THE PHILIPPINES can become one of the most successful developing countries in the world—if Filipinos can develop their creativity.

This is according to Frederik Hären, speaker of the Business Creativity Seminar held on August 10.  The seminar was organized by the Management of Applied Chemistry Association (MACA).

Hären is the author of The Idea Book, a book on business creativity.  It was sold in 40 countries and published in 10 languages.

Idea perception

Hären began the talk by defining what an idea is.  “An idea is when one person takes two formerly known things and combines them in a new way,” he said.

Because of the increasing amount of knowledge and information that people have access to today, there is an increasing demand for creativity and innovation. “The world today is experiencing an explosion in creativity and innovation and discovery,” he added.

According to Hären, however, the problem is that most people do not know how to see new ideas and figure out how to use these ideas. “Most people suck at this,” he said.

To illustrate his point, Hären asked the audience to answer the question, “If phone companies started doing cars, what would the car do?”

The audience gave answers such as having a touch pad as an ignition and using a pin code instead of car keys.  Hären previously gave the same exercise on Volvo’s Research and Development  branch but “they just couldn’t do it [give answers quickly].”

Developed vs. developing

In terms of creativity, developing countries like the Philippines have an advantage over developed countries such as the United States, said Hären.

One advantage is that the developing world can see change.  While Asian countries have changed for the past 20 years, Hären said that “Europe is standing still, just like a puddle… [of] dead water.”

Developing countries also have a knowledge advantage over developed countries.  “You know about your world, and you know about ours,” he added.

With this knowledge advantage, Hären said, “You have the ability to take things from two cultures and making the best of each, combining them into something new.”

Management with Applied Chemistry Association President Mikki Galang was “amazed” at Hären’s statement. “Coming from a Swedish person… if this is heard by all Filipinos and aspiring entrepreneurs, it would definitely give hope to develop that potential,” he said.

Developing creativity

Hären added further that creativity doesn’t just come just because one has potential to be creative.

“Creativity doesn’t come just because you have knowledge and information.  You have to learn how to develop it,” he added.

He also said not to rely on the professor or the university.  “It’s up to you yourself to develop your creativity.”

Hären concluded by saying that in order to develop creativity, one should go back to the definition of an idea, which was to take knowledge and information one has access to and combine it into something new.

“You’re not stuck in how things are done or should be done; you look at how it could be done. And that is creativity,” he said.

Creativity advantage

Junior Adelene Aragon found the seminar fun.  “[The topic is something that you know about], but it makes you realize that you have to give it [creativity] more importance.”

Aragon also learned about the importance of creativity.  “You have the potential and the advantage, and if you use that advantage and apply it, then it will benefit you a lot.”

Galang, meanwhile, said that the talk was “very revealing, stirring and out-of-the-box.”

“After the event, I felt like a new person with that inner creativity and passion to think differently and act differently.”