**1. Introduction**

Entrepreneurship considered to be one of the engines that drives economies and societal activities is a process that also needs other inputs. This means it requires others ingredients other than the human mind to thrive. One such input is creativity which, other than being an idea, it is a process too. It is important to briefly highlight the three closely linked concepts before the actual topic is tackled. As Bao [1] opines, one of the most fascinating descriptions of creativity is that ability being able to come about with not only new, but also innovative ideas which can be a valuable asset in many fields. In this case, the various fields can include business, education and research, as well as in the matters industrialization and in other societal spheres. The scholars further describe the individuals in this discipline as being extraordinarily creative. As it were, this can easily lead to innovation. The same creative people are termed as persons who go around asking, 'Why not?' What this means is that individuals of these stature are able to see not only new combinations, or new potentials,

but also new opportunities and challenges particularly where others see difficulties or limitations [2].

**Innovation** for instance, simply put, is the value addition to what scholars, researchers or firms could be doing. It can be about innovation of a product or service, a business or a technology-a system or method of production. In essence, innovation is improvement which revolves around 'doing something'. This is a very important concept in the field of entrepreneurship development across the globe. It is even argued that that entrepreneurship cannot be considered complete without innovation. This cannot be put any better than what Schumpeter theorized as the newness of products or services, identification of new markets or customers, seeking new sources of raw materials or supplies to the firm, adopting new and efficient methods or systems of production as well as embracing the new forms of businesses today [1]. Innovation has become necessary in society today to the extent that every basic aspect of human life is controlled by various aspects of innovation. But the bottom line is in the doing which relates to performance of improvement of undertaking things [3]. The matters innovation in the present age is considered to be very essential particularly when it comes to manufacturing. One of the reasons is that the end users of products are keen on the quality of the product they buy. The quality of the product is influenced to a large extent by the process it undergoes in transformation of the raw material to the finished product. This is how innovative manufacturing comes into play. In the emerging global economies, innovation is also taking centre stage as value addition activity which ensures there is improvement to businesses, technology or systems of production as well as on product or services. The process further improves quality and competitiveness in the market place.

Concerning entrepreneurship, scholars consider it to be a process of engaging into certain activities within a setup with specific intentions arising from the entrepreneur's mind or concept. This process incorporates the person into a process that results in an entity referred to as an enterprise. The three important elements of entrepreneurship are the person (entrepreneur), the process (entrepreneurship) and the product (enterprise). Entrepreneurship is informed by an existing need in the society known as opportunity. The opportunity must be responded to by the entrepreneurs coming up with appropriate ideas as solution to the identified need or problem in a societal setup. Globally, entrepreneurship is considered to be the engine behind various economic activities. In essence, entrepreneurship is running many economies and is helping those in government to solve their problems of job opportunity creation; they are also acting as the sources from which governments raise their incomes in form of taxes to fund other activities in the countries. In brief, entrepreneurship through the entrepreneurs contributes in bringing about social, technological and economic changes in nations. Therefore, it goes without saying that those in authorities are doing everything within their power to support the establishment and development of entrepreneurship [4]. But in order to support this venture, a lot has to go into thinking and thinking creatively. One of the reasons for this is that viable ideas are likely to emerge from creative thinking and such ideas are the same ones that end up catalyzing entrepreneurial activities. As earlier opined by some scholars, entrepreneurship must be conducted by having change of mindset. This is what was alluded to as 'disturbing the status quo'. This process requires that an entrepreneur does not only become passionate about business, or good at moderate risk taking, but must also be creative in all the ways, particularly in creative thinking and in the way of conducting the activities.

**Creativity** on its part is one of the most important aspects of entrepreneurship. What this means is that new ideas must be well thought out as essentials to the process of entrepreneurship. Creativity is in the 'thinking' and thinking new ideas which

*Creativity Impediments and Solutions DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110693*

can later be turned into innovation for the firm and entrepreneurship development. Creative thinking requires people, an environment and support from not only the entrepreneur, but also the authorities and policymakers [5]. It has been revealed there are certain efforts that go into creative thinking, some of which conscious and others unconscious. It therefore means that deliberate measures need to be taken towards this end [4]. What is also becoming apparent is that creativity is absolutely necessary for firms' survival in the world of entrepreneurship.

Firms need to involve their teams in creativity processes by assuring the members that success of every individual person contributes to that of the entire organization. It should be pointed out that failure in any of the steps is to be taken positively and should be considered as a point to learn.

#### **1.1 Creativity: a necessity for survival**

Firms, corporate entities as well as societies need creativity, not only for performance, but for survival and sustainability. Creativity informs entrepreneurial mindset and professional performance. If one wants to truly establish a great business, then they must apply creativity to such businesses. The entrepreneurs get paid to solve problems, and hence, they must be very creative. This is also true because creativity enables firms and societies to develop through certain modifications by taking into account the things and ideas that evolve over time. This notion is critical for flexibility of appreciating change, an essential aspect for societies and firms that need to adjust quickly to survive and flourish into unforeseeable future. Sankaran [6] posits that creativity in organizations is absolutely essential. The implication is that such firms cannot survive without embracing creativity. One of the responsibilities of the top management is essentially to ensure that creativity is not only embraced in the organization, but also practised for the survival of the firm.

#### **1.2 Creative thinking**

Creative thinking, which is the ability to come up with unique and original solutions, is required and is very essential to establishment of firms and entrepreneurial culture in any country. It is equally necessary in organizations. Sometimes it is referred to as creative problem-solving; hence, creative thinking is a valuable and marketable soft skill in a wide variety of businesses [7]. Creative thinking being a process of considering situations, from innovative perspectives to developing an open-minded mindset, is a powerful concept in the discipline of entrepreneurship development. By expending creative thinking process, one is able to generate new ideas, by interpreting circumstances, identifying themes and designing alternatives to existing approaches of operating and performance. It is the capability of considering something in a new or improved way [7]. Creative thinking can also involve a close examination of progressiveness, problem-solving, organization, as well as communication. Various employers consider creative thinkers highly, and therefore, the workers should consider highlighting their creative thinking skills when called upon time and again. The process of creative thinking acts like a seed-bed to innovation and entrepreneurship [8].

#### **1.3 Work environment**

Creativity and innovation as concepts, just like products or services, need certain environment in which they can thrive. Since these are thoughts which result in emergence of creative ideas, they are formed in the minds of individuals. Situations to make this flourish must be encouraged, team spirit should also be fostered, and employees as members of the organization have to be involved. This involvement starts with awareness creation, identification of talents and individuals as well as incentives provisions as a way of ensuring creativity and innovation emerge and grow. The best place for this to happen seems to be the workplace as the right environment [9].
