The positive effects of creativity on young entrepreneurship

The importance of creativity in entrepreneurship

Edward De Bono, one of the world’s major experts on creativity and creative thinking, has also been one of the most influential corporate leadership trainers in the world thanks to his most innovative researches in this field. As he said: “Creativity involves breaking out of expected patterns in order to look at things in a different way.”
Moreover, according to the definition of Kelly Moor (2018): “Creativity is the ability to transcend traditional ways of thinking or acting and to develop new and original ideas, methods or objects”.

In this perspective, we could affirm that creativity deals with the ability of “thinking outside the box”, an essential component of creativity that, in simple terms, enables us to overcome a fixed mental scheme or pattern in a creative manner. In fact, by this ability, we can use the power of thinking to form a different perspective with the purpose of generating alternative solutions to apparently insoluble problems of our entrepreneurial project management.

Imagination and problem solving: tools of creativity

As Albert Einstein said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge”. In fact, the knowledge we already have is often not enough to face properly an unforeseen obstacle: in order to go beyond it, we have to combine new elements and “think outside the box” for a more efficient, and looking-forward solution.
In this sense, imagination is a fundamental contribution to the problem-solving process, which is another indispensable requirement for a successful entrepreneurial project. Very briefly, Problem-solving is the ability of: defining clearly a problem; determining the cause of the problem itself; selecting alternatives and efficient solutions; implementing by priority the chosen solution(s).
So, through imagination and problem-solving, young entrepreneurs can elaborate new useful options to overcome the inevitable complications related to the different phases of an entrepreneurial project.

Training creativity

Regardless of the company’s specific target, creativity is important for young entrepreneurs in particular. In fact, in the younger audience, the tendency to creativity is often very alive but it risks being caged in the technical processes of a complex entrepreneurial scheme (even necessary for its correct development and for its success).
How keep this attitude alive? Firstly, it is necessary for young entrepreneurs to become clearly aware of this innate creative potential; secondly, it is important for them to cultivate, refine, and make it effective.
How? For example, by attending specific training to develop creativity skills – including the abilities of problem-solving and creative thinking – and by facing directly the concrete challenges of an entrepreneurial project.