How might we encourage creative, innovative thinking in ourselves and others? What do you think this means?
There are several ways in which one can promote creative and innovational thinking in oneself and others. First of all, it is necessary to look at the same product, business process, technology, or any other issue from various perspectives. For instance, entrepreneurs can evaluate their services or goods from the standpoint of clients. In this way, they can better detect possible defects and find ways of improving the work of their organizations.
Overall, innovators should examine a particular problem from the viewpoint of various stakeholders. Secondly, they should keep in mind a slight change or modification can create an enormous value for other people. For example, one can mention that Edison was able to transform many of the technologies such as the telephone or the telegraph which had been invented long before him. This is one of the aspects that can be identified. Additionally, one should be open to new ideas. Certainly, a person should critically evaluate new suggestions or recommendations, but these innovations should not be perceived with ridicule or pessimism.
So, an individual should adopt a new attitude to innovation. Additionally, it is critical to foster partnerships among people who work on the development of new solutions because very often their ideas can complement one another. Secondly, organizational leaders should encourage people to take part in brainstorming. These people should not be afraid of being criticized or ridiculed. Finally, people should avoid the risk of groupthink or the situation when individuals try to conform to the opinions of the majority. Groupthink is one of the most dangerous threats to creative thought. These are some of the main issues that can be identified. These steps can foster innovation in individuals and groups.
Edsger Dijkstra once said that “Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes.”
Several important quotes are closely related to innovation and creativity. For example, according to Edsger Dijkstra, “computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes” (Dijkstra as cited in Conery 7). In part, this argument is aimed at showing that it is important to broaden the scope of one’s thinking. For example, a person should remember that computer science is closely related to how people use technologies.
It is why this science is related to such areas of study as cognitive psychology, linguistics, logic, and so forth. Secondly, it is critical to pay attention to the needs of customers who will use a particular software solution. Edsger Dijkstra’s quote is important because it indicates that people should find ways of transforming theoretical knowledge into applications that can be used to solve real-life problems. This perspective can make the activities of a person much more rewarding. In contrast, by narrowing the scope of one’s thinking, a person may overlook novel ideas that can improve existing technologies.
This argument can be applied to computer information systems. In this case, one should not only speak about specific algorithms or hardware components that function in a certain way. Much attention should be paid to the needs of organizations or individuals that will make use of these products. In this way, software designers can create better applications that can improve the performance of businesses. This approach is more productive because it helps a person to find more optimal ways of improving technologies or business processes. These are the main issues that can be singled out.
Works Cited
Conery, John. Explorations in Computing: An Introduction to Computer Science, New York: CRC Press, 2011. Print.