The Nature of Creativity — Third Thought

The Sweet Spot of Expertise

16th of September ~

What role does KNOWLEDGE play in the innovation process?

Teresa Amabile suggest that to be innovative you require two things:

* Domain relevant skills: do you have knowledge, technical skills and talent to produce germane solutions?
* Creativity-relevant skills: do you have the cognitive skills and personality traits associated with creative performance?

One may have the creative traits and even be so naive as to claim, “I’m just a creative person!”. But you cannot be creative in a field about which you know nothing. Creative problem solving cannot be ‘knowledge-free’. You need to know enough to play in the domain. That relationship looks like this:

The more I know, the more I can apply principles, bend rules and innovate in my chosen domain.

However, there is a danger in assuming that this correlation continues on indefinitely. B.S. Stein identified negative impacts of knowledge that included ‘functional fixedness’. Knowledge can impede our ability to see a fresh solution because we have the expertise and experience to do it ‘right’. Anyone who has been frustrated working with an expert who ‘knows’ all the answers has experienced this phenomenon.

There is a diminishing return with expertise that might look like this:

If your domain expertise leads you to believe that you KNOW all the answers you may just be falling off your sweet spot as a far as innovation is concerned.

Course Corrections for Your Creative Goals

21st of June ~

What is a course correction? When a spacecraft gets off of its trajectory, or path through space, it must be put back on the right path. The location of the spacecraft is determined and its course vector (the speed and direction of its flight) is calculated. This is compared with the path it should be on. A new vector is computed that will put it back on course. The ship’s attitude thrusters aim the ship and the main thruster pushes it along the path. (Source)

As we entered 2010 I hope that many of you created some goals for yourself with respect to your creativity. Perhaps you wanted to learn a new skill. You began to plan that art retreat. You bought a new camera with the goal of weekly photo outings. You resolved to set aside two hours a week for your writing.

Today is the Summer Solstice. Those of us in the northern hemisphere officially entered summer. This is a wonderful time for you to take stock of the year so far. Between now and the end of the month I encourage you to set aside some time to review your personal and professional goals, especially with respect to your creativity. Ask yourself questions like:

What is working well with respect to my creative goals?
Where am I getting support?
Can I amplify support?
What important goals do I still want to include in the year?
What might get in my way?
What one small thing I could do to lower the obstacles?
What’s one easy thing I could do for myself this week?

If you are pleased with your progress, Bravo!!! You may only need a tiny course correction. You may feel like you can add some more fuel for greater progress.

If you’d like a kick-start or some temporary support for your creative work you might consider a sample coaching experience to get clarity or encouragement. You might find the formal structure of a workshop gets you out the door. You may benefit from a commitment to a buddy for monthly creative-time.

Wherever you are in your “path through space” a course correction will certainly move you closer to your destination.

To infinity and beyond!!!

The Alternative Resume

7th of June ~

It’s always a challenge working on a team that’s geographically dispersed. It’s ideal if you can come together and form as a team. But that’s not always the best use of scarce resources…like budget.

But I get weary of the awkward recitations of a persona’s credentials. Where you went to school…the amazing positions…or, the worst, Two Truths and a Lie.

The next time you’re connecting with a team suggest the alternative resume as a beginning exercise.

The Alternative Resume

Not only is it a more intriguing way to enter into a new connection with a colleague. It’s also a fascinating exercise to do. Whittling down to the essential adjectives is thought-provoking.

The Most Important Leadership Quality? Creativity!

21st of May ~

Results of the 2010 IBM Global CEO Study have just been released.

The most exciting part of the study for me was this:

About 60% of CEOs polled cited creativity as the most important leadership quality, compared with 52% for integrity and 35% for global thinking. Creative leaders are also more prepared to break with the status quo of industry, enterprise and revenue models, and they are 81% more likely to rate innovation as a “crucial capability.” (source: Fast Company)

That’s right. Sixty percent of the CEOs surveyed felt CREATIVITY is a crucial skill. Leadership is not all about operational excellence and squeezing the budget. It’s more about creative problem-solving. Leadership is about challenging the status quo. It’s about doing the creative thinking to innovate.

The challenges of leadership today, and, especially, in the future REQUIRE creativity.

So what might that suggest? I can think of a few things:

Assess the composition and creative strengths of your leaders and leaders-to-be.
Invest in development that builds 1) capacity to do collaborative creating (versus competing and evaluating) and 2) skills to use tools and techniques beyond brainstorming
Reward creativity (as uncomfortable as that might be when compared to compliance)
Assess your culture for how well it supports creativity

Even if you’re not all convinced we can well imagine that CEOs are looking ahead. The fact that they recognize the value of creativity is good news for us all.

You can read a summary of the report in Fast Company. You can access the entire report here.

Foment the Revolution.

Creative Urban Planning

11th of May ~

I just love this project.

I want this in MY town!

The Nature of Creativity — Third Thought — Page 3 Third Thought