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“Who are you going to call?” Network activation in creative idea generation and elaboration.

The paradox of family structure and plans after work: Why single childless employees may be the least absorbed at work

From creativity to innovation: The social network drivers of the four phases of the idea journey

Social network ties beyond non-redundancy: An experimental investigation of the effect of knowledge content and tie strength on creativity

The emergence of team creative cognition: the role of diverse outside ties, sociocognitive network centrality, and team evolution

Social yet creative: The role of social relationships in facilitating individual creativity

The social side of creativity: A static and dynamic social network perspective

Effects of social-psychological factors on creative performance: The role of informational and controlling expected evaluation and modeling experience

Work-family human resource bundles and perceived organizational performance

How Collaboration Needs Change From Mind to Marketplace

When CEOs are asked, "What is a skill you most value in your people?" time and again, creativity, problem-solving, and innovation top their list. However, according to Ad Age, 75% of people believe they are not living up to their creative potential.  It’s easy to see why. It can be a long slog from initial concept to final product. Even in organizations that pride themselves on rapid iteration and experimentation, most truly novel ideas either stall out or lose their originality along the way. How do you defy those odds? Jill Perry-Smith joined the Goizueta Effect Podcast to discuss creativity and how businesses can take ideas from the mind to the marketplace. She is a professor at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School where she has researched the intersection of creativity, innovation, and business for nearly 20 years. She received her PhD in organizational behavior from the College of Management at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has consulted numerous Fortune 100 companies, and has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, CNN, and Fast Company. This episode of the Goizueta Effect was co-created in partnership with Emory student Scott Masterson. Can You Learn Creativity? Similar to the question, “are leaders born or made?,” creativity may come naturally for some, but everyone has the capacity to develop a creative skillset. Nowadays, the workplace is more flexible than ever before. Creativity is rewarded and encouraged in the most successful firms.  Harnessing a Broader Definition Typically, when we think of creativity, we think of artistic expression. In the workplace we think of breakthroughs in technology, but some of the most important creativity has to do with creative problem-solving.  The Process of Creating an Idea   One fundamental way of studying the journey on an idea is categorizing the different phases that an idea goes through from the time the idea is birthed to the time when the idea is implemented.  The journey an idea takes isn’t always linear: ideas have a bumpy journey. The ideas may cycle backward several steps in the process after months of planning. Creators may get less confident in their idea and be less willing to take the risk and put it forward. They must also deal with an onslaught of input and valuable feedback from others along the way, which lengthens the process. Alongside such a complex process, the novelty often gets snuffed out of the essence of the idea. The Phases of the Idea Journey: With Whom Should I Collaborate? Each phase of the idea journey is unique and requires specific attention to ensure optimal results. For example, the collaborative needs change across phases. Risk must be considered when developing an idea as well: an idea is original since it has not been done before. As humans, we tend to stick to what is most comfortable and this can combat the innovation process. The Generation Phase The generation phase is when a concept is born. For this phase, the best people to associate with are acquaintances and strangers. Innovators need inspiration and an open mind. Speaking with strangers is a great tool for spurring this inspiration. Since people that are close to us tend to be more like us and potentially over supportive, going outside our comfort zones and talking to people in different social spheres will facilitate open-mindedness.  The Elaboration Phase During the elaboration phase, creators need support and encouragement to develop their ideas. It's risky so friends and close peers are extremely beneficial to the process. Typically, managers are not the most helpful as they can be viewed as evaluative.  Deeply analyzing the idea with one or two other people as opposed to sharing it with a larger collective is most valuable.  The Promotion Phase During the promotion phase, influence and reach are critical due to the risk associated with the idea and lack of precedent. This phase can entail the acquisition of resources and the selling of the idea to others. It's not always easy to get decision-makers to understand or buy into an idea, because of these inherent characteristics of creative concepts or ideas. At this point, we want to seek network brokers: people who are linchpins connecting otherwise disconnected people across the organization. They provide access to people and exposure.  The Implementation Phase Shared vision and trust are what's needed during this phase. A cohesive team with a shared north star can drive success. Tips and Best Practices for Facilitating Workplace Creativity  You don’t have to hire a Chief Innovation Officer to encourage creativity and innovation in your workplace. You can make simple changes to the way your organization and teams operate.  The first tip is to make creative problem-solving a priority. This means always asking for more problem-solving alternatives: the more alternatives, the more likely there is to be variety and creativity.  The second tip is to be collaboratively flexible and reduce conformity processes: think of teams as a tool that is helpful when necessary. Companies that are experts in facilitating workplace creativity are Apple, Google, and 3M. Apple and Google are likely not surprising choices, but 3M is a case-study in its own right.  3M has weathered economic storms and existed for a long time in part due to its creative decision-making practices. They were at the forefront of understanding the value of providing time for people to work on what they want to work on, because people are very intrinsically motivated when they can make decisions about how to spend their time. They have also made it possible for workers to see the end results of their innovation. Innovation and the Pandemic While the pandemic created many challenges, it also opened up new opportunities for unique problem-solving. The pandemic pushed us to put our creative problem-solving skills to the test as the world of business has drastically changed.  The negative effect of the pandemic is the reduction of valuable network-building and face-to-face communication: people are working at home now more than ever. It’s important to continue having in-person communication to allow for creative inspiration and the facilitation of ideas: you can’t have those valuable talks with acquaintances as easily in an online setting.  We also need to consider who is most likely to work from home - more junior employees, women, parents – and the effects of that shift on innovation and career progression.  To learn more about Goizueta Business School and how principled leaders are driving positive change in business and society, visit goizueta.emory.edu.

