Creativity in Business

Notes by David E. Goldberg

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign deg@uiuc.edu

The Text
Ray, M. & Myers, R. (1986). Creativity in business. New York: Doubleday. Created for course at Stanford B-school: Creativity in Business. Myers: Artist, Musician, and Consultant Ray: Social psychologist and professor.

Motivation
Overly analytic approach of the 70s and 80s (MBAs run amok?) partially responsible for Japanese invasion? Renewed interest in creativity and innovation. Recalls creativity spurt of the 50s. Garbage-can model of management.

Business as Art
Van Dyck, W., founder of Windfarms, Ltd.
The highest art form is really business. It is an extremely creative form, and can be more creative than all the things we classically think of as creative. In business, the tools with which youre work are dynamic: capital and people and markets and ideas. [These tools] all have lives of their own. So to take those things and to work with them and reorganize them in new and different ways turns out to be a very creative process.

Amabiles Definition
Theresa Amabile, Social Psychology of Creativity. Creativity: A response will be judged as creative to the extent that (a) it is both a novel and appropriate, useful, correct, or valuable response to the task at hand and (b) the task is heuristic rather than algorithmic.

Your Creative Experiences

Exercise:
Sit comfortabl.y Breath deeply. Think of a time when you had a great idea.

Remember
How it felt to have the idea. Specific problem? How long a struggle? Emotions? Eureka moment? What happened next to idea? Was it used.

Inner Creative Resources

Essence is 5-fold:
Intuition: Interrelationship with design. Will: compelling vision or mission. Joy: Bright shimmering quality. Strength: To breakthrough resistance. Compassion: Kindness for yourself and others.

Where is the Essence?

Technique cannot overcome the stumbling block. Inhibited by
Fear Inner judgment Chattering of the mind

Conflict between false personality and Essence.

Preparation
Four steps:
Surrender. Destroy judgment. Pay Attention. Ask Dumb Questions.

Pay Attention
The obscure we see eventually, the completely apparent takes longer. Edward R. Murrow. Buddhisms mindfulness: attention without conscious thought. Listening without opinions. Asking questions without slant.

Ask Dumb Questions

Judge questions by the fruit they bear. Non-judgmental, open. 12 standard issue
What is my aim? Whats going on? What is VOJ saying? Is this me or someone else? What is it that this person provokes in me. What is objective reality? What is emotional truth? What pain am I avoiding? What stubbornness do I cling to? Is this choice my real choice? What dont I yet understand? Who said that, my mom or dad?

Inspiration and Implementation

Do the easy, effortless, and enjoyable. Dont think about it. Ask yourself it is a yes or a no. Be ordinary. Be in the world but not of it.

3 Es: Easy, Effortless & Enjoyable

Time flies when youre having fun. Make an EEE list, right now. Living out your own life purpose:
Rank tasks in EEE order. Decompose larger tasks into smaller ones. Do one thing at a time. Change your attitude. Know when to quit. Be good to yourself Use a mantra. Reap your rewards..

Dont Think About It

Zen koan: Pouring tea. Is it a yes or a no? Be ordinary. What does this mean? Be in the world and not of it.

Surrender
Leavitts categories of knowing:
Proactive, reactive, enactive Enactive: Work on specific problem until right path found.

Stop striving: anxiety, tension, competition. Apply yourself to task:

Maintain spirit of inquiry. Acknowledge uncertain in outcome.

Steps in Surrending
Letting go:
Physically: Tense muscles and release. Mentally: Imagine thought as article of clothing, then remove. Sleep: Ask question before going to bed. Stay in bed upon waking Water: Contemplate water in sink, shower, seaside. Inner guide: Ask Einstein or Buddha or ?

VOJ: Voice of Judgment

Critical self prevents you from realizing your visions. Types:
Self-judgment. Judgment from others. Collective judgment: clique, society Judgment judging the judgment.

Creation Implies Destruction

Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction. Picasso. Eggs must be broken to make an omelette. If you remain constrained by convention, you will not create something new. First create, then criticize. Attack the judgment. Make it seem ridiculous.