Creativity in HRM Practice

Creativity in HRM Practice

  In the modern business environment, creativity is a vital ingredient in successful decision-making. It is particularly useful in perceiving problems and in generating alternative courses of action through which the problem can be solved.  Creativity may be defined as the ability to think originally and to bring out something new or novel. It is a human faculty for evolving unique or unusual association of ideas and to look at events in a new or unconventional manner. However, all unusual or new ideas are not creativity. The creativity ideas should be capable of being accepted and implemented.  Creativity is a process of studying thinking and reflection. Really creative individuals are open minded and do not follow the beaten track. They are enterprising and innovative. Innovation, synthesis, extension and duplication are the main forms of creativity.

HR Manager as a Creative Manager:

  In the organizations HRM professionals can create a structure of roles and responsibilities, delegations, coordination and control mechanisms in their department to ensure that the HRM department is able to carry out its assigned functions and tasks.  

These can be done innovatively. The nature of creativity as a highly competitive resource for industrial organizations may be understood along the following ingredients. Cultivation and use of creativity in and by organizations enables their members to:   

• HR professionals can transform a lethargic work culture in creative ways. Worked on worker motivation through contacts with employees  at all levels.  
• HR Professional should be give empowerment his staff in yet another creating way.  
• HR professionals can create wondrous teams in innovative ways. Introduced team-based work and work design teams.     
• Facilitate the strategic planning and implementing of creative methods of management like TQM (total quality management)
• Strengthen the effectiveness of organizations R & D and HRD  effort and facilitate the management of technological innovation and product development.
• Instruction and training of organizational personnel in the methods and techniques for the creative exploration of problems, generation of imaginative ideas for their solution, the testing and validation of solutions and strategic plans for their effective implementation.   

          

 Some Techniques of Creativity

 A few techniques have been developed to encourage creative thinking. Some of these techniques are given below:

·        Attribute Listing: It involves listing of all attributes of an object or problem. Then an attempt is made to modify each attribute or group of attributes in as many ways as possible. No idea is accepted or rejected until all the ideas have been enumeration.

• Brain Storming: Under this technique a group of persons is given a problem and they are encouraged to suggest whatever solutions come to their mind. The discussion is free and uninhibited. Criticism is prohibited and members are allowed to generate as many alternatives as they can.
• Delphi Technique: This technique is used to collect information from physically dispersed persons by means of a written questionnaire. The responses to the questionnaire are collected and a feedback report is prepared. This report along with a more advanced second stage questionnaire is sent to the experts for reaction and reassessment. Each member evaluates the feedback report and gives new suggestions        
• Gordon Technique:  A group consisting of members having varied background and training is constituted. The leader of the group asks members to suggest possible solutions or novel ideas. Each member is expected to generate one fully evaluated idea.

            Creative Human Intelligence Management (CHIM) would consist of all such activities which enrich and entertain human minds at workplace and make them deliver in highly empowered, flexible and experimental environment, with their creativity promoted and supported by the organization.

Stages in Creativity

 Creativity is a complex process consisting of the following stages:

• Preparation Stage: Creative ideas need some preparation before they take shape. Creative ideas do not occur instantaneously or overnight.
• Incubation Stage:  This stage in creative process is linked with the design phase of decision-making.
• Illumination Stage: This stage is characterized by a flash of insight or a sudden spontaneous solution. Once the idea sprang up in   the mind of the creative person, he feels profound relief and boundless joy. This stage may be considered as analogous to the choice phase of the decision process.
• Verification Stage: This is the final stage in the creativity process. It is also known as the revision or accommodation stage. The idea should be continuously evaluated in the light of experience gained in the course of implementation.  

  Conclusion:

            Creativity requires imagination. Imagination grows by exercise. In this  changed environment throughout the word in the managerial tactics either for profit motive or innovation. Requires creativity if any management requires change. Creativity describe showing originality in their work and gives innovative ideas just like brainchild. Creativity grows through doing.

Reference:

1. Abegglen,J., and Stalk, G., Kaisha(1985), The Japanese Corporation, Basic Books, New York.
2. Burns, Tom and Stalker, G.M (1991), The Management of Innovation, Tavistock Publication, London.
3. Basadur,M(1992), Managing Creativity: A Japanese Model, The Executive, Vol. VI, No. 2. 
4. Evans, Roger and Russell, Peter(1989), The Creative Manager, Unwind Hyman, London.
5. Nel M Mostert(2008), Measuring Creativity, HRM Review, Vol.VIII, Issue XII, December 2008. 
6. Pradip N Khandwalla(2008), Corporate Creativity, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited, New Delhi.
7. P.N.Rastogi(2008), Managing Creativity for Corporate Excellence, Macmillan India Ltd., Delhi.
8. Sternberg, Robert (ed.)(1999), Handbook of Creativity, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 
9. Srinivas Reddy.G, SVVS Vara Prasad(2008), Managing Innovation: The Key to  Competitive Advantage, HRM Review, January, 2008, Vol. VIII, Issue No.1.
10. Whitmore, John(1999), Releasing Creativity: How Leaders Develop Creative Potential in their Teams, Kogan Page, London.
11. www.businessline.in