My aim in this thesis is to tell the story/stories of how I arrived at a living theory of creativity which I shall call ‘knowledge transformation’. I explore this theory through ‘story’ as a methodology that connects both the creative writer and action researcher, and raises questions about self, reflective process and voice that are central to my enquiry. In telling these stories, I ask the question: what does it mean to be creative, as a writer, an educator and a manager? Is the nature of creativity transferable across each of these roles? How has this knowledge improved my practice as an educator? My examination leads to a theory of learning called ‘knowledge transformation’, which suggests that deep learning leads to change of both the learner and what is learnt. My premise is that ‘knowledge transformation’ involves the capacity to respond to challenge, self and other, and is central to the notion of creativity. I consider how far this capacity can be transferable, teachable and measurable in educational contexts, arriving at a notion of ‘scaffolded creativity’ which is demonstrated through practice in the higher academy. My journey towards and with this theory draws on my experience of four personae, the creative writer in and outside the academy, and the educator, team leader, and researcher within it; and explores the strategies and issues raised by bringing these roles and intelligences together. This theory of ‘knowledge transformation’ represents an aspirational contribution to our understanding of what it means to be ‘creative’. It explores how educational objectives can lead to deep learning and positive change. It also explores how values can be clarified in the course of their emergence and formed into living standards of judgment.

What is the nature and processes of creativity in small businesses? My fine-grained qualitative study of a small UK software business, GoTravel, suggests that such businesses often show tremendous creativity in the everyday processes they use to negotiate complex problems that their internal and external limitations induce. The empirical findings that I use to support this view are in three main parts. First, internal organisational problems, which seemed to restrict employee engagement in creative actions, provoked novel and appropriate — i.e. creative —actions by the small business in pursuing opportunities to access inputs they needed to build competitive software. Second, these actions entailed the tactical creation of fertile sites within collaborations held with product users in line with principles of agile software development, to enable activities relevant for accessing required inputs for building improved software. Third, within these sites, GoTravel advanced its creative actions by leading product users in ‘play’ activities with the purpose of accessing their inputs, which included their time, money, autonomy and actions, and ameliorating the disadvantaged position the small business occupied in the agile-inspired collaborations. To explicate my findings, I draw on the entrepreneurship literature, particularly work conducted to study processes that entrepreneurs use to orient themselves amid problems, while creating opportunities for establishing new ventures. Here, I focus specifically on spatial concepts Hjorth used to study how entrepreneurial processes unfold under constraining managerial orders, as well as insights from critical perspectives from the co-creation literature. I use these lenses to illuminate the tactical and creative actions that GoTravel manifested in the ways they reassigned ‘managerial orders’ in their software industry, which threatened their ability to access inputs from their product users into other uses — i.e. ‘spaces of play’. Here, they seemed to have ‘lured’ their product users into co-creation activities to accomplish goals for developing new products and, indeed, ‘conquer’ managerial orders in their external environments, even if temporarily. This study contributes to current research on organisational creativity by drawing attention to creativity inherent in the processes that small businesses use to negotiate problems they often confront in the journey to building novel and impactful solutions. In addition, I bring conceptual lenses from entrepreneurship, a field that is sympathetic to the characteristics of small businesses, particularly their constraints and limitations, to expand current knowledge we have of creativity by such businesses. My research also contributes to current valuable work on co-creation, especially in how organisations may use various forms of co-creation as a tactical and creative tool to address their own limitations.

