Disney Creativity and Innovation Course

Contact: College Program Education

Suite #703, Vista Way Tel: (407) 827-1244
P.O. Box 10000 Fax: (407) 560-8899
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Disney Creativity And Innovation Course (44 contact hours)

Credit Recommendation: In the upper division baccalaureate degree category, three semester hours in
creativity and innovation. (8/17)

The Disney Creativity and Innovation Course combines theory and experiential assignments to introduce
students to the main concepts of creativity and innovation. It will explore their crucial importance to individuals,
organizations, and the entrepreneurial process. Students will learn various tools to promote creativity within
themselves and others, processes to increase innovation, how to contribute to a creative team, how to
manage creativity, and how to establish a culture of creativity within an organization. As a result, students
should have greater understanding of and appreciation for the creative/innovative processes and be better
able to harness and direct those forces for themselves and others. This course prepares students to contribute
in a unique and productive way to today’s entrepreneurial and organizational demands.

Learning Objectives
After completing this course, the students should be able to:
 Develop new products, using “intersectional” thinking.
 Design an innovation, product, process or service utilizing key aspects of the innovative process.
 Demonstrate an understanding of the 7 Levels of Change.
 Evaluate the importance of creativity and innovation for entrepreneurial and corporate growth.
 Analyze and differentiate between the components of the creative person, process, product, and
environment.
 Assess creative development and prescribe a plan of action to enhance the ability to think more
creatively and foster innovation.
 Analyze major barriers to creativity and innovation in the workplace.
 Apply four primary tools for encouraging individual and group creativity.
 Identify primary management techniques which facilitate creativity and innovation.
 Describe ways an organization can encourage and discourage a culture of creativity and innovation.

Course Requirements

Attendance:
Attendance is required for all of the Disney College Program Creativity and Innovation: Gaining the Edge
Course classes. This is an interactive course that requires each student's full involvement. All students will be
allowed two absences (student does not need to call instructor). On the third absence the student will
automatically be dropped from the course. Any absences will affect the student’s final grade and students will
be accountable for all material and assignments covered in that class.

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Part of The Disney Creativity & Innovation Course
Required Textbook and Materials:

Textbook (to be purchased prior to class)

Smith, R (2007). The Seven Levels of Change: Different thinking for different results. (3rd ed.). Reading,
Pennsylvania: Tapestry Press.

Materials (covered by course fee)

Team Dimensions Profile v. 3.0.1 (1995). Minneapolis, Minnesota: Inscape Publishing.

Grading Policy:

Imaginary Interview…………………………………….10%
Success Kaleidoscope………………………………… 8%
Mind Map (in class)……………………………………. 3%
Failure Resume (in class)………………………………3%
Observation Lab…………………………………………8%
Group Experience using Creative Thought
Enhancing Tools……………………………………….. 8%
Creativity and Innovation Idea Journal ..................... 20%
Exam ...................................................................... 15%
Final Group Presentation ......................................... 15%
Attendance ............................................................. 10%

The Disney Creativity and Innovation Course is a pass/fail course. In order to earn a passing grade, you must
receive an overall score of 70% or better.

Assignments to be Completed Prior

Class Meeting Enabling Objectives to Class
Week 1: Nature of Creativity:  Create a plan to counter the obstacles to  None
Person, Process, Product and creativity present in the participants’ lives.
Environment  Demonstrate methods for increasing creative
(4 hours) flow.
 Analyze the difference between creative and
logical thought.
 Recognize characteristics of creative
individuals.
 Explain the key elements of the creative
thought process.
 Identify primary components of creativity
models.
 Identify ways that the 7 Levels of Change
approach relates to creativity and innovation.

Week 2: Nature of Innovation:  Apply the innovation process to social,  Read Ch. 1-2 in 7 Levels of
Making the Idea a Reality environmental, and political issues. Change, Effectiveness and
(4 hours)  Analyze truths from myths regarding Efficiency.
innovation.  Create journal entries
 Differentiate the key elements of Level 1 and 2 (continuous).
thinking: Effective and Efficient.
 Analyze the difference between creativity and
innovation.
 Differentiate examples of divergent and
convergent thinking.
 Examine thought processes that help

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Part of The Disney Creativity & Innovation Course
 Assignments to be Completed Prior
Class Meeting Enabling Objectives to Class
businesses innovate.
 Discuss the benefits of ambidextrous
innovation and the cross-pollination of ideas.
 Identify key components of innovation.
 Classify innovations by innovation type.

Week 3: Need for Creativity  Create original games.  Create an Imaginary Interview
and Innovation in  Recognize the importance and impact of assignment.
Organizations creativity and innovation in organizations.  Read Ch. 3 in text, Improving.
(4 hours)  Appraise models of creative problem solving.  Journal entries (continuous)
 Apply divergent and convergent thinking to
identify innovative opportunities in current
world trends.
 Discuss level 3 change and evaluate Sigma 1
change (levels 1-3).

