do you feel empowered to make changes in your role?NO 14. What learning opportunities are made available to you? 15. How are employees encouraged to be creative? 16. How do you motivate your staff? 17. Do you feel that you encourage an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish? If so, how?NO 18. Are employee ideas taken forward? NO 19. Do you enjoy your job? YES 20. Do you encourage staff to make suggestions for the good of the department? YES 21. Do you feel that your current job prevents you from being creative? YES 22. Does your organisation encourage and set-up both on-the-job and off-the-job training? NO 23. Is your line manager sympathetic to your training needs? NO 24. Do you think more time should be allocated to training/YES 25. Do you have team briefs? Are they interactive? NO 26. What team activities exist in your place of work? 27. Do you have a suggestion scheme? NO 28. Are you encouraged to take time out and reflect?NO 29. Is there anywhere you can go and think?NO 30. Do you have an appraisal system / staff development plans?NO 31. How important is creativity and innovation to your organisation? 32. How long has your organisation been in existence? 33. When did you last do something new in your job? 34. If you see that there is a way to improve a process or a procedure, what do you do? 35. What style of leadership do you think you have? 36. What style of leadership would you say your manager has? 37. Do you feel that you are able to express your ideas freely?NO 38. Does your HR department support new ideas? YES 39. Do you feel restricted in your ability to affect change? YES 40. Do you feel restricted in your ability to learn and progress within your organisation? YES 41. Tell me about when you have suggested a change at work. What happened? 42. Does your organisation encourage a free flow of information and ideas?NO 43. Do you feel valued within your organisation?NO 44. Do staff share ideas? YES 45. If you had a new idea would you know who to tell? 46. If employees are not encouraged to come up with new ideas, why not? 47. Are employees allowed to use their initiative when problems or situations arise?NO 48. What are your views on creativity and innovation within your organisation? 49. Do you allow people to participate in fun activities?NO 50. How important do you think ‘play-time’ is at work? 51. On a scale of 1-10 how happy do you think your staff are? 52. Do you hold team meetings? NO 53. Can everyone have a say?NO 54. Do you encourage discussion and feedback? YES 55. Would you say that the work environment is conducive to creativity and innovation?NO 56. How would you define creativity? 57. How would you define innovation? * * * * * Reference list – Andriopoulos Constantine and Andy Lowe, 2000, “Enhancing organizational creativity: the process of perpetual challenging”, Management Decision, Vol.38/10, 734-742, MCB University Press, ISSN 0025-1747 Bill Lucas, 2005, “Mind Your Brain: Why Lifelong Learning Matters”, Training journal, The Essential Guide to Lifelong Learning, Network Educational Press Business Basics, pp 272, 1997, “Organisational Behavior”, BPP Publishing Constantilne Andriopoulos, 2001, pp 834-840, “Determinants of organisational creativity: A literature Review”, Management Decision, Vol. 39/10, MCB University Press, ISSN:0025-1747 Dave Sharman and Almeric Johnson, 1997, “Innovation in all things: Developing creativity in workplace”, Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol.29. No.33, pp85-87, MCB university Press, ISSN 0019-7858 David Curteen, 1998, “Knowledge, Creativity and Innovation”, Journal of Knowledge management, Vol. 2. No.1, 1-13. Edgar. H. 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Amabile, Regina Conti, Heather Coon, Jefrey Lazenby and Michael Herron, 1996, “Assessing the work environment for creativity”, pp 1156, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 39 No.5. Tony Davila, Marc.J.Epstein, Robert D, 2007, pp74, “Creative Enterprise: Culture”, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 027598687X Willium Kurt Black, 2005, pp. 236, “The Best Way to rob a Bank is to own One”, Univrsity of Texas Press, ISBN 0292706383 Read More