A criatividade no design envolve um processo, que inclui tanto o processo cognitivo do indivíduo, quanto os processos de criação, de projeto e de comunicação. O pensamento criativo do indivíduo, com suas operações cognitivas e conhecimentos armazenados, permite a criação de novas conexões entre ideias. Entretanto, considerando uma perspectiva contextual e sistêmica, os pensamentos individuais serão também estimulados e influenciados por contextos sociais e trabalhos em grupos, nos quais as ideias são desenvolvidas também a partir da expressão e comunicação do pensamento do outro. Neste processo, o pensamento por analogias mostrou-se como um procedimento cognitivo fundamental para a formação de combinações e novas relações que são percebidas e então reorganizadas em uma ideia nova. Contudo, há lacunas a respeito do assunto, sobre como auxiliar esse tipo de pensamento nos indivíduos e que estratégias, métodos e estímulos podem ser utilizados em processo criativos em grupo. Nesse sentido, o objetivo desta tese é desenvolver um framework para auxiliar o processo criativo em design, centrando-se no pensamento por analogias, que identifique estratégias e mecanismos que apoiem esse processo em indivíduos e grupos de projeto. Para tanto, foi realizada uma revisão de literatura sobre criatividade, processo e pensamento criativo, bem como a respeito do pensamento por analogias e a sua ocorrência enquanto no pensamento criativo em design. A seguir, a fim de compreender o entendimento dos designers sobre o processo criativo e os facilitadores do pensamento por analogias na prática e no ensino do design, realizou-se a coleta de dados da investigação. A coleta foi realizada através de questionários virtuais para estudantes e docentes de design e de entrevistas semiestruturadas em escritórios de design. O grupo de sujeitos da pesquisa compreendeu designers brasileiros e portugueses, com diferentes níveis de experiência. Os dados obtidos foram analisados e triangulados com a análise da literatura, o que possibilitou o desenho de um modelo contendo os fatores críticos que influenciam a criatividade em grupos e indivíduos, um modelo do processo e pensamento criativo, a identificação de estratégias e mecanismos que podem auxiliar esse tipo de pensamento e, por fim, diretrizes para o desenho do framework conceitual. Com isso, foi desenvolvida uma primeira versão do framework, que foi avaliada com a realização de workshops com três grupos distintos de participantes, incluindo docentes, estudantes e profissionais de design. A partir das avaliações, aprimorou-se o framework conceitual, organizado em cinco etapas e contendo estratégias, ações, mecanismos, recomendações e sugestões de métodos, técnicas e ferramentas para auxiliar o processo criativo e o pensamento por analogias para a criação de conceitos em grupos de design. Dentre as ferramentas sugeridas, foi também desenvolvido um mapa visual, denominado canvas, a exemplo de ferramentas similares, contendo recomendações e questões-chave geradas a partir das estratégias do framework, a fim de auxiliar a sua aplicação na prática projetual. / Creativity in design involves a process that includes both the individual cognitive process as the creative, design and communication processes. The individual creative thinking, with their cognitive operations and knowledge stored, allows the creation of new connections between ideas. However, considering a contextual and systemic perspective, individual thoughts will also be stimulated and influenced by social context and work in groups in which ideas are also developed from the expression and communication of thought the other. In this process, the analogical thinking proved to be a key cognitive procedure for the formation of combinations and new relationships that are perceived and then reorganized into a new idea. However, there are gaps on the subject, how about helping this kind of thinking in individuals and strategies, methods and stimuli can be used in creative group process. In this sense, the objective of this thesis is to develop a framework to assist the creative process in design, focusing on thinking by analogies, identifying strategies and mechanisms to support this process in individuals and project groups. Therefore, there was a review of literature on creativity, process and creative thinking as well as about the thinking by analogies and their occurrence as cognitive process of design creative thinking. Next, in order to identify the understanding of the designers on the creative process and the facilitators of thinking by analogies in practice and design education, held the collection of research data. Data collection was conducted through virtual questionnaires for students and teachers design and semi-structured interviews in design offices. The sample consisted of Brazilian and Portuguese designers with different levels of experience. The data were analyzed and triangulated with the analysis of the literature, which enabled the design of a model containing the critical factors that influence creativity in individuals and groups, a model of the process and creative thinking, the identification of strategies and mechanisms that can assist this kind of thinking, and finally, guidelines for the design of the conceptual framework. Thus, a first version of the framework was developed, which was evaluated by conducting workshops with three different participating groups, including teachers, students and design professionals. From the assessments, improved the conceptual framework, organized into five steps and containing strategies, actions, mechanisms, recommendations and suggestions of methods, techniques and tools to assist the creative process and the thinking analogies to create concepts in groups of design. Among the suggested tools was also developed a visual map, called the canvas, like similar tools, containing recommendations and key issues generated from the framework of the strategies in order to assist their application in design practice.

