Creativity Support Systems

Hi there :) Inga here again and recently, I’ve been reading some articles on the different systems that companies us for supporting creativity within their organisations, Creativity Support Systems (CSS). Creativity is the driver of innovation and as we all know, in the rapidly growing and globalised business world, staying fresh and relevant is imperative to the continued success and survival of a business.

The best way to predict the future is to create it. ~ Peter Drucker

So how are information systems used to support creativity and innovation? The first question we need to answer in looking at this area of IS is one that appears relatively simple but is actually quite complex: What is creativity?

Creativity has been researched extensively in many academic fields and, as such, is defined in many different ways. Some would characterise it as a process others, as a mindset or even as a result. In the context of business, it is often considered to be a collaborative process — focused on problem solving or development. This process, often referred to as Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) is split into four phases: problem analysis, idea generation, idea evaluation and implementation (or communication) (Howard, 2008). With this definition of creativity in mind, it is clear how information systems could be applied to assist in each of the phases, especially when the process is viewed as a collaborative activity.

Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things. ~ Theodore Levitt

Of course we have all heard the business coaches and motivational speakers pontificate the value and necessity of creative thinkers in the business world since, well, forever and admonishing large corporations and CEOs for their bureaucracy and inflexibility. In his famous article for the Harvard Business Review, ‘Creativity is not Enough’, Theodore Levitt makes the interesting argument that businesses are not lacking creative thinkers but, in fact, it’s often the creative thinkers that cause the issue in businesses as they will shirk the responsibility of implementing the creative ideas they generate. This dichotomy of both wanting creativity but needing structure and order is often a struggle in business. This is the space that creativity support systems can occupy — allowing for collaboration and out-of-the-box thinking while remaining within a broader structure and sense of organisation.

Most CSS provide support to one (or more) of the phases of the creative process in one of four ways:

• as a ‘coach’ that gives advice and helps to implement and apply techniques, such as Computer-Assisted Creativity (CAC) systems or Creative Support Tools (CST)
• as a ‘pen pal’ that provides support for collaboration, such as Group Support Systems (GSS), Computer Supported Cooperation Work (CSCW) or Single Display Groupware (SDG).
• as a ‘nanny’ that monitors the work’s progress and provides a framework, such as Idea Management System (IMS)
• or as a ‘colleague’ with which the computer generates its own ideas and solutions, this involves the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to model human creativity. (Lubart, 2005)

I know what you’re thinking and, yes, people who research/write about information systems absolutely love acronyms. I could not tell you why.

The use of these systems can be essential to bridging the gap between creative ideas and actual innovation in a business and also between people within an organisation, allowing for a more seamless, collaborative creative process.

In my next post I will be diving deeper into some of the specific CSS currently in use in businesses, their function, and how their role and use cases have changed in the past year of craziness. See you then!

Sources:

Howard, T. J. (2008). Describing the creative design process by the integration of engineering design and cognitive psychology literature. Design Studies, 29(2)

Levitt, T. (2002) Creativity is Not Enough. Harvard Business Review. 80

Gabriel, A. (2016) Creativity Support Systems: A systematic mapping study. Thinking Skills and Creativity 21 10.1016/j.tsc.2016.05.009

Lubart, T. (2005) How can computers be partners in the creative process: Classification and commentary on the Special Issue, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, Volume 63, Issues 4–5.

Garfield, M. (2008) Creativity Support Systems, Handbook on Decision Support Systems 2. International Handbooks Information System. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.