Creativity in Research: Cultivate Clarity, Be Innovative, and Make Progress in your Research Journey

by Nicola Ulibarri, Amanda E. Cravens, Anja Svetina Nabergoj, Sebastian Kernbach, Adam Royalty

Overview

Creativity is at the heart of successful research, yet researchers are rarely taught how to manage their creative process, and modern academic life is not structured to optimize creativity. Creativity in Research provides concrete guidance on developing creativity for anyone doing or mentoring research. Based on a curriculum developed at Stanford University's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, this book presents key abilities that underlie creative research practice through a combination of scientific literature on creative confidence, experiential exercises, and guided reflection. By focusing attention on how research happens as well as its outputs, researchers increase their ability to address research challenges and produce the outputs they care about. Simultaneously, they may also transform their emotional relationship with their work, replacing stress and a harsh inner critic with a more open and emotionally empowered attitude.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781108706117
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/01/2019
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Nicola Ulibarri is an assistant professor in Urban Planning and Public Policy at University of California, Irvine. Her research investigates the environmental, social, and regulatory dimensions of infrastructure planning and management.

Amanda E. Cravens is a research social scientist for a US federal agency. She cofounded the Research as Design project to adapt design thinking training for researchers with Nicola Ulibarri, Anja Svetina Nabergoj, and Adam Royalty when she realized how much her past experience as a web designer was influencing her scholarship.

Anja Svetina Nabergoj is a lecturer at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University, California, where she teaches graduate classes and Executive Education programs. She also works with Fortune 500 companies on building their capacity for innovation.

Sebastian Kernbach is a lecturer, project manager, and researcher at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland, and a visiting fellow at Stanford University, California. He is the founder of the Visual Collaboration Lab (vicola.org) and the Life Design Lab (lifedesignlab.ch) in Switzerland.

Adam Royalty is Lead Design Research Investigator at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University, California. He also founded the Columbia Entrepreneurship Design Studio, which amplifies peoples' problem-solving capacity through design.

Table of Contents

1. The creativity at the heart of your research; Part I. Develop Your Creative Abilities: 2. Mind your process and be intentional; 3. Use emotions to diagnose problems and move forward; 4. Solve the right problem; 5. Iterate and experiment; Part II. Cultivate Conditions that Support Creativity: 6. Choose your language and stories; 7. Manage your energy; 8. Make your research a team sport; Part III. Bring the Abilities into Your Office or Lab: 9. Integrate the creative abilities, part 1; 10. Integrate the creative abilities, part 2; 11. 30-day creativity-in-research program for individuals or groups; 12. Mentoring creativity; 13. Conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

‘This book strikes an excellent balance between research and practice. It is perfect for people who draw on research findings to improve their research, which should be everyone. The authors get full marks for doing their homework and identifying a range of specific methods, justified by research, that will indeed support the creativity of researchers.' Mark A. Runco, Director of Creativity Research and Programming, Southern Oregon University

‘The goals, content, and clarity of this book are excellent. The chapters offer compelling insights and hands-on exercises for nurturing creativity in research. It will be a valuable and welcome contribution to the literature on promoting creativity among students and scholars working in several different fields.' Daniel Stokols, Chancellor's Professor Emeritus, University of California and author of Social Ecology in the Digital Age

‘Creativity in Research is a resource I'll share with all my students and colleagues. It's incredibly useful for all of us.' Pamela Matson, Goldman Professor, Stanford University, California

From the Publisher