Week 4: Assessing Your  Critique the strengths and limitations of the  Read Ch. 4-5 in text,
Personal Creativity and Ability primary methods of assessing creativity. transitioning to Level 4 and
to Innovate  Assess areas of creative strength and areas Level 4-Cutting.
(4 hours) for growth.  Create journal entries
 Distinguish methods for increasing risk-taking (continuous)
behavior.
 Compare and contrast the benefits and
limitations of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
 Describe the primary elements of Level 4
change.
 Describe methods for dealing with failure.

Week 5: Enhancing Your  Design a solution for a problem using three  Read Ch. 6 in text, Level 5-
Creative and Innovative thought enhancing tools. Copying.
Abilities  Appraise the benefits of building a personal  Create a success kaleidoscope.
(4 hours) creative arsenal.  Create journal entries
 Apply creative thought enhancing tools to (continuous)
current world problems.
 Identify key elements of Level 5 thinking:
Copying.
 Recognize how emotions influence creative
flow.

Week 6: Entrepreneurial Tools  Create products using Johansson’s methods  Create a mind-map.
for Creativity and Innovation— from The Medici Effect.  Create a failure resume.
Exploring the Intersection  Create a mind map for a project you are  Group Experience using
(4 hours) working on, a decision you are trying to make, Creative Thought Enhancing
or a vacation plan. Tools to solve a problem
 Create a personal failure resume, including  Read Ch. 7-8 in text -
personal, academic, and career failures. For Transitioning to Level 6 and
each failure, describe what you learned. Level 6-Different...
 Evaluate the benefits of acknowledging and  Create journal entries
overcoming personal and organizational fears (continuous)
and failures.
 Appraise how the “intersection” is an
opportunity for innovation.
 Differentiate directional and intersectional
ideas.
 Prioritize development of multiple innovations
through use of diagnostic tests.
 Identify and discuss methods to overcome
barriers to innovation.

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Part of The Disney Creativity & Innovation Course
 Assignments to be Completed Prior
Class Meeting Enabling Objectives to Class
 Identify key elements of Level 6 thinking:
Different.

Week 7: Developing and  Evaluate the benefits and challenges of  Read Ch.9 in text – Level 7-
Contributing to a Creative- maintaining creative teams. Impossible.
Innovation Team  Appraise your primary personal approach to  Create journal entries
(4 hours) thinking and behaving on a creative team. (continuous)
 Identify primary concepts of Level 7 change.  Prepare for exam.
 Illustrate the difference between sheer conflict
and creative abrasion.
 Define the five primary roles people play on
innovative teams.

Week 8: Observation Lab  Create a new merchandise location by  Participate in the Observation
(4 hours) combining elements of two stores. Lab One per team.
 Evaluate areas of additional opportunity for  Create journal entries
NO CLASS MEETING THIS each of the stores. (continuous)
WEEK. THIS WEEK’S CLASS  Compare and contrast approaches, displays,
(YOUR OBSERVATION LAB) merchandise, and service between the stores.
IS COMPLETED AT DISNEY  Appraise applications of creativity and
SPRINGS OR THE FLORIDA innovation witnessed in various stores.
MALL  Criticize and rank the stores from most to
least creative/innovative overall.

Week 9: Managing for  Generate new concepts by participating in an  Submit new retail concept and
Creativity and Innovation Imagineering Design Activity. Observation Lab.
(4 hours)  Evaluate the primary ways a leader  Read Text Ch. 11, Getting
encourages creativity and innovation. Ready for Change-Individuals.
 Appraise the primary ways a leader  Create journal entries
discourages and inhibits creativity and (continuous)
innovation.  Prepare for final presentation.
 Assess the impact of time and pressure on a  Turn in completed journal.
person’s ability to be creative and innovative.
 Identify psychological dimensions and
attitudes that impact a person’s level of
resistance or acceptance of change.
 Describe methods for sustaining motivation.

Week 10: Evolving a Culture  Evaluate the Company’s performance in each  Prepare for the final
of Creativity and Innovation in aspect of the organizational structure presentation.
Organizations (hiring/recruitment, recognition/incentives,  List 6– 12 of your own
(4 hours) managerial/decision making and internal experiences regarding
communication), in supporting the creative structural obstacles to
and innovative culture. innovation and/or creativity in
 Compare and contrast the key components of organizations you’ve been
a creative organizational culture. involved with (typed)
 Examine the unique challenges of sustaining
creativity and innovation in an established
organization.

Week 11: Group Presentations  Design a presentation which creatively  Deliver group presentation
(4 hours) demonstrates innovation lessons from the including visual support and
course. handouts.

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Part of The Disney Creativity & Innovation Course