chapter one

UNDERSTANDING CREATIVITY

THE FIVE MOST IMPORTANT MISCONCEPTIONS

Why is it that after so many years of research and application in the field of
creativity, the most crucial insights still haven’t reached the greater part of
the population? One of the reasons could be that schools don’t consider
creativity to be a subject worth emphasising. After reading this book, you
will probably agree with us that the following misconceptions need to be
addressed with greatest urgency.

Misconception 1: ‘You’re either creative or you’re not! You can’t learn it.’
Creativity can be learned. Creativity is a skill. Like any skill, some people
are endowed with a greater natural talent than others. This is the case with
languages or mathematics, balance, memory, etc. It also applies to creativity.
Just as you can improve your basic level in all these skills by actively
working on them, so can you improve your creative skills. In this book you
will find lots of exercises that will offer you the opportunity to enhance your
present creativity skills. Our aim is for you to develop the necessary confi-
dence to be able to find a solution to every single problem you come across.
Remember that for every problem there are always several solutions and it is
possible to turn problems into opportunities.

Misconception 2: ‘Creativity is batik work or flower arranging. It’s for softies.’

Creativity has become one of the most important developmental aspects
for individuals and organisations. A large number of companies and organ-
isations have discovered that creativity provides the means to bring
together both personal and corporate goals. People want interesting jobs.
Companies need to change constantly because a status quo can bring
complacency. For many years multinationals have offered their employees
the opportunity to develop their creative potential within the professional
arena. The current trend of accelerated innovation proves it: creativity and
result-oriented management go hand in hand. And this is anything but soft.
12 CREATIVITY IN BUSINESS

Misconception 3: ‘My boss keeps me from being creative.’

YOU are the only one who decides how to use and develop your creative
potential. Obviously, one environment is more stimulating than another
but acting the victim has never helped anyone. Consider the obstacles in
your environment as a challenge. If your boss doesn’t assist you, you have
two options: either you help your boss to change, or change bosses.
Do something about your environment. This book will offer you plenty
of tips. You can try some of these within your organisation and see what
happens. Be bold, but also, be patient: this kind of change takes time.
If this doesn’t work, find another environment. Many organisations are
looking for people who are willing to invest their creative potential in their
jobs. And companies (bosses) who refuse to get this message don’t have
much of a future.

Misconception 4: ‘I don’t have the time for creativity.’

Creativity doesn’t require a lot of time, it requires focus. Of course, we live
in a hectic world and we work under pressure – allow this to stimulate your
creative potential. Creativity can help you to escape the vicious circle of
working in a reactive rather than a proactive way. By asking yourself the
right questions about your current way of functioning and managing, new
opportunities will arise.
Thinking up new ideas doesn’t take a lot of time but it requires focus.
Sometimes it is necessary to create some distance from the problem at
hand. When you are trained to work creatively, the best ideas will occur
to you when you least expect them. Being able to pay close attention to
a problem is much more important than having a lot of time.

Misconception 5: ‘We already do brainstorming sessions.’

A little learning is a dangerous thing. In many companies people meet for
a so-called ‘brainstorm’. Often these brainstorming sessions are organised
in an unprofessional manner and even the most elementary rules such as
‘postponing judgement’ are overlooked. These sessions sometimes appear
to be based on the shouting out of as many ideas as possible, ideas which
nobody really knows how to deal with afterwards. Such performances usually
result in a frustrated ‘problem owner’ as well as frustrated participants. We
shouldn’t be surprised that the word ‘brainstorm’ has a negative connotation
in many companies.
Some training and a little attention to a number of basic rules can easily
enhance the results of these creative sessions. The target should be for the
session to render at least twice as many new and useful ideas as a normal
meeting would do. Creativity in Business explains how to achieve this.
28 CREATIVITY IN BUSINESS

In order to process original ideas (both others and your own) in a sensible way,
you will need to develop a more subtle use of judgement. We call this: post-
poning judgement.
IDEA
KILLERS...
What does postponing judgement mean? When judging a new idea, it is not
necessary to fully understand it right away. The art is to be open and accept
the idea (by postponing your judgement), even though the idea might not fit
into a certain box. By doing so, you create the space in your mind in which the
idea’s potential can develop. This needn’t always require a lot of time. It’s more
a matter of attitude.

