This is a very god question because creativity has a large range of meanings on the one hand and a huge sum of organisational restrictions in work processes on the other hand.

Creativity can be understood as the competence to solve problems whereas a problem is defined as a challenge for which a solution actual is not available.

The proximity to innovation is given, but one has to distinguish between real innovations which are a new and better way to do something, only improving innovations of a given procedure or product and pseudo innovations which are a result of aggressive marketing.

Doing things in another than the proscribed way can be interpretated as successful problem solving, an error or failure or as abbreviated behaviour. An error is no problem as far as there is no damage. The history of science and technology is the story of learning from errors. But the rules of organisations demonstrate that there is only a small line between creativity and violation.

Thus, I recommend defining creativity for your purpose and to operationalize in a corresponding way. You cannot capture such a complex term as creativity in a sufficient and satisfying way.

Read this article

warm regards...

dear Nuray,

What are we looking for; what is creativity?

To measure creativity, the first thing to do is to define what we mean with creativity.

Creativity usually is described as something new, unusual, original and different. Creativity is used only in cases where there is a problem that cannot be solved in an easy (1+1=2) way, but where the problem needs a creative idea to solve it. But an idea alone is not enough; the idea generator needs to take action with a lot of passion to overcome obstacles and risks to really make it happen . And then there is also a difference between creativity and innovation. In organisations creativity is often described as the „fuzzy front end‟ whereas innovation is the area where ideas are turned into projects with people, budget and resources to make it happen. Creativity is the pre-innovation phase where there is just the brain that is working and where freedom is the major indicator. Innovation is the phase in which ideas are turned into new products, machines and/or services and where money and time start to be the major indicators.

There are many definitions of creativity. Here is a selection:

The Van Dale Dictionary says creativity is: 1) the Ability to reproduce [biologically], 2) a Measure of someone‟s creative power.

Gaspersz (Professor at the Nijenrode University in the Netherlands) says that creativity is the quality of individuals or groups of individuzals that leads to new expressions, new ways of seeing and new ideas.

Koestler (psychologist) describes creativity as bisociation: the moment at which one has a sudden insight into a problem-solving connection between two references that were not linked before.

Latour (science anthropologist) describes creativity as associologica: the ability of scientists to transfer the current and known order by creating new surprising links.

These definitions guide us to the areas where we can measure creativity.

Measuring creativity in an organisation can take place at the following levels:

1. Measuring creativity of the organisation

2. Measuring Idea Management

3. Measuring results of Problem Solving sessions

4. Measuring creativity in teams

5. Measuring creativity of individuals

6. Measuring creativity of ideas

7. Measuring the number of available sources of ideas

8. Measuring the level of emotions

Measuring four dimensions of Creativity in the Workplace

1. Fluency: how many responses a person, team or process can generate.

2. Flexibility: how many different types/categories of responses are generated.

3. Originality: how different are the responses from the norm.

4. Elaboration: how detailed are the responses.

http://www.appladesign.net/domains/create/documents/Self-audit_Questionnaire_586.pdf

Ref:

· https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332605539_Measuring_creativity_at_work; DOI:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341275876_How_to_measure_creativity_why_it_matters

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341183133_Measuring_Creativity

Measuring. Creativity at Work: Developing A Reward-For-Creativity Policy-MARK R. EDWARDS

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320268852_Measuring_Creativity

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320268852_Measuring_Creativity

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279258665_Measuring_Creative_Work_-_the_European_experience

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347448208_Designing_a_Video_Game_to_Measure_Creativity

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344456731_Measuring_Creativity_An_Account_of_Natural_and_Artificial_Creativity

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322858101_Methodological_Issues_in_Measuring_Creativity_A_Systematic_Literature_Review

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325070288_Measuring_Creative_Self-efficacy_and_Creative_Personal_Identity

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233521749_Crunching_creativity_an_attempt_to_measure_creative_employment

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343448637_Proposal_for_an_index_to_measure_creativity_in_urban-cultural_destinations

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290960641_Measuring_Creativity_in_the_EU_Member_States

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321873988_Engineering_Creativity_-_How_To_Measure_It

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347548310_Measuring_creativity_and_critical_thinking_in_primary_school

best wishes

Sandeep

A few thoughts. If you were to visit a facility and wanted to figure out if it had "creativity" what would you look for? What would Dilbert cartoons posted on the walls tell you? What would seeing workers in collaboration spaces having spirited discussions tell you? These observable conditions and behaviors could help formulate these survey questions.

Also, what would you ask the workers as you talk to them? Are they "Happy" in the job. Do they feel their inputs are valued. Are there inputs implemented? What is a recent example of a "creative" effort you or a team you are in recently worked on? What does the word 'creativity" mean to you?

By the way, many of these questions are based upon the "Red Pen / Blue Pen Exercise" by In2InThinking.