ENTREPRENEURSHIP RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

KADUNA STATE UNIVERSITY, KADUNA

_______________________ ENT 211: ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION

MODULE 2: ENTREPRENEURIAL THINKING.

Unit 1: Creative thinking
Introduction.
This unit aimed at introducing students to creative thinking as one of the keys entrepreneurial
thinking’s. In order to credibly achieve that, the units started by explaining the concept of
creative thinking, was able to discuss its dimensions which led to the identification and
explanation of its characteristics. It also states and discuss creative methods in solving life
problems then negative attitudes that block creative thinking were explored and finally, Myths
about Creative thinking and Problem Solving were as well explained.

Understanding Creative thinking:

• Creative thinking can be defined as the art of generating solution to problem by the force
of imagination and reasoning. It is an activity of the mind seeking to find answers to
some of life’s questions.

• It is the process of merging ideas which have not been merged before and using the
ideas of others as a stimulus for one’s own idea which involves; ability, an attitude and a
process by using special techniques to develop new ideas.

• Refers to the ability to brainstorm fresh and innovative ideas by ditching established
rules, thoughts or theories as well as piecing information in new and imaginative ways in
solving life problems.

• Creative thinking focuses on exploring ideas, generating possibilities, looking for many
right answers rather than just one

Dimensions of Creative Thinking:

• Synthesizing: This dimension includes various activities such as getting benefit from
analogous thinking, deducing original result from small parts, presenting novel and
authentic suggestions to the solution of the problem.

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 • Articulation: It involves forming the old and new knowledge or expanding the current
knowledge with the help of the new one, constructing unusual relationship to produce
authentic solutions and making thoughts concrete with the help of imagination and use
of the materials.

• Imagination: This dimension is consisted of constructing relationship between valid and

reliable thoughts, presenting flexible ways of thought with the help of imagination, to
come up with different insights during idea producing process.

Characteristics of creative thinking

• Flexibility
• Authenticity
• Multiple thinking
• Wondering
• Thinking fast and independent
• To be open to criticism
• Rationalism
• Being suspicious
• To come up with different solutions
• To realize and define the problem

• To suggest possible solutions

Creative Methods:

1. Evolution - This is the method of incremental improvement. New ideas stem from
other ideas, new solutions from previous ones, the new ones slightly improved over
the old ones. Many of the very sophisticated things we enjoy today developed through
a long period of constant incrementation.
2. Synthesis - With this method, two or more existing ideas are combined into a third,
new idea.
3. Revolution - Sometimes the best new idea is a completely different one, a marked
change from the previous ones.

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 4. Reapplication - Look at something old in a new way. Go beyond labels. To remove
prejudices, expectations and assumptions and discover how something can be
reapplied.
5. Changing Direction - Many creative breakthroughs occur when attention is shifted
from one angle of a problem to another. This is sometimes called creative insight
(Harris, 2012).

Negative Attitudes that Block Creative Thinking:

1. Oh no, a problem! The reaction to a problem is often a bigger problem than the
problem itself. Many people avoid or deny problems until it is too late, largely
because these people have never learned the appropriate emotional, psychological,
and practical responses to situations and problems.
2. It can't be done. This attitude is, in effect, surrendering before the battle. By
assuming that something cannot be done or a problem cannot be solved, a person
gives the problem a power or strength it didn't have before.

3. I can't do it. Or there's nothing I can do. Some people think, well may be the
problem can be solved by some expert, but not by me because I'm not (a) smart
enough. Who were the Wright brothers that they could invent an airplane? Aviation
engineers? No, they were bicycle mechanics. The ball point pen was invented by a
printer's proofreader, Ladislao Biro, not a mechanical engineer. Major advances in
submarine design were made by English clergyman G. W. Garrett and by Irish
schoolmaster John P. Holland. The cotton gin was invented by that well known
attorney and tutor, Eli Whitney. The fire extinguisher was invented by a captain of
militia, George Manby.

4. But I'm not creative. Everyone is creative to some extent. Most people are capable of
very high levels of creativity; just look at young children when they play and imagine.
The problem is that this creativity has been suppressed by education.

