Understanding and Managing Creative People

Understanding and Managing Creative People

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

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

Our brain is a very expensive organ 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

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 (Per economist Paul Seabright)

Creativity

Creativity and abstract thought 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

Creativity involves relations between three domains:

(1) the creative person;

(2) the domain in which the creative act occurs (e.g., mathematics, music, literature); and

(3) the field of practitioners that set the ‘standard’ (e.g., other mathematicians, museum curators, literature readers, and critics).

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihaly

Measures of CreativityThey are all pretty bad

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

He separates the creative experience into three phases: 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 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 CreativityThey are all pretty bad

Studies have shown that beyond a certain level of IQ probably around 120, there is no clear correlation between intelligence and creativity true creativity probably requires some degree of intelligence

Lewis Terman’s tests of gifted children discovered a cognitive disconnect between individuals with more than 30 points IQ differential 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 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 risk-takers"

Tolerance of ambiguity is a necessary condition for creativity

Psychologists John Dacey and Kathleen Lennon emphasize tolerance of ambiguity 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

Psychologist Csikszentmihalyi refers to "complexity" 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 very creative individuals can alternate between

the two extremes almost at the drop of a hat.

Complexity

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. 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

Being 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

The film Proof in (Anthony Hopkins / Gwyneth Paltrow) for example plays on three recurring themes, each with a basis in reality: (1) creativity and the loss of a father; (2) creativity and youth; and (3) creativity and madness.

Loss of a father

A particular characteristic that appears to be shared by many cre ative individuals is the loss of a father early in life

Among nearly a hundred creative interviewees, Csikszentmihalyi found that no fewer than three out of ten men and two out of ten women

were orphaned by the time they reached their teens. Lost fathers are a complex mixture of burden and opportunity

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 "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

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

The most enduring (and perverse) speculations about creativity involve its correlation with madness

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).

Psychologist Donald MacKinnon conducted an extensive psychometric eval uation of many creative mathematicians, architects, and writers

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

Economist Paul Seabright, in his anthropological study of economics The Company of Strangers argues that the major social stimuli for creativity are:

(1) enough wealth to give those with ideas some hope of finding patrons or jobs;

(2) a substantial immigrant population eager to challenge the established order, and

(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

Historian David Landes in his book The Wealth and Poverty of Nations provides evidence that creativity thrives in societies which: 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

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. 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

3. Within limits, let them make the rules The best managers of creatives are those folks who

have been creatives themselves. But this goes only so far, and you ultimately have to lay down

the law. If you want to have the ability to do cool things,

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

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

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

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

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.

Brainstorming1. Select your problem. Write the problem as a definite question, as specifically as

possible.2. Choose the participants. The ideal number of participants is between six and

twelve. 3. Choose the environment. The preferred location is a com fortable room off-site..4. Select a group leader

1. After brainstorming, the group leader or the group as a whole should arrange the ideas into related groups to prioritize and evaluate them.

5. Follow up. Directly after the meeting,.1. It's a good idea to send each person a categorized list of the ideas that the group

generated 2. Another good follow-up is to ask each participant to report back on at least one idea.

6. Evaluate the ideas7. At the end of a brainstorming session, make three lists:

1. ideas of immediate usefulness, 2. areas for further exploration, and 3. new approaches to the problem.

Group Leader

The group leader should:1. Prepare in advance as much as possible. Ask each partici pant to become as

familiar as they can with creativity exercises. Plan the meeting carefully.2. 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.

3. Write an agenda and send it to all invitees.4. Employ a variety of creativity techniques to get ideas flow ing. Use humor and

bizarre examples to loosen people up.5. Focus on the challenge. Be specific about what decisions have to be made and

continuously summarize the group's progress throughout the meeting.6. Encourage any and all ideas, 7. Be prepared to go back and manipulate ideas. Creativity always involves

manipulation. 8. Emphasize everyone's unique contribution to the meeting.9. Select a recorder. Assign someone to record all ideas the group suggests.

Variations

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

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

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.

Q&A with Jazz Vibraphonist Gary Burton

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Case Study