The concept of Possibility Thinking (PT) has been investigated both conceptually and empirically for over a decade in early year settings and primary classrooms. The basic aim of this study was to investigate Cypriot primary teachers and how they nurture the PT of 9-10 year-old children by drawing on learning resources associated with museum visits. This PhD thesis had as a sample eight primary teachers with their students’ age 9-10 years and employed various data collection methods including semi-structured interviews, observations (field notes, video-recordings, still images), teachers’ reflections and the researcher’s reflective journals. This research builds on previous studies that have documented PT and the pedagogical strategies which foster it. The findings were compared with the existing literature and contribute to the field in a number of ways. Firstly, the findings offer an in-depth investigation of the PT features and argue that the features have a different range and they shape differently according to the characteristics of the observed group. Thus, the data revealed the existing PT features from the literature. Secondly, risk taking was not identified among the features. This study offers an explanation about the absence of risk-taking by proposing a new feature, giving as a result a solution to the problem of the existence of PT without the feature of risk-taking. Thirdly, the findings contribute to understanding how the teachers nurture students’ PT through alternative resources of learning like museum visits. This was achieved through the refinement of the existing pedagogies and the proposition of a new one, as well as the identification of three affordances that teachers perceive from the interactive programme in which the children participated. The study provides a starting point for further research on PT by drawing on learning resources associated with museum visits. This PhD thesis presents a model of pedagogy of PT linked with museum affordances identified from the data and ends with suggestions for further research.

O intuito deste trabalho foi o de, através da pesquisa sobre o processo criativo na Livre Improvisação, desenvolver estratégias de criação e explorar a palavra como agente potencializador nos processos de criação. Para compreender o fenômeno da criação na Livre Improvisação, buscamos alternativas metodológicas adaptando modelos de análise que permitissem uma aproximação coerente às artes performativas a partir do esclarecimento sobre os conceitos dos Processos de Criação e do Paradigma Indiciário. Da mesma forma, exploramos o significado da criatividade para a Livre Improvisação, demonstrando a importância de componentes de processo criativo como o imaginário, a criatividade, o risco e a invenção. Dessa forma, apresentamos como se deu o desenvolvimento de uma estratégia criativa a partir da palavra, vinculada às ações que envolvem os conceitos de ressonância emocional e endoconceitos como componentes do processo de criação relativo à Livre Improvisação. Para isso, contamos com um laboratório de experiências práticas, segundo os conceitos de processo criativo, o qual foi denominado ateliê. Apontamos a partir dos conceitos explorados e das experiências práticas, nosso caminho na formulação destas estratégias que apontam para diferentes perspectivas criativas para a Livre Improvisação. / The purpose of this study was to develop strategies to create and explore the word as a potentiating agent in the processes of creation, through research on the creative process in Free Improvisation. To understand the phenomenon of creativity in Free Improvisation, we seek methodological alternatives, adapting models of analysis that would allow a consistent approach to the performing arts from the clarification of the concepts of Creativity Process and Evidentiary Paradigm. Likewise, we explore the meaning of creativity to the Free Improvisation, demonstrating the importance of the creative process as components of the imagination, creativity, risk and invention. Thus, we present how they were developing a creative strategy from the word, linked to actions that involve the concepts of emotional resonance and endo-concepts as components of the creative process on the Free Improvisation. For this, we have a lab practical experience, according to the concepts of the creative process, which was named ateliê (studio). We aim to explore the concepts and practical experience, our way in formulating these strategies targeted at different creative perspectives to the Free Improvisation.

