GRA 2236 Creativity in Individual, Group and Organisation

GRA 2236 Creativity in Individual, Group and Organisation

Course code: 
GRA 2236
Department: 
Leadership and Organizational Behaviour
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Thorvald Hærem
Course name in Norwegian: 
Creativity in Individual, Group and Organisation
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc in Leadership and Organisational Psychology
Semester: 
2019 Spring
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

Psychological research has uncovered conditions that both inhibits and facilitates creative thinking and ability to reorient at the level of the individual, group and organisation. The course will provide insight into the most important results of this research. The participants will also be introduced to and trained in the use of creative problem solving techniques particularly developed for handling problems commonly met in the context of organisational settings and work life.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge
  • Understand the concept of creativity, and its relation to innovation
  • Understand alternative theories of creativity and their interrelationships
  • Understand the relevance and scope of creativity at different levels of aggregation, for micro to macro
  • Understand the place of creativity in the general problem solving process
  • Understand how creativity normally unfolds in steps and stages
  • Understand why creative processes are difficult to reach onto, and how the accessibility of such processes can be boosted
     
Learning outcomes - Skills
  • Be able to use heuristic methods that can trigger creative processes
  • Learned to use appropriate measures mitigating against conditions that may hinder and block creativity at the individual, group and organisational level
  • Learned to use ways of communicating and teaching the basic principles of the nature and function of creativity in business
  • Mastered techniques that can facilitate creativity in groups and teams
  • Learned to use tools to diagnose and manage creative climate in organisations
  • Learned to apply diagnostic tools to assess creativity at the individual, group and organisational level, including leadership skills for creativity
Learning Outcome - Reflection
  • Developed a measured understanding about the relevance and scope of creativity in business
  • Be able to understand how creativity can be demystified
  • Be able to critically assess practical methods and courses claimed by the consulting business to facilitate creativity
  • Have a realistic and empirically based attitude to the question of how far it is possible to influence and develop creative processes
  • Developed a measured and empirically based understanding of how micro and macro conditions may interact to facilitate and inhibit creative processes in a business context
  • Be able to understand and critically discuss such concepts as “creative class”, “creative economy” and “creativity society
Course content
  • Psychology of problem solving
  • Creativity as a form of problem solving
  • Conditions that inhibit and facilitate creative problem solving
  • Creative problem solving techniques
  • Computer based techniques for idea development
  • Promotion of a more creative work environment
Learning process and requirements to students

The course will be organized as an intensive workshop over a few days. This way of teaching is also chosen in order to give the participants an introduction to the methodological organization and implementation of courses in a workshop format.

Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on itslearning or text book.

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Qualifications

All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have spesific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Required prerequisite knowledge

GRA 2205 Organizational Behavior or equivalent
GRA 2203 Psychological Measurement and Individual Differences or equivalent
GRA 2204 Judgment and Decision Making or equivalent

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Invigilation
Weight: 
100
Grouping: 
Individual
Support materials: 
  • Bilingual dictionary
Duration: 
3 Hour(s)
Comment: 
Written examination under supervision.
Exam code: 
GRA22361
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Exam organisation: 
Ordinary examination
Total weight: 
100
Sum workload: 
0

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.