5. That's childish. In our effort to appear always mature and sophisticated, we often
ridicule the creative, playful attitudes that marked our younger years.
6. What will people think? There is strong social pressure to conform and to be
ordinary and not creative.
7. I might fail. Thomas Edison, in his search for the perfect filament for the
incandescent lamp, tried anything he could think of, including whiskers from a
friend's beard. In all, he tried about 1800 things. After about 1000 attempts,

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 someone asked him if he was frustrated at his lack of success. He said something like,
“I have gained a lot of knowledge” (Harris, 2012).

Myths about Creative Thinking and Problem Solving

1. Every problem has only one solution (or one right answer). The goal of problem solving
is to solve the problem, and most problems can be solved in any number of ways.
2. The best answer/solution/method has already been found. Look at the history of any
solution set and you will see that improvements, new solutions, new right answers, are always
being found.

3. Creative answers are complex technologically. Only a few problems require complex
technological solutions. Most problems you will meet with require only a thoughtful solution
requiring personal action and perhaps a few simple tools.

4. Ideas either come or they don't. Nothing will help. There are many successful
techniques for stimulating idea generation (Harris, 2012).

Unit 2: Critical Thinking:

Introduction.
This unit aimed at introducing students to critical thinking as one of the keys entrepreneurial
thinking’s. In order to basically understand it well, the units underway by explaining the
concept of critical thinking, was able to discuss its processes which led to the identification and
explanation of its characteristics. It also outlined discuss some of the roles/duties of a good
critical thinker and finally, some of the key advantages of critical thinking skills were explained

Understanding Critical Thinking:

Critical thinking is the ability to use careful evaluation or judgment in the face of stress in order
to find possible solutions by exploring all the factors that may be influencing the problem
(stress).

Critical thinking is that mode of thinking - about any subject, content, or problem - in which the
thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the structures
inherent in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them

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Critical thinking is much of the thinking done in formal education. It emphasizes the skills of
analysis--teaching students how to understand claims, follow or create a logical argument,
figure out the answer, eliminate the incorrect paths and focus on the correct one.

It refers to an art of looking at the big picture before making any moves where time is needed in
considering each of their options, and thoroughly analyze every choice to be made even for
something as simple as choosing coffee or tea

Processes of Critical thinking

• Evaluation: using logic to understand the problem before coming up with a solution
• Assessment: considering possible outcomes before making a decision
• Categorization: putting different solutions together based on similarity before selecting
one
• Reasoning: using logic to make decisions rather than creativity

Characteristics of Critical Thinking

• Reasoning and suspecting
• Looking at situations from multiple perspectives and dimensions
• To be open to changes and innovations
• To look at thoughts without prejudices
• Being open minded
• Thinking analytically
• Paying attention to details
• People who are critical thinkers think freely and independently
• People don’t behave without thinking
• Individuals can state the problem explicitly

Roles (duties) of a Good Critical thinker

• Raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely;
• Gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively
comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria
and standards;
• Thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing,
as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and

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 • Communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems

Advantages of critical thinking skills

• Problem analysis: The ability to analyze problem situations and identify the significance
of key/critical data elements. A strongly skilled problem solver uses analysis and
interpretation skills to determine the issues that must be addressed and to understand
the complexities of the problem.
• Evaluating alternatives: The ability to evaluate options accurately and establish
priorities. A successful business professional can differentiate the quality of different
possible choices and explain the reasons for their decisions.

• Decision-Making in Precise contexts: The deductive reasoning skills necessary to

anticipate outcomes and see logical consequences. Effective business professionals need
to be able to see applications and implications of executive directives, company policies
and regulations

• Decision-Making in Ambiguous contexts: Problem solving in contexts of risk, ambiguity

and uncertainty. Strength in inductive and inferential reasoning lead problem solvers to
determine the solution that has the strongest likelihood of success, given information at
hand.

• Decision-Making in Quantitative contexts: The ability to reason well in contexts

involving numerical data. Business problem solvers must demonstrate the ability to
interpret and evaluate vital information presented in a variety of numerical formats in
order to reach an optimal problem solution

Unit 3: Reflective thinking

Introduction.
This unit aimed at introducing students to reflective thinking as one of the keys entrepreneurial
thinking’s. In order to essentially understand it well, the units underway by explaining the
concept of reflective thinking as explain by scholar, was able to discuss the Cycle of an
entrepreneurial reflective thinker which was followed by Strategies for Developing a reflective insight
as were itemized and explained and finally, some of the benefits of reflective thinking were explained

Understanding Reflective thinking

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 • Reflective thinking refers to taking the bigger picture and understanding all of its
consequences. It means truly trying to understand why you did what you did, and why
that's important.

