How to Get Better at Picking Creative Ideas


credit: leancor

Justin M. Berg, assistant professor at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, investigates an understudied part of the creative process in a new paper that appears in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.

Berg conducted five experiments in which participants tackled creative projects, like devising an innovative piece of fitness equipment or a mechanism to keep people from falling asleep in self-driving cars.

He tested how well people were able to assess the potential creativity of their ideas. Berg found when participants spent only a little time developing their ideas, their predicted rankings remained correct. When they spent more time fleshing out their ideas, the idea they thought was their second best actually finished the highest in creativity.

Researchers also asked independent raters to judge how abstract each idea was. Berg found that the ideas initially ranked second in terms of creativity were also more abstract than the ideas ranked first.

Taking cue from the study, Berg offers simple takeaways when developing new ideas when opting for initial ideas that are more concrete, developing two rather than one idea to maturity, and not sharing a more abstract idea unless there is certainty in it.

Read the Entire Article


Selected Grant News Headlines

A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.

Legacy Foundation Grants $25000 To Local Non Profits

The Legacy Foundation in Ottumwa, Iowa, is putting its money where its mouth is. The foundation has awarded $25,000 in grants to six local nonprofits, including $10,000 to the Cardinal Youth...more

Pee Wee Homes to Receive a $40,000 Grant from Secu

A tiny-home nonprofit in North Carolina is getting $40,000 over the next two years to build three new homes for homeless people. Pee Wee Homes will use the funds to hire a property or...more

Legacy Announces $25000 in Nonprofit Grants

The Legacy Foundation in Ottumwa, Iowa, is putting its money where its mouth is. The nonprofit has awarded $25,000 in grants to six local nonprofits, including $10,000 to the Cardinal Youth...more

Pressr: Weyay Bank Launches Podcast to Spark Conversations on Kids' Financial ...

A bank in Kuwait is trying to make it as easy as possible for kids to get their hands on money. Weyay Bank has launched a podcast called Jeel, in which kids between the ages of 8 and 14 discuss...more

Accelerating Government Efficiency through Advanced Technologies and Innovation

When it comes to getting a driver's license in the US, there's a lot of red tape. In fact, more than half of the country's DMV offices are still manual, according to a new report from the...more

7.4 Representative Jennifer Mcclellan Talks Climate Resilience and Environmental Justice ...

Virginia Rep. Jennifer McClellan is the first black woman elected to Congress from her home state, and she's also the first black woman to represent it in the House of Representatives. But...more

Texas Apparel Company and Digital Asset Advocacy Nonprofit File Suit Against the ...

When Beba, a startup based in Waco, Texas, offered customers a chance to buy exclusive products at a reduced price with its digital token, BEBA, it didn't think much about the Securities and...more

Nonprofit Mission Statements: 30 Examples of Brands Who Are Crushing It [Infographic]

If you're in the market for a new website, you might want to check out this list of 30 nonprofit mission statements, rounded up by Nonprofit World. They're great if you're in the market for a new...more

Senior Director, Global Communications

One of the world's most prominent anti-poverty groups is looking for a senior director of global communications to help it "catch the moment" and "lift up the diversity of IPA's voices," Fortune...more

Emory Initiative for Arts and Humanistic Inquiry Awards New Grants for Creative Programming

Atlanta's Emory University is putting its money where its mouth is. Per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the university's provost announced this week that the Bill and Carol Fox Center for...more


Here are the star companies that have succeeded in their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. The companies were gathered by Civic 50, a national initiative to survey and rank S&P 500 corporations on how they engage with the communities they serve and utilize best practices in their corporate cultures.




Human Services Jobs

  Social Work Jobs
  Substance Abuse Jobs
  Social Work Jobs
  Foundation Related Jobs
  Fundraising & Development Jobs


Federal Government Grant and Assistance Programs


Federal Employment Assistance for Veterans | Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program | Higher Education_Institutional Aid | Strengthening Emergency Care Delivery in the United States Healthcare System through Health Informat | Cultural Resources Management | Rehabilitation Services_Vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States | Cultural, Technical and Educational Centers | Economic Adjustment Assistance | | Site Style by YAML | Grants.gov | Grants | Grants News | Sitemap | Privacy Policy

Edited by: Michael Saunders

© 2008-2024 Copyright Michael Saunders