Encouraging San Diego Creativity to Solve Business and Scientific Problems

Creativity isn’t just the domain of the artistic types and has practical applications for businesses. Without new ideas, ways of accomplishing goals, and unique solutions businesses fail to develop and grow. A paper by Deepa and Gopal (2011) delves into a model of creativity and how it can be used to foster business growth. The model focuses on four main stages of creative development that pushes a unique idea to a practical solution. San Diego has an abundance of creative people and artists from all walks of life that can contribute to economic growth.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “Art is a jealous mistress, and, if a man have a genius for painting, poetry, music, architecture, or philosophy, he makes a bad husband, and an ill provider, and should be wise in season, and not fetter himself with duties which will embitter his day.”  The problem with artists is not the art itself but the practical use of the creative mind to solve real problems. With a little training and trust an artist can turn into an idea generator.

Creative people have the natural ability to see problems from a more holistic vantage point and make new and unique conclusions to solve problems. The very nature of science and advancement springs forth from developing a unique perspective and conclusion of a problem. The possibilities of the solution are analyzed through critical thinking and the scientific method. 

The four stages of creative development are:

Preparation: The period of a person’s life where they gain knowledge, skills and abilities. It is a long process of practice, experimentation, and trial & error. 

Imagination: The stage where new ideas are created through analogies, brainstorming, memory associations. It may also include other types of analysis such as cost & benefit as well as SWOT.

Development: From the imagination stage a few ideas will show promise and are moved into the development stage where they are evaluated for feasibility, marketability, and sustainability. 

Action: Once the most feasible ideas have been evaluated it is possible to develop a strategy for action.

Creative thinking for artists parallels creative thinking in science and business. Newton wouldn’t have discovered the laws of gravity without first being hit in the head by an apple. The Internet would not have been developed without insight into the nature of communication. Society itself cannot move forward without a creative and entrepreneurial class that pushes new concepts forward.

Business executives should learn the important applications of creativity in the workplace and no longer shun such activities but instead learn to capitalize on them. Including creative people on a team help to encourage that team to think beyond conventional limitations. Creativity matched with the experience of more seasoned members and with those who have analytical evaluative abilities moves the unique into something feasible for business purposes. The next time you see an artist walking down the street scratching out a living think about the other benefits such people provide if put to practical use. Places like San Diego have an abundance of creative people seeking opportunities to put their natural abilities to good use to the advantage of themselves and their employers.

Deepa, N. & Gopal, R. (2011). Advocating different paradigms: relevance of workplace creativity. SIES Journal of Management, 7 (2).

Enhancing Solutions through Developing Social Capital

There is value in our social networks beyond that which serves our immediate needs. Social capital is the ability to use social networks to accomplish something that cannot be done alone. Business social networks are commonly used in areas ranging from product development to supply-chain management. On a wider scale, social capital can be matched with open innovation through appropriate Internet and physical channel expansions to develop something new for economic development. 

We must only think of how each person enters an economic system through their own particular way of viewing the world. They are defined by their background, education, skill set, cultures, experiences and social networks to view topics from a particular vantage point. Problems are defined based upon how they understand them through historically perceived practical solutions.

As these elements begin to act and interact with each other they create new definitions on how to see problems and potential solutions. The longer they interact solving a significant problem the more likely they will share mutual definitions and perspectives. It is a process of social learning and thought construction based in social construction mechanisms of elemental interaction. 

Few relevant solutions come from a single vantage point. All sustainable solutions are socially negotiated to develop new premises and conclusions. It is the changing of perspective, a focus on the solution, and the enactment of a plan that changes the reality of network members. Philosophical reality can be defined as a perspective of communicated why and why nots that enhance shared explanations.

With open-mindedness and active listening people begin to adjust their perspective and understand the factors in new and unique ways. This adjustment often leads to new solutions for complex problems and greater heights of awareness for involved members. It becomes something bigger than themselves that leads to enlightenment about the nature of life and best paths forward for a people, organization, city or nation. 

Mathews and Marzec (2012) studied social capital from varying industry perspectives and developed a model that fits well with operational management. One can see the similarities on how it applies to wider platforms and networks that improve upon social innovation and economic development. Using relational, cognitive, and structural capital it is possible to enhance HR practices to turn initial social capital into resulting social capital that produces meaningful solutions for a wide group of stakeholders. 

Brookes, N. et al., (2007) Analyzing social capital to improve product development team performance: action-research investigations in the aerospace industry with TRW and GKN. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 54 (4), 814–830.

Choo, A. et. al. (2007) Method and context perspectives on learning and knowledge creation

in quality management. Journal of Operations Management, 25 (4), 918–931.

Cousins, P.D., et al., (2006). Creating supply chain relational capital: the impact of formal and informal socialization processes. Journal of Operations Management, 24 (6), 851–863.

Granovetter, M. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78 (6), 1360–1380.

Mathews, R. & Marzec, P. (2012). Social capital, a theory for operations management: a systematic review of the evidence. International Journal of Production Research, 50 (24). 

Singer, M. et. al. (2008). A static model of cooperation for group-based incentive plans.

International Journal of Production Economics, 115 (2), 492–501.

Fostering Economic Development Through Industry Clusters

The development of higher economic states requires linkages between like minded individuals and their resources to start a generative process. A paper by Popa and Vlasceanu (2013) highlights how clusters, policies and sustained economic growth work together to prove development.

