SHARED PRACTICE: CREATIVTY: MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS

Creativity Myths and Misconceptions
Name
Institution
Abstract
Even though everyone is capable of conceiving new ideas, the myths and misconception of creativity argue otherwise. It is unfortunate that majority still believe that creativity is tied to some deity or unforeseen force that reward people selectively. In this discussion, I engage in the myths surrounding this topic through analysis of what I initially believed to be true. Through scientific research and observation of various organizations, it is evident that creativity is something taught not naturally acquired. Also important to point is that there are no naturally born creative people but rather a collection of people who work on a given idea plus hours of time spent researching the knowledge. I highlight towards the end of the essay some past personal examples and observations made on various companies that still premise their argument on creativity on traditionally held misconceptions. What is evident is that creativity can be learned over a period by even individuals deemed to be less talented.
Keywords: Misconceptions, Myths, Creativity, and Organizations.
Creativity Myths and Misconceptions
Across various organizations, people hold the idea that there are mysterious, unforeseen and divine reasons behind the origin of creativity or a good idea. Researchers on the field of management have tried to debunk this misleading misconception. There are some popular beliefs about a company’s creativity that are untrue, but individuals still consider them as real.

Initially, I was in the same school of thought that creative individuals had a mysterious or divine reason behind such achievements. My first belief was the breed myth which supposes that there are people who are naturally born with creativity and innovation which depended on their personality and genetics. Various scientific studies do not support this claim by arguing that creativity is something taught not acquired. A second myth I held was that creative people do not work hard at coming up with a new idea, but instead, it comes to them automatically. This claim has been demystified by science which points out that with a plan; inventors spend time trying to come up with the complete idea. For instance, after the apple fell on Isaac Newton’s head, he did some research on gravity before finally defining publishing it. Finally, creativity is not just an original idea as I believed, but I have come to learn that concepts come from other initial thoughts (Hamel, 2009; Puccio & Cabra, 2010).
It is without a doubt that the misconception about creativity I held initially affected my practice in the past. I did not believe in working with people I perceive as less talented even if they could help in the course. I monitored someone’s experience before engaging with them, believing that creative people are naturally born; this inhibited my chance of delivery. On the side of companies, some organizations think that individuals are born with talent or an eye for creativity thus they do not hire people quickly (Puccio et al., 2012).

References
Hamel, G. (2009). Moon shots for management. Harvard business review, 87(2), 91-98.
Puccio, G. J., & Cabra, J. F. (2010). Organizational creativity: A systems approach. The Cambridge handbook of creativity, 145-173.
Puccio, G. J., Mance, M., Switalski, L. B., & Reali, P. D. (2012). Creativity rising: Creative thinking and creative problem-solving in the 21st century.