How does this work? The first three activities take place simultaneously.
Only then can you start judging. Yes, but... It already exists! Our customers won’t like that!
NO! It’s not possible...
1. What is meant here? What is this idea? Opening
2. Accept this new thought Accepting
3. Explore the opportunities created by this idea Exploring
WE DON’T HAVE TIME...

It’s too expensive! Let’s be realistic... That’s not logical...

4. Judge what you are going to do with it Judging

Let’s be clear about one thing: postponing judgement does not mean can-
celling judgement. In every creative process there is an explicit phase of We need to do more research... THERE’S NO BUDGET...
postponement of judgement. After having explored the potential, we do
have to judge the ideas very seriously. There are techniques for this and we I’m not creative... We don’t want to make mistakes...
will consider them in Chapter Six.
Practising postponement of judgement will also prove beneficial in other
aspects of your life. A creative thinker who can easily postpone his judgement
The management won’t agree... GET REAL...
will automatically be more open to other opinions, other visions, other cultures.
It will be a lot easier for him to explore other opinions without renouncing It’s too difficult to master...
It’s not my responsibility...
his own values. It enhances his capacities to discern the various aspects of
‘the truth’. T H AT ’ S T O O B I G A C H A N G E . . .
On page 37 you can get to grips with what this creative skill means
in practice and you can train your ability to postpone your judgement. The market is not ready yet... Let’s keep it under consideration...
Flexible Association
Let us return for a moment to the structure of the brain, how all of the brain It is just like… The older generation will not use it...
cells are interconnected and continuously transmit signals to one another. The
nature of this construction allows for the spontaneous associations to occur.
W E A R E T O O S M A L L F O R T H A T . . .
Association happens when one thought generates another: ‘This makes
me think of…’ It might work in other places but not here...
The mention of the words ‘weather forecast’ might make one think of the
television. With association it’s almost possible to visualise an impulse travel- SINCE WHEN ARE YOU THE EXPERT?... That’s for the future...
ling via a cable from one cell to another and in doing so, creating its own trail
of connections through the brain structure. There are an enormous number There are no staff members available... IT IS NOT SUITABLE FOR OUR CLIENTS...
of possible paths (via the thousands of dendrites) through the brain structure.
www.ideakillers.net
chapter three
THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Models or diagrams help us to get a grip on reality which is often too complex
for our comprehension. There are hundreds of ways to express creative proc-
esses, from the depictions of a genius’ brainwave to the endlessly detailed
flow chart of an engineering project. This book offers a very simple general
format that will hopefully inspire you by its simplicity.
Some people find it highly inappropriate to try to capture creativity in
models. ‘How can one even try and catch the elusive in a structure?’ However,
you will see that some models can be very useful for understanding and
steering the creative processes. They help you to direct your thinking and to
concentrate on those elements of the creative process where you can make a
difference. It works as long as we don’t take the models for reality.

The most simple form of the creative process consists of three phases:
UÊ Starting phase Chapter Four
UÊ Diverging phase Chapter Five
UÊ Converging phase Chapter Six

There is no need to tackle the chapters chronologically. See for yourself what
you find interesting or new. Go ahead and experiment. By entering the creative
process, you will automatically come across those aspects that follow your
learning needs: ‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating!’
90 CREATIVITY IN BUSINESS 91 CHAPTER FIVE U THE DIVERGING PHASE INSIGHT

B. You write down features and associations of this analogon. Direct Analogy
To serve as an example, let’s use our tables on page 118 and choose an 1. Starting formulation
animal as an analogon, an elephant for instance. We start from the specific 2. First round
characteristics of and associations with this analogon. 3. Choose an analogon
4. What is specific to this analogon?
Table Elephant Write down its characteristics and associations
5. Make every feature a starting point in the search for new ideas.
Resociate

This technique is sometimes called ‘analogy with nature’. Nature is considered

to mean everything that humans are surrounded by and which they are a part
of. The idea behind this is that for every single problem, however big or small,
nature always offers a solution.
There is even a science called bionics which studies the functioning of
organic systems and applies their mechanics to concrete technical problems.
Many inventions have their origin in nature: the undercarriage of a fighter jet
that has to land on an aircraft carrier is based on the ‘hinge joints’ in a grass-
hopper’s legs; the surface of Olympic swimsuits is similar to shark skin; the
