Transcript Understanding and Managing Creative People

Understanding and Managing
Creative People
Understanding and Managing
Creative People
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Understand current theory regarding the character and
measurement of creativity
Understand some of the personality traits of creative
people
Understand the demographics and personal histories
common to creative people
Identify opportunities for leading creative people to do their
best work
Learn some specific managerial methods for motivating and
keeping your creative workforce
Human Brains
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Our brain evolved to handle specific challenges in
our evolutionary environment
There appear to have been two bursts in absolute
brain size
one 1.8 million years ago when our brains jumped
to about 850 cm3 in volume and
another about 150 thousand years ago when our
brains reached the modern 1400 cm3 in volume
The bursts appear to have been associated with
climate changes in Africa which pushed man out of
the forests and onto the more exposed and
competitive savannahs
Brains
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Our brain is a very expensive organ
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drawing up to 25% of an adult’s energy (and 60% of an
infant’s)
As a percentage of body weight, it is 15-20 times larger
than those of other mammals
Much of that added tissue weight is dedicated to
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a society of ‘murder, reciprocity, trust, hoarding and
stealing’
that arose when early man was forced out into the more
brutal environment of the savannahs
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(Per economist Paul Seabright)
Creativity
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Creativity and abstract thought
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Arose out of the early savannah culture of of ‘murder,
reciprocity, trust, hoarding and stealing’
But creativity underlies the process of invention;
indeed a useful definition is that inventions are the
end product of the creative process.
As innovations are commercialized inventions, the
whole process of innovation is more or less
predicated on the activities of creative individuals.
Three domains
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Creativity involves relations between three
domains:
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(1) the creative person;
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(2) the domain in which the creative act occurs
(e.g., mathematics, music, literature); and
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(3) the field of practitioners that set the ‘standard’
(e.g., other mathematicians, museum curators,
literature readers, and critics).
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Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihaly
Measures of Creativity
They are all pretty bad
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mathematician George David Birkhoff’s Aesthetic Index can
be understood as a measure of quality of creative output
From a commercial innovation standpoint, it should parallel
the value of work done in generating an invention, and
considers the innate complexity of the invention
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He separates the creative experience into three phases:
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The effort of attention necessary for perception
The realization that the object is distinguished by a certain order
The appreciation of value that rewards the mental effort
Birkhoff’s formula can be summarized
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Aesthetic value=O/C
Where O is the ‘order’ of the object, in terms of symmetries,
excitement, public image, etc. and C is the complexity.
Measures of Creativity
They are all pretty bad
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Studies have shown that beyond a certain level of IQ probably
around 120, there is no clear correlation between intelligence and
creativity
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Lewis Terman’s tests of gifted children discovered a cognitive
disconnect between individuals with more than 30 points IQ
differential
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true creativity probably requires some degree of intelligence
If consumer intelligence tends to hover around an ‘average’ IQ of 100,
then perhaps a slightly above average intelligence may yield the best
innovations.
Psychologist Ellen Winner has noted about gifted children
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for those who do make it into the roster of creators, a certain set of
personality traits proves far more important than having a high
general IQ
Creators are hard-driving, focused, dominant, independent risktakers"
Tolerance of ambiguity is a necessary
condition for creativity
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Psychologists John Dacey and
Kathleen Lennon emphasize tolerance
of ambiguity
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The ability to think, operate, and remain
open-minded
in situations where the rules are unclear,
where there are no guidelines, or
where the usual support systems (e.g.,
family, school, society) have collapsed
Complexity
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Psychologist Csikszentmihalyi refers to
"complexity"
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as the ability to harbor tendencies that normally
appear to be at opposite extremes
Most people are somewhere in the middle
of the continuum between being rebellious
or highly disciplined
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very creative individuals can alternate between
the two extremes almost at the drop of a hat.
Complexity
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Csikszentmihalyi interviewed many dozens of creative people from a wide
range of domains, stretching from the arts, humanities, and sciences to
business and politics. He compiled a list of ten dimensions of
complexity—ten pairs of apparently antithetical characteristics that are
often both present in the creative minds.
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Bursts of impulsiveness that punctuate periods of quiet and rest.
Being smart yet extremely naive.
Large amplitude swings between extreme responsibility and irresponsibility.
A rooted sense of reality together with a hefty dose of fantasy and imagination.
Alternating periods of introversion and extroversion.
Being simultaneously humble and proud.
Psychological androgyny—no clear adherence to gender role stereotyping.
Being rebellious and iconoclastic yet respectful to the domain of expertise and
its history.
Being on one hand passionate but on the other objective about one's own
work.