• Dewey (1933) defines reflective thinking as an active, persistent, and careful

consideration of a belief or supposed form of knowledge, of the grounds that support
that knowledge, and the further conclusions to which that knowledge leads.
Examples of Reflective Thinking
• People often keep a journal in order to write about their experiences and make sense of
them. For example, Jessica and her boyfriend have been having several disagreements
lately, and she’s upset about the situation. By having the ability to express her feelings
and see the bigger picture (their future together, the cause of their fights, and what
makes him happy), she is practicing reflective thinking and providing herself with a
rewarding mental activity.
• Another example of reflective thinking would be in a class. A science teacher spends an
hour teaching about a specific concept. Students are then given a few minutes to write a
reflective piece about what they’ve learned, including any questions they may have. By
giving them the chance to reflect on the material, they can not only remember it, but
also truly understand it.
• An example of reflective practice is an athlete who, after every practice, thinks about
what they did well, what they did badly, why they did things the way they did, and what
they can do in the future to improve their performance.

Cycle of an entrepreneurial reflective thinker

• Plan: Based on the wider context, theory, models of knowledge and practice, previous
experience etc. think carefully about how others have performed similar tasks and use
this understanding to develop, modify, change, adapt, and then formulate an action
plan for the promising idea or venture in anticipation.

• Act: Apply the method or approaches developed in the Plan, with a client or situation.
Maintain self-awareness. Be prepared to creatively adapt and change goals as you go
along - while keeping entrepreneurial plan in mind.

• Observe: As soon as possible, review the session and entrepreneurial observations of

what happened, the effects on the client or situation and on oneself. Produce an
accurate and objective description of the event.

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 • Reflect: Reflect upon and evaluate the session and one’s actions. Analyze your own
experience of what you did and how you did it. Reflect on the strengths and weaknesses
of your actions, identify problems and issues for investigation, develop your insight.
There is no correct answer and some things may remain difficult to interpret. Did you
achieve your plan? Did your goals change? How did your actions affect the situation and
how did the situation affect you? How do your observations fit with the theories you
have read?
• Plan again…: Formulate a new action plan based on your experience in the previous
situation or session with the client. Use the outcomes of your reflection, rethinking and
reinterpreting. Include the wider context of theory, models of knowledge and practice.

Strategies for Developing a reflective insight

• Stand back from the events and try to be objective
• Be critical of your own actions
• Think of alternative explanations of events
• Make use of evidence from a range of sources e.g. theories
• Recognize that your own point of view will change with time
• Discuss with others to deepen your insight and
• explore a range of perspectives

Benefits of Reflective Thinking

• Develop a questioning attitude and new perspectives: Reflective thinking can help a
business become more open-minded towards innovative ideas around and better
understand where they are coming from.
• Identify areas for Change & Improvement: Reflective thinking is key to making
improvements, both on a personal and professional level as well as prospect of the
venture. By becoming more self-aware of promising ideas and understanding the
venture to know where to best focus on.
• Respond effectively to New Challenges: Being a reflective thinker can make
entrepreneur more motivated since he/she will truly understand what are trying to
achieve, and why. In turn are likely to be willing to take on new challenges and fear
them less.
• Application of learnt Knowledge to Other Situations: Reflective thinkers know how to
extend their understanding of situations to other topics and experience, relating new
concepts to past experiences, making idea overall more informed and confident.

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REFERENCES

Okpara, F.(2005).The Practice of Entrepreneurship, Precision Publishers Limited, Enugu, Nigeria.

Robert E. Franken (2012). What is Creativity. Retrieved from [Link]/
vcpsy00h/creat iv i ty /def [Link] . Human Mot ivat ion, 3rd Edition.
California State University, Northridge

Robert Harris (2012). Introduction to Creative Thinking.

Retrieved from [Link]/[Link]

Runco, Mark A.; Albert, Robert S. (2010). Creative Research. In James C. Kaufman and Robert
S. Sternberg. The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-
521-73025-9
Sternberg, Robert J. (2006). The Nature of Creativity. Creativity research Journal 18 (1): 87-98

Sternberg, Robert J. (2009). Jamie A. Perkins, Dan Moneypenny, Wilson Co. ed. Cognitive
Psycology. CENGAGE Learning. pp 468. ISBN 978-0-495-50629-4

[Link]/what-is-creativity/