Readings in Innovation

Facilitating Creative Problem-solving Groups

Scott G. Isaksen

If you were asked to name the inventors of the telephone, airplane, and lightbulb, you would probably experience little difficulty in recalling the names of Bell, Wright, and Edison. In contrast, many people experience difficulty in naming the “inventor” of the 747 jumbo jet, the 800 inward watts number, and the silicon chip. Aside from the major differences of level of inventiveness and how much more current the latter three products are, a major difference between these two categories is that the more recent products have been the result of group creativity.

The growing importance of group creativity is being recognized by all types of organizations (Freedman, 1988; Kuhn, 1988). ...