On the emergence and management of paradoxical tensions: The case of architectural firms

Paradoxical tensions are pervasive and unavoidable in the everyday practice of creativity-based contexts, such as architectural firms. Whilst the existing literature has extensively explored both coping strategies and multiple ways of approaching paradoxical tensions, we still have a limited understanding of how individuals engage with paradoxical tensions and how organizations support their members' efforts to sustain such tensions. Accordingly, my purpose here is to explore paradoxical tensions in the context of architectural firms and explain how firms and their members make sense of these tensions. I use a multiple case study to investigate empirically the salient paradoxical tensions central to architectural firms and to develop an understanding of what makes them salient. I explain how triggers evoke latent tensions and make them salient and also outline salient paradoxical tensions prevalent within this context. In exploring how architectural firms and their members make sense of these tensions, I outline and explain the importance of a paradoxical mindset, a paradoxical practice, and supporting organizational arrangements. I conclude by discussing the interplay among mindsets, practices, and arrangements as an organizing platform—a conceptual framework that future studies could explore further.     

Does applying design thinking result in better new product concepts than a traditional innovation approach? An experimental comparison study

Both practitioners and researchers have developed various approaches to support product development teams in their creative process of generating new and valuable product concepts. A key concern of all innovation approaches is to translate the needs, wants and aspirations of users and customers into product and service solutions that match the underlying needs. Many existing innovation approaches focus predominantly on the translation process itself by providing support for aggregating data and making trade-off decisions between user preferences traceable. For that reason, we label these approaches user preference-driven. In contrast, over the last two decades, design thinking (DT) has emerged as an approach that assumes knowledge of user needs information to be fuzzy and unreliable; it addresses this challenge by focusing on developing user experiences through empathic in-depth user research and iterative prototyping. Consequently, we label approaches such as DT user experience-driven. Although DT has generated particular interest among both practitioners and educators, the academic literature investigating the usefulness of DT remains scarce. To help close this gap, we study the performance implications of applying DT processes and tools in terms of new product concept creativity relative to applying a traditional innovation approach. Using an experimental design and collecting quantitative data from 53 teams and their projects, we find that teams applying DT outperform the control group that applies an alternative innovation approach, namely quality function deployment (QFD), in terms of the feasibility, relevance and specificity of concepts, but not the novelty. We discuss the implications of our findings for theory and practice.     

A means to an end: Using political satire to go viral

With the rise of video sharing giants like Youtube and Google Video, coupled with increased broadband connectivity and improved sharing functionality across social networking sites, the role of the viral video has been cemented in many IMC strategies. While most agree about the importance of better understanding viral marketing, there is less agreement about what makes content become viral. While some content gets viewed by millions of people, others struggle to gain viral traction. Content specific, intrapersonal and interpersonal reasons have been proposed for viral marketing success. This paper focuses on the intrapersonal reasons for content going viral in the context of political satire. More specifically, the role of emotion in the spread of content online, is investigated. Political satire focuses on gaining entertainment from politics. Satire, and specifically political satire, forms part of using humour in advertising and has been influential in shifting public opinion since ancient Greece. This study compares success and unsuccessful viral campaigns that used political satire, by first analysing the online comments that viewers made about the video. Following these findings, an experiment is conducted and the influence of intensity, creativity, humour and utility on virality is modelled, controlling for valence and previous exposure. The findings suggest that, when using political satire in viral campaigns, creativity and the intensity of the emotions felt are key influencing factors in whether videos get “shared” or “liked”. Therefore, while many authors contend that particular emotions or positive content has a greater likelihood to become viral, this paper shows that it is not the particular emotion, but the intensity with which that emotion was felt that drives viral success.     

基于学生创新能力与素质教育的机电课程教学改革

教与学是大学教育的两个基本方面,通过教学改革建立激发学生自主提高创新能力与素质的机制,是实现学生创新能力培养与素质教育的关键。更新教育理念,改革课程设置及其相应的考核方式。研究表明,激发学生学习与创新的自主性,对培养学生创新能力、提高学生素质可起到重要的促进作用。     

新媒体技术下的网络广告创意表现

新媒体是移动互联网时代新的大众媒介手段,依托网络技术革命广泛地影响人们的生活活动,具有全新的传媒特点。本文分析了从Webl．0到Web3．0互联网技术的广告创意表现,论述了依托技术创新导致的广告传媒的变化,提出了新媒体技术下如何有效的实施品牌广告创意表现,对于广告创意研究和创意设计有参考意义。     

编辑与作者的创造性合作关系

编辑与作者的关系看似是个小问题,实则是个大问题,因为二者相互依存,缺一不可。就编辑而言,要尊重编辑对象,即识和氏璧,认千里马,编好文稿;就作者来说,要理解编辑工作,提供优秀作品,虚心接受改稿,理性面对退稿。编辑和作者的理想关系形态应该是朋友式的平等对话关系,应该是良性互动的创造性合作关系;同时,要避免二者之间的紧张关系、金钱关系和人情关系。     

Weaving the Diverse ‘Seeds’ of Knowledge

Inspiration in the journey through my academic career has come from diverse sources and been enriched through continual reflection. The disciplines of anthropology and human ecology have been only one source of ideas. The other source of enrichment is the domain of local knowledge—the product of the local people's struggles to stay alive in a changing environment. Through hard work they strive for improved prosperity and a more sustainable environment; from them I learned the meaning of life.

M. Junus Melalatoa's ethnographic poem entitled Cipayung Petang (1987) in Winarto & Sulistiawati 2006, p. 35) appropriately represents my reflection:

Mana lebih bahagia What makes us happier

memandang petani to see the farmer

dari balik kaca from behind the window glass

atau berkaca pada petani or to reflect through the farmer

tentang diri kita. on ourselves     

创新型广告人才创造力结构培养的实证研究

创造力是创新型广告人才的核心能力,国内广告行业的环境剧变对广告人才应具备的创造力提出了新的要求。如何适应市场需求进行创新型广告人才培养模式的调整,是我国高校广告学专业的当务之急。文章从创造心理学家Sternberg的“创造力三维模型”理论切入,结合现代广告业的整合营销传播理论,构建广告人才创造力结构模型,并根据此模型从广告业和高校双向采集实态数据,运用SPSS社会科学统计软件包分析数据,最后基于分析,从内隐学习与外显学习理论的角度为高校完善广告人才创造力培养模式提出了建议。     

试论大学生个性塑造与创造力的培养

创造力包括创新精神和实践能力两个方面 ,影响学生创新精神和实践能力的因素是多方面的 ,其中个性因素是最核心的因素。个性倾向性影响大学生创新活动的内容和动力 ,个性心理特征影响大学生创新活动的特点和效果 ,高创造力者与低创造力者具有显著的个性差异。培养大学生的创新精神和实践能力应从培养大学生健全的个性入手     

论中国的改革开放与马克思主义的关系

群众性、实践性、创新性是中国改革开放的突出特征，也是马克思主义的固有品格。马克思主义指导、促进着中国的改革开放；中国的改革开放验证、发展着马克思主义，马克思主义与中国的改革开放在中国人民的伟大实践中相互促进、不断创新、共同发展。