This review of the literature explores how Americans and Chinese view creativity and what they expect from creative products. American and Chinese explicit beliefs about creativity (i.e., expert opinions) share many similarities. Implicit beliefs, however, show more divergence: Americans tend to value novelty and more "groundbreaking" types of…

This paper offers an analysis of scientific creativity based on theoretical models and experimental results of the cognitive sciences. Its core idea is that scientific creativity--like other forms of creativity--is structured and constrained by prior ontological expectations. Analogies provide scientists with a powerful epistemic tool to overcome…

Creative achievement of teams is increasingly recognized as an organization's most valuable production. With dramatically advancing technology producing an almost unlimited amount of available information, the crucial challenge to many corporate and government organizations is how to use that information most creatively. While little expense is…

This article reviews contemporary studies on the concept of creativity across two cultures, Eastern cultures and Western cultures, by examining people's implicit theories of creativity across different cultures and cross-cultural studies of creativity. Cross-cultural studies revealed that Easterners and Westerners differ, on average, in their…

Reviews major areas of controversy concerning creativity's definition in chronological order corresponding to the publication of each definition of significant influence. Each definition's reasons for failing to achieve widespread acceptance are analyzed, and a suggestion for a general definition is provided. (Author/CR)

A review of research on the correlation between the intake of alcohol and creativity hypothesizes that modest alcohol consumption inhibits aspects of creativity based mainly on the secondary process (preparation, certain parts of illumination, and verification), and disinhibits those based mainly on the primary process (incubation, certain parts…

Investigates commonalities between creative processes and features of an impending "postmodern" age. Postmodern consciousness, it is argued, heralds an era of renewed creativity, partly because the fractured view of the self it promotes, with its emphasis on paradox and irony, appears well-equipped to encourage creative expression. (Author/CR)

This article reviews international studies from the 1940s to the 1970s concerning drugs and creativity. The notion of drugs "dictating" or "liberating" the intoxicated artist is criticized by discussing the importance of set and setting. It is proposed that intentional drug use can be seen as a form of disinhibiting technique. (Contains…

This article presents the services available on the Internet for creativity and discusses their applicability to electronic brainstorming. Services include bulletin boards, electronic mail and listservs, chat groups, file transfers, and remote login. Opportunities provided by the World Wide Web are discussed, along with tools available to…

This article suggests the importance of evaluating creativity and innovation at the contextual level of society and proposes a methodological design to do so. Some of the difficulties of such an approach are identified and conditions of its feasibility are outlined. (Author/CR)

Discusses the different characteristics that are often lumped together under the multidimensional term "giftedness." The origins of the term, the contributions of individual psychologists and others in identifying gifted students, and the life outcomes of mathematically and/or verbally precocious youth identified by talent searches are examined.…

Considers how peoples' creative problem-solving efforts are influenced by organizational characteristics. Examines the situations which call for creative problem solving at work and describes the kinds of processes people must apply to solve these problems. Reviews organizational variables that help or hinder these processes. (Author/CR)

Defines and describes entrepreneurial creativity, which is the generation and implementation of novel, appropriate ideas to establish a new venture. Discusses the need for motivational synergy, which results when strong levels of personal interest and involvement are combined with the promise of rewards that confirm competence. (Author/CR)

Provides a framework for conceptualizing and reviewing the literature on the influences of organizational culture and climate on individual creativity. Discusses how certain environmental conditions, strategic approaches, and top management values and actions impact individual creativity. Examples of organizational practices that foster creativity…

Evaluates traditional organizational development approaches to crises in commitment and adaptability, and presents a new approach to organizational development based on organizational creativity. Discusses the need to encourage employees to master new thinking skills and create an infrastructure that ensures these skills will be used regularly.…