In our 2010 "Annual Review" paper, Teresa Amabile and I argued that a virtual explosion of topics, viewpoints, and methodologies had muddied the investigative waters. Few, if any, "big" questions were being pursued by a critical mass of creativity researchers. Instead, investigators in one subfield seemed entirely unaware of…

With the exception of research examining the productivity of teams, the empirical study of creativity was until recently almost exclusively focused at the level of the individual creator. Investigators and theorists typically chose to decontextualize the creative process and failed to include a consideration of anyone or anything beyond the person…

A model for problem solving involving the use of analogical or metaphorical thinking as it applies to generalsystems synthesis is presented. (RW)

This interview with a founding partner of a consulting firm specializing in product and process innovation discusses the need for American businesses to rethink their one-shot approach to innovation and implement instead a systems approach to supporting and managing innovation. A strong collaborative effort that reaches throughout the organization…

The philosophy, purpose and methods of the Creative Problem-Solving Institute are discussed. (RW)

The concept of general systems as a pattern of growth and development which involves integration, disintegration and reintegration and applies to natural sciences, behavioral sciences, and man-made systems is discussed in a dialogue between the authors. (RW)

This article considers the nature of creativity in industrial and business settings, describes the Manchester (England) Business School Creativity Unit, models creativity in systems terms, reviews action research of the 1970s, and identifies recent areas of research at Manchester including creativity blocks and the impact of creativity training in…