There is a natural lack of trust between economic elements as well as business and government. It is important for economic actors to find shared perceptions and work together on common principles and goals.

Regional clusters should understand their strength and weaknesses and find  competitive strategies. They should also understand how their cluster fits with other clusters and regional economic development.

When clusters develop they do so within a wider network of companies and economic activities. Their core competencies and tighter connections separate them from other hub clusters.

To develop stronger clusters, policies will need to have the wisdom to work with economic actors to create pro growth and trust building policies that foster the widest advantages for the most amount of people. Without trust and the right economic environment growth is unlikely and therefore cannot lead to sustainable development.

Pops, I & Vlasceanu, C (2013). Cluster policies in the European Union-engines for sustainable economic development and competitiveness. Annals of the University of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 22 (1).

Enhancing Entrepreneurial Clusters with Global Supply Chain Networks

Global entrepreneurship is a concept that has made its way into recent economic literature. Small business has the opportunity to reach geographically dispersed customers that was not possible just a few decades ago. These entrepreneurs work within clusters and rely on effective supply chains to ensure that products are distributed to end users. Research by Wu, et. al. (2010) presents a framework for understanding global entrepreneurship where supply chain management serves as a platform for resource collection, market development, and risk mitigation. 

Before one can effective discuss the mechanisms of global entrepreneurship it is beneficial to understand what the term means. Fundamentally, entrepreneurs focus on value creation, development of new products/services, sparking ventures, and encourage market innovations (Brush, et. al., 2003). Entrepreneurs can exist within organizations or own small businesses. 

It is also possible to see entrepreneurs as the un-academic market researchers that seek to find opportunities. Entrepreneurs use their knowledge, skills, and abilities to find advantages in the market and seek methods of capitalizing on those advantages. They must first find an opportunity and then act upon that opportunity to realize capital growth. 

Drucker (1985) discusses entrepreneurial opportunities:

1. The creation of new and unique information

2. Exploitation of market inefficiencies as a result of information asymmetry

3. Acting upon the costs and benefits of alternative resource allocations

Entrepreneurs are highly effective within clusters of similar businesses that help raise knowledge and provide supply chain opportunities.  A cluster can be thought of as a proximal group of interconnected and field associated companies that may include end-product manufacturers, suppliers, and support businesses (Porter, 1998).  It is a grouping of like-minded and industry related businesses that enhance each other’s development.

Clusters develop opportunities to ship related products, draw interested investors, and enhance innovation. Entrepreneurs and investors can find value creation opportunities inside clusters because of the following:

-developed processes due to job specialization;

-high availability and lower prices for resources such as labor force and loan services;

-updated technology and a culture of development;

-lower cost of manufacturing and distribution of products/services due to risk pooling and economies of scale;

-stable demand for products and services;

-strong social networks around core competencies.

The authors conclude that clusters provide unique benefits for entrepreneurs due to the clustering of resources, knowledge, and distribution networks.  Clusters encourage greater innovation in industries as well as reduce the risks associated with conducting business. Both horizontal and vertical supply chain expansion becomes possible when entrepreneurs are used to innovation products and services to develop more opportunities. The mechanisms of distribution should be developed that can bundle smaller batch production to create efficiencies in intercontinental delivery from multiple businesses.

   

Brush, C. et. al. (2003), Doctoral education in the field of entrepreneurship, Journal of Management, 29 (3).

Drucker, P. (1985), Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Harper & Row, New York, NY.

Porter, M. (1998), Clusters and the new economics of competition, Harvard Business Review,

November-December, pp. 77-90.

Wu, et. al. (2010). Global entrepreneurship and supply chain management: a Chinese exemplar. Chinese Entrepreneurship, 2 (1).

Learning About Perception, Creativity, and Science Through Poetry

Few things strike as true as poetry from great artists who pondered the nature of man and the universe. Some poetry is long and some is short but each brings a different perspective about this thing we call existence. The poetry below is about our imaginations and the power of seeing and perceiving the world. Those who feel and see the world do so through their mental faculties built upon the information gathered through their senses.

This knowledge is not reliant only on physical sensation but the interpretation of that sensation. Those with higher cognitive functions adapt, innovate and perceive at a higher level than those who don’t.  They make more connections, understand in greater depth, and can see the impact of decisions from the power of their imaginations.

Consider asking a person with no knowledge on a particular subject to formulate a relevant opinion. Without doubt the far majority will rehash the opinions of other notable people in society.  They may draw from famous thinkers, politicians, or leading figures in an effort to appear knowledgeable.  However, those who use their imagination create something new and truer than simple blind copy.

Imagination is most useful when matched with analytical thinking. We must first make a connection to a concept and then logically and sequentially analyze the truth or falsehood of that new concept. When we do this well we create something called “truth”.  It is a truth based upon new understandings that are supported by fact that create innovative breakthroughs in science and life.

Consider a poem by the British Poet William Wordsworth:

''Imagination, which in truth
Is but another name for absolute power
And clearest insight, amplitude of mind,
And reason, in her most exalted mood.''

The poem discusses perception and the power that comes from understanding. Perception, or “awareness”, mixed with the ability to create a model of an event is based in truth to the perceiver. That model is then tested through thought, experimentation, or experience to develop clear insight for others. Knowledge, perception, imagination, and scientific analysis create ways to innovate. Truth in society is built from generations of people who push forward new truths.