The Journey of an Idea

Jill Perry-Smith is Professor of Organization & Management at Emory University. Professor Perry-Smith currently serves as the Academic Director for the Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She joined the Goizueta Business School faculty after receiving her PhD in organizational behavior from the College of Management at the Georgia Institute of Technology. 

Professor Perry-Smith’s research investigates how social networks and relationships impact creativity and innovation. In another stream of research, she explores how family influences work engagement and the role of company policies that help employees integrate life and work. Her research has appeared in leading management journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, and Journal of Applied Psychology; she also has contributed to several books including Encyclopedia of Creativity, and The Oxford Handbook of Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. Professor Perry-Smith has served as an associate editor of Academy of Management Journal. 

Prior to her academic career, Professor Perry-Smith worked in the oil and gas industry overseeing large refinery expansion projects across the United States. She brings her unique vantage point as a former civil engineer to her approach to teaching. She teaches courses in the areas of groups & teams and creativity & innovation. She also teaches organizational behavior seminars in the PhD program.

Creativity and Innovation

Informal Social Networks

Work-Life Initiatives

Google Scholar

LinkedIn

The Pros and Cons of Starting a Business With Your Spouse

3 ways to facilitate casual encounters and serendipity in a hybrid office

You’ve Built a Racially Diverse Team. But Have You Built an Inclusive Culture?

Emory Life Emory Faculty Present at TedxPeachtree

Why It's Dangerous to Ask Your Friends and Family for Advice

MARTA spent $144,000 on help for top management

Trying to be creative in a 'Dilbert' world

Faculty from various disciplines apply aspects of behavioral research to their work. Learn more about key research happening in this area. 

A Focus on BDI Research

Integrating creativity and social network theories, I explore the direct and interactive effects of relationship strength, network position, and external ties on individual creative contributions.

Social Yet Creative: The Role Of Social Relationships In Facilitating Individual Creativity

Much of the research devoted to creativity in organizations delves into social networks and their impact on employee creativity. However, research from Jill Perry-Smith, associate professor of organization and management, investigates how types of knowledge factor into creativity in an organization. Perry-Smith conducted her research in a laboratory setting, analyzing the results of two distinct studies of undergraduate participants. The studies reference two types of knowledge content—information (facts or data) and frames (interpretations or impressions). She found that participants receiving nonredundant or unique information were significantly less creative compared to participants receiving nonredundant framing. Her research also suggests that content received from individuals with less of an emotional connection to one another—the so-called “weak tie”—boosts creativity regardless of the type of knowledge received. Strong ties to an individual aids creativity only when different frames are received. Even when team members in an organization seem to reject information from a minority opinion holder, it forces the other team members to delve more deeply into their own opinions, look at alternatives, and consequently, be more creative.

