No one can scientifically predict which innovative bright idea has a chance to succeed and which one is likely to fail. There is actually no statistical evidence for the belief that persistence in pursuing bright ideas pays off.

Yet an entrepreneurial economy cannot altogether dismiss innovations based on bright ideas. The volume of bright ideas represents a source of new business, new jobs and new performance capacity for the economy. These individual and bright ideas however cannot be organised, predicted or systematised.

Some bright ideas have succeeded very well and flourished beyond expectation, for example, the zipper chains for clothes in place for buttons and ball pens in place of ink pens.

Action by itself has no meaning without having inspiration and direction. Entrepreneurs need ideas to pursue and ideas seldom materialise accidentally. Ideas usually
evolve through a creative process whereby imaginative people germinate ideas, nurture them and develop them successfully. The sequence of the creative process is shown below:

Table 2.1 : The Creative Process

1. Idea germination The seed stage of a new idea Recognition

2. Preparation Conscious search for knowledge Rationalisation

3. Incubation Subconscious assimilation of information Fantasising

4. Illumination Recognition of idea as being feasible Realisation

5. Verification Application or test to prove idea has value Validation

1. Idea germination – How an idea is generated is a mystery which cannot be examined under a microscope. Most creative ideas can be traced to an individual’s interest in or curiosity about a specific problem or area of study.

For example, Alexander Graham Bell’s idea for a hearing aid was evidently born years before he invented the telephone and it evolved through his interest in helping others.

2. Preparation – Creative people embark on a conscious search for answers. If it is a problem to be solved they seek information. If it is an idea for a new product, they do market research. In rare instances, the preparation stages will produce results. Sometimes conscious deliberation will only overload the mind, but the effort is important in order to gather information and knowledge vital to an eventual solution. This we see in Bell’s determination to help those with impaired hearing.

3. Incubation-The subconscious intellect assumes control of the creative process. This is a crucial aspect of creativity. When we consciously focus on a problem, we behave rationally to attempt to find systematic resolutions. When we rely on subconscious processes, our minds are untrammeled by the limitations of human logic. The subconscious mind is allowed to wander and to pursue fantasies and it is therefore, open to unusual information and knowledge that we cannot assimilate in a conscious state. In Bell’s example, the incubation period for the telephone was longer than his research on harmonic sound transmission.

4. IIIumination – The fourth stage, illumination occurs when the idea resurfaces as a realistic creation. There will be a moment in time when the individual can say, ‘’Oh, I see!’’ Illumination may be triggered by an opportune incident, as Bell discovered harmonic telegraphy in the accidental twang created by his assistant. Bell was mentally ready for an opportune incident and able to recognise its importance when it occurred. Most creative people go through many cycles of preparation and incubation searching for a catalyst to give their idea full meaning.

5. Verification – An idea once illuminated in the mind of an individual still has little meaning until verified as realistic and useful. Bell understood what the twanging meant, yet he still had years of work ahead to translate this knowledge into a commercial telephone system. Verification is the development stage of refining knowledge into application. This is often tedious. During this stage many ideas fall by the wayside as they prove to be impossible to physically create. Transforming ideas into viable products is therefore challenging.