Inhibitors to Innovation in Chinese Students: The Case of the Ballet Slipper

DOI: 10.5176/2251-2039_IE15.22

Authors: Anthony De Ritis, Zhang Wenjun and John H. Friar

Abstract: As China has continued to develop economically, it needs to transition from a follower to an innovator. Several recent articles have questioned whether Chinese companies can indeed become innovative. China has traditionally pursued a top-down approach to innovation, which alone is not sufficient to meet a country’s economic growth needs. Instead, a bottoms-up approach is also required: turning individual entrepreneurs into “fresh thinkers.” In this paper we analyze whether there are any cultural impediments to individual creativity in Chinese graduate students. By comparing Chinese student entrepreneurs to US student entrepreneurs in their ease or resistance to implementing design thinking processes into their business startups, we determined that there are five cultural impediments to individual creativity. We analyze these five impediments in a discussion of a specific Chinese startup – a ballet slipper company, to show how these resistance points were overcome.

Keywords: design thinking; China; culture