Genrich Saulovich Altshuller (☼1926 - †1998) pesquisou milhares de patentes com o objetivo de sistematizar o processo de solução de problemas. De sua pesquisa nasceu a TRIZ, Teoria para a Resolução de Problemas do Inventor. Ela é composta de várias ferramentas e métodos que foram validadas na Rússia na década de 1980. Na década seguinte a TRIZ migrou para o ocidente, principalmente para Alemanha e Estados Unidos, por meio de emigrantes russos que fugiam das dificuldades econômicas em seu país. A TRIZ é pouco conhecida no Brasil e não existe quase nenhuma literatura sobre ela em português. No capítulo 1 é apresentada a motivação para este trabalho. No capítulo 2 são apresentados os conceitos da teoria. No capítulo 3 suas ferramentas. Os capítulos 2 e 3 formam um compêndio da metodologia de Altshuller. No capítulo 4 é proposta uma maneira de utilizar a TRIZ e, em seguida, no capítulo 5, por meio de estudos de casos, avalia-se a metodologia para aplicação na indústria automotiva. No capítulo 6 o autor apresenta uma proposta para o treinamento e disseminação da metodologia dentro de uma empresa. Por fim, no capítulo 7, conclui-se que é possível auferir um diferencial positivo frente à concorrência com o uso da TRIZ, apesar da dificuldade em aprendê-la. / Genrich Saulovich Altshuller (☼1926 - †1998) search thousands of patents aimed on systematize the problem solving process, using creativity. This research leads to a set of tolls and methods to name TRIZ (Russian acronym) or TIPS (English acronym). These tools and methods were extensively validated by Altshuller and his students and collaborator during 80’s decade. Ten years late it was spread through the west by "triznik" migration. TRIZ isn’t well known in Brazil and there are a few literatures, almost any, in Portuguese. First chapter presents the motivation for this piece of work. Chapter 2 introduces TRIZ concepts and chapter 3 displays its tools. In the chapter 4 a way to use the Altshuller methodology is proposed. Chapter 5 shows three cases using TRIZ in an Automotive Industry. In the chapter 6, the author suggests a training format. Finally, chapter 7 concludes TRIZ is a good way to make profits, in spite of it’s learn difficulty.

Digital collections have been amassed by institutions and individuals for over two decades. Large collections are becoming increasingly available as resources for research, learning, creativity, and pleasure. However, the value of these collections can remain elusive. Systems and methods are needed to unlock the potential held within collections, to access the knowledge and to make new discoveries with the available information. The aim of this research is to identify and describe a system for interacting with large volumes of digital material that supports both learning and creative development. This is done by investigating the Disc Jockey (DJ) who works with electronic media files. DJs have worked with large digital collections since the birth of file sharing in the 1990s. Their activities necessitate a library system that supports retrieval, creative play, and public presentation of material. The investigation will develop a model of information interaction from their activities. To examine the practice, the research employs an autoethnographic diary study, video interviews, and a practice-led method that combines Grounded Theory with digital interface development. Findings indicate a model of interaction which facilitates learning through the development of a personal collection, and allows creative innovation through key information behaviours of selecting and mixing. The research distinguishes fundamental interface requirements that support the process, and demonstrates transferability of the model to other data representations.

