The study of creativity has fascinated psychologists, artists and writers, and others who have been intrigued, amazed, or shocked by an unusual concept, act, or product. What is creative? Whom do we call a “creative person”? What are the qualities of the creative person, or of someone to whom we apply the term genius? How does creativity differ or stand out from the ordinary or “non-creative”?
... [Show full abstract] What criteria shall we use to distinguish between “creative organizations” and “non-creative” ones? And, does the designation of creativity apply only to the truly unusual - a discontinuous paradigm shift - or is it possible to work within the boundaries of an accepted, current paradigm? These questions, and others like them, have been looked at, analyzed, and written about for hundreds of years. Yet to this day, creativity remains something of a mystery that does not readily yield its secrets to rational or intellectual understanding. Thousands of words have been written about the likes of Mozart, Shakespeare, Picasso, and Einstein, and yet we are still left in awe and possibly resigned to the conclusion that certain aspects in the creative process are unknowable.