The role of social networks and information on creativity

Creative leadership & social networks

From creativity to innovation: The social network drivers of the four phases of the ideation process

Ideal workers have plans after work: How family configuration and non-work activities affect work engagement

A social composition view of team creativity: The role of team member outside tie nationality diversity and tie strength

Social network ties beyond non-redundant information: The effect of exposure to heterogeneous problem framing on creativity

Leadership emergence in advice and friendship networks: A social network perspective

Social networks beyond networking

When you change your perspective you can change business for the better. Join us on Goizueta Effect to hear from leading faculty at the Goizueta Business School on the latest trends, research, and innovations in business, and find out how you can achieve more, do more, and create more in today’s ever-changing marketplace.

Goizueta Effect

expert-perspective-the-journey-of-an-idea

Professor of Organization & Management; Academic Director, The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Creativity is the lifeblood of innovation and cutting-edge business. During a Goizueta Effect Podcast, Jill Perry-Smith, senior associate dean of strategic initiatives and professor of Organization & Management, spoke about her decades of work at the intersection of creativity, innovation, and business.

 Creativity may come naturally for some, but everyone has the capacity to develop a creative skillset. When we think of creativity, we think of artistic expression. In the workplace, we think of breakthroughs in technology, but some of the most important creativity has to do with problem solving. In today’s flexible workspace, creativity is rewarded and encouraged.

Each new idea takes a bumpy journey as it evolves, often cycling back and forth as novelty wears, obstacles arise, and risks become clear. Though circumstances may be different, each idea journey shares distinct phases.  In the generation phase, innovators need inspiration. Sharing ideas with strangers rather than friends can be beneficial and can facilitate open-mindedness.

 During the elaboration phase, creators need support and encouragement to develop their ideas. Deeply analyzing the idea with one or two other people as opposed to sharing it with a larger collective is most valuable.

While in the promotion phase, influence and reach are critical due to the risk associated with the idea and its lack of precedent. This is the time for resource gathering and professional networking.

For the implementation phase, shared vision and trust are needed. At this point, a cohesive team with a shared north star can drive success.
 So how can a business facilitate workplace creativity? Perry-Smith recommends the following:

Encourage creativity and innovation in your workplace. Make simple changes to the way your organization and teams operate, and always ask for more problem-solving alternatives. More alternatives lead to variety and creative solutions.  Be collaboratively flexible and reduce conformity. Think of teams as a tool that is helpful when necessary.  Always consider novel approaches. Don’t overlook the “creative nuggets” that arise from the idea journey.  Listen to “The Journey of an Idea” podcast on Goizueta Effect.

 Looking to know more or connect with Jill Perry-Smith?

Simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview and a time.


#Expert Perspective: The Journey of an Idea

Organizational behaviorist Jill Perry-Smith is fascinated by social ties and creative problem-solving at the workplace. She shares her latest research findings on the surprising role friends play in creative problem solving at work.


Jill Perry-Smith is an Associate Professor at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Her research focuses on creativity and how whom you know makes you more or less creative. She has studied this topic for more than 15 years via field surveys and behavioral experiments. Her work explains how relationships shape an idea’s journey from concept on to one that changes the field. She has published numerous articles in her field’s most prestigious journals and has contributed to several books. She received her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Her interest in creativity started with her work experiences prior to academia. After earning a B.S. in civil engineering, she worked in project management for a multinational oil and gas company. She became fascinated by the people dynamics and the pursuit of creative problem solving.


This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

What helps unlock our Inner creativity? | Jill Perry-Smith | TEDxPeachtree

Dr. Jill Perry-Smith says part of the real-world training she gives students involves critical thinking and problem solving for new, complex challenges that are in the business world.

Professor Jill Perry-Smith discusses the tools a student needs for success

Goizueta Business School at Emory University professor Jill Perry-Smith discusses the importance of creativity in the workplace in today's economy, if creativity can be taught and the why work-life initiatives matter.

Importance of creativity in the workplace

What prompts creativity and innovation?Jill Perry-Smith, Goizueta Term Professor of Organization & Management,  specializes in the effects of informal social networks on creativity and the impact of work-life initiatives on firm and individual performance. Prior to her academic career, Jill worked on a variety of project management teams, overseeing large refinery expansion projects, across the United States.

Emory Executive Education Faculty Profile: Jill Perry-Smith

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