Esta pesquisa traz como ponto de partida minhas experiências poéticas como bailarina da dança denominada Contato Improvisação; experiências estas que vão ao encontro de um corpo sensível, expressivo e sobretudo criativo, a partir do qual é possível a vivência da própria subjetividade no aqui e agora de cada relação e de cada situação. Assim, através deste mergulho em experiências corporais do Contato Improvisação, desenvolvo reflexões e questionamentos acerca de três eixos temáticos centrais: as supostas dualidades corpo-mente, habitual-criativo e eu-outro. Para dar respaldo a esta pesquisa, encontrei ressonâncias em autores como Merleau-Ponty na fenomenologia e Winnicott na psicanálise (além de Marion Milner e Gilberto Safra, entre outros) que convergem, cada um à sua maneira, para a compreensão de que a constituição do self se fundamenta no corpo e na relação com o outro (Winnicott), e de que é importante ao ser humano ter a vivência de ser o próprio corpo e de ser-no-mundo (Merleau-Ponty), desembocando na possibilidade de vivência da criatividade. Como desdobramento desta pesquisa, deixo que estas reflexões tragam questionamentos a respeito da prática clínica, abordando a experiência corporal, a criatividade e a relação paciente-terapeuta, a partir de breves relatos de algumas experiências que vivi no atendimento de pacientes. Assim, nesta dissertação, faço uma leitura do Contato Improvisação a partir de Merleau-Ponty e Winnicott, sem a pretensão de reduzir esta dança aos conceitos destes autores, mas sim como uma tentativa de colocar em palavras um pouco deste universo que é mais corporal, sensorial e poético; e quem sabe poder aprender um pouco sobre maneiras mais criativas de se relacionar com o próprio corpo, com o outro e com o mundo. Em uma espécie de dança entre o Contato Improvisação, Winnicott e Merleau-Ponty, o texto vai se constituindo a partir destes encontros e diálogos, para poder deixar surgir novas criações e novos voos na discussão dos temas desta dissertação / This researchs starting point are my poetic experiences as a dancer in the tecnique called Contact Improvisation. Such experiences meet a sensible body, expressive and creative above all, from which it becomes possible to live ones own subjectivity in the here and now of every relationship and situation. By means of this dive into the body experiences of Contact Improvisation, I develop thoughts and questions on three central topics: the alleged dualities body-mind, customary-creative and self-other. To give basis to the research, I found resonance in authors such as Merleau-Ponty of phenomenology and Winnicott of psychoanalysis (in addition to Marion Milner and Gilberto Safra, among others), who, each at their own way, converge around the idea that the self is grounded on the body and on the relationship with others (Winnicott), and that it is important for the human being to experience being the own body and being-in-the-world (Merleau-Ponty), thus enabling the experience of creativity. As an extension of this research, I have let those thoughts raise questions about the clinical practice by addressing concepts such as the body experience, creativity and patient-therapeut relationship on the basis of a brief reporting of some experiences that I had with patients. Therefore, in this dissertation I address the Contact Improvisation having Merleau-Ponty and Winnicott as basis, without the intention of placing this dance technique under the concepts of those two authors, but as an attempt of putting into words a small part of this more corporeal, sensorial and poetic universe, and maybe learn more about alternative ways of relating to ones own body, the others and the world. In the form of a dance between the Contact Improvisation, Winnicott and Merleau-Ponty, the work builds up from such encounters and dialogues to give room to new creations and new approaches to the topics of the present dissertation

A high school art teacher investigates the relationship of his religious beliefs with his notions of what it means to be creative. This Mormon teacher examines his religious and experiential life through self-study, by drawing from autoethnographic and hermeneutic phenomenological strategies. He believes that everyone, including himself and his students, has a creative potential. He also analyzes how his Mormon religion affects his view of creativity and how creativity has affected his behavior as a Mormon. The conclusions he reaches uncover the need for balance between his creative self and his Mormon self and outlines several ways to merge these two aspects of his life.

Computational creativity has been called the "final frontier" of artificial intelligence due to the difficulty inherent in defining and implementing creativity in computational systems. Despite this difficulty computer creativity is becoming a more significant part of our everyday lives, in particular music. This is observed in the prevalence of music recommendation systems, co-creational music software packages, smart playlists, and procedurally-generated video games. Significant progress can be seen in the advances in industrial applications such as Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, etc., but several problems persist. Of more general interest, however, is the question of whether or not computers can exhibit autonomous creativity in music composition. One of the primary challenges in this endeavor is enabling computational systems to create music that exhibits global structure, that can learn structure from data, and which can effectively incorporate autonomy and intention. We seek to address these challenges in the context of a modular machine learning framework called hierarchical Bayesian program learning (HBPL). Breaking the problem of music composition into smaller pieces, we focus primarily on developing machine learning models that solve the problems related to structure. In particular we present an adaptation of non-homogenous Markov models that enable binary constraints and we present a structural learning model, the multiple Smith-Waterman (mSW) alignment method, which extends sequence alignment techniques from bioinformatics. To address the issue of intention, we incorporate our work on structured sequence generation into a full-fledged computational creative system called Pop* which we show through various evaluative means to possess to varying extents the characteristics of creativity and also creativity itself.