Experiencing suffering and pain mingled with exhilaration and enjoyment.
Creative Traits
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Being
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smart but naive,
realistic yet imaginative,
simultaneously rebellious and respectful
Psychological androgyny—being on one hand very
sensitive and more "feminine" and on the other aggressive
and offensive
stimulus freedom—is what we might call the ability to think
outside the box
are combinations of creative traits.
Creative Pathology
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The film Proof in (Anthony Hopkins /
Gwyneth Paltrow) for example plays on
three recurring themes, each with a basis in
reality:
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(1) creativity and the loss of a father;
(2) creativity and youth; and
(3) creativity and madness.
Loss of a father
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A particular characteristic that appears to be shared by many creative
individuals is the loss of a father early in life
Among nearly a hundred creative interviewees, Csikszentmihalyi found
that no fewer than
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were orphaned by the time they reached their teens.
Lost fathers are a complex mixture of burden and opportunity
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three out of ten men and
two out of ten women
On one hand, there is the huge psychological burden of having to live up to
the perceived expectations of the missing father
On the other, such youngsters have the immense opportunity of truly inventing
themselves
Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre observed that
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"the death of Jean Baptiste [Sartre's father] was the big event of my life: it sent
my mother back to her chains and gave me freedom.... Had my father lived, he
would have lain on me full length and would have crushed me. As luck had it,
he died young."
Youth
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Some of the most creative mathematicians, lyric poets, and
composers of music were extraordinarily young when they
produced their best work
Most painters, novelists, and philosophers, on the other hand,
continue to create and are often at their peak well into old age
Music critic and novelist Marcia Davenport (1903–96) expressed
this reality beautifully: "All the great poets died young. Fiction is the
art of middle age. And essays are the art of old age."
Psychologist Howard Gardner makes a similar distinction between
mathematicians and scientists on one hand and artists on the other:
It is important to note here a decisive difference from creation in the
sciences or mathematics.
Individuals in mathematics begin to be productive at an early age
and certainly have the option of making numerous innovations
during their early years.
Psychosis
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The most enduring (and perverse) speculations about creativity involve its
correlation with madness
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Psychologist Arnold Ludwig examined the lives of more than a thousand creative
individuals and found that about 28% of the prominent scientists experienced at
least some sort of mental disturbance (the fraction increased to 87% among
outstanding poets).
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Psychologist Donald MacKinnon conducted an extensive psychometric evaluation
of many creative mathematicians, architects, and writers
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his findings showed that the creative individuals consistently scored higher on
dimensions that are indicative of various affective disorders such as schizophrenia,
depression, and paranoia
Csikszentmihalyi’s observation that creative individuals can alternate between the
two extremes of being rebellious or highly disciplined – is consistent with the sorts
of psychoses associated with creativity.
Societal Influences on Creativity
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Economist Paul Seabright, in his anthropological
study of economics The Company of Strangers
argues that the major social stimuli for creativity are:
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(1) enough wealth to give those with ideas some hope of
finding patrons or jobs;
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(2) a substantial immigrant population eager to challenge
the established order, and
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(3) a total population large enough to contain a critical
mass of talent, but with enough focus in its geography to
allow for effective networking.
Societal Influences on Creativity
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Historian David Landes in his book The Wealth and Poverty of Nations
provides evidence that creativity thrives in societies which:
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operate, manage and build instruments of production
create, adapt and master new technologies
impart expertise and knowledge to the young
choose people for jobs by competence and relative merit
promote and demote on basis of performance
encourage initiative, competition and emulation
let people enjoy and employ the fruits of their labor, enterprise and creativity
encourage saving and investment
enforce rights of contract
secure rights of personal liberty against tyranny and crime
provide stable government, though not necessarily democratic
provide responsive government
provide no rents or favors for government position
have governments that are moderate, efficient and non-greedy
Management Styles
How to understand and get the most out
of creative types
Managing Creative People
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1. Recruit for diversity, hire for philosophy
Creativity is all about seeing things differently.
Assembling a group of people who have a mix of nationalities and
cultures can spark ideas and generate energy.
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But if workers aren't on the same page philosophically, these can turn
toxic
2. These are humans
This is the wrong place to enforce rigid, bureaucratic aesthetic
standards unless you want rigid, bureaucratic products
Creativity is not like an assembly line. It's very stop-start. These are
human machines, and they break down, get angry, get drunk.
Managing Creative People
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3. Within limits, let them make the rules
The best managers of creatives are those folks who
have been creatives themselves.
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If you want to have the ability to do cool things,
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But this goes only so far, and you ultimately have to lay down
the law.
you also have to have the ability to deliver.
4. Keep everyone’s focus on the objective
Most innovative product is 2% inspiration and 98%
perspiration (Edison)
Getting focus on the perspiration after the inspiration is
done is often the hardest part.
Managing Creative People
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5. Help Creatives develop a holistic perspective on
the world
Creative types can be brilliant at what they do best – and
remarkably naive about the world outside their bailiwick.
The more you can connect them to the real world, the
more they're likely to understand decisions that
customers and clients make.
6. Help them to sell their ideas
Working within a context can also help creatives better
sell their ideas. Communication is a skill that few young
engineers or designers know or appreciate, yet it's the
one that can determine whether their designs are
accepted or rejected.
Managing Creative People
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7. Allow 15% of time for “blue-sky” thinking
While it's important to keep creatives focused on the task at hand, allowing
them time to take creative leaps can lead to big rewards.
8. Protect your team from creativity killers
The essential difference between creative workers and everybody else is
that their work product is a personal expression of who they are. As a
result, they're more emotionally exposed than other workers and more
vulnerable to criticism. While a certain amount of rejection is inevitable, it's
important to explain why some ideas don't pass muster.
9. Add liberal doses of fun
Being creative on demand is hard work. It can be intellectually taxing and
emotionally exhausting. Fostering an environment where fun isn't viewed
as goofing off is absolutely critical.
Innovation Workout
Brainstorming
Brainstorming
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Alex Faickney Osborn was the ‘O’ in the name of
advertising giant BBDO developed Brainstorming in
the 1930s
Brainstorming encourages a group to express
various ideas
…and to defer critical judgment until later.
Everyone offers ideas that are listed, combined,
improved, and changed into various other ideas.
In the end, the group agrees on a final resolution.
Two basic principles of
brainstorming
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Quantity breeds quality: You should never attempt
to solve a challenge with only a single idea. The
more ideas you come up with, the more likely you
are to arrive at the best solution.
Defer judgment: Groups instinctively tend to anchor
on the first idea thrown out (this is an inherent fault
known as ‘groupthink’ studied extensively by Irving
Janis in the 1950s). We naturally defer judgment
when shopping for clothes; it is similarly the right
way to shop for ideas.
Brainstorming
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Select your problem. Write the problem as a definite question, as specifically as
possible.
Choose the participants. The ideal number of participants is between six and
twelve.
Choose the environment. The preferred location is a comfortable room off-site..
Select a group leader
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Follow up. Directly after the meeting,.
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After brainstorming, the group leader or the group as a whole should arrange the ideas
into related groups to prioritize and evaluate them.
It's a good idea to send each person a categorized list of the ideas that the group
generated
Another good follow-up is to ask each participant to report back on at least one idea.
Evaluate the ideas
At the end of a brainstorming session, make three lists:
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ideas of immediate usefulness,
areas for further exploration, and
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new approaches to the problem.
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Group Leader
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The group leader should:
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Prepare in advance as much as possible. Ask each participant to become as
familiar as they can with creativity exercises. Plan the meeting carefully.
Invite people from diverse areas: non-experts as well as experts on the
situation, and people who can make decisions about ideas generated by the
group. Discourage observers, onlookers, and guests. Every attendee should be
a participant.
Write an agenda and send it to all invitees.
Employ a variety of creativity techniques to get ideas flowing. Use humor and
bizarre examples to loosen people up.
Focus on the challenge. Be specific about what decisions have to be made and
continuously summarize the group's progress throughout the meeting.
Encourage any and all ideas,
Be prepared to go back and manipulate ideas. Creativity always involves
manipulation.
Emphasize everyone's unique contribution to the meeting.
Select a recorder. Assign someone to record all ideas the group suggests.
Variations
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Brainstorming Bulletin Board
Place a bulletin board in a central location, write the
problem to be solved on a piece of colored paper,
and place it in the center of the board for all
interested parties to see.
Anyone with an idea or suggestion about the
problem writes it on a white piece of paper and
places it under the problem on the board.
Variations
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Solo Brainstorming
If you are doing a solo brainstorm, write your ideas
on index cards.
Jot down one idea per card until you run dry.
You end up with a pack of ideas that you can then
sort, resort, and add to as you shuffle them around
to decide the best ones to pursue for your
purposes.
Variations
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Visual Brainstorming
Brainstorming can also take other forms: a golfer
can brainstorm different shots while playing, a
composer can brainstorm with music, actors and
actresses can brainstorm expressions while acting,
and a visual thinker can brainstorm by sketching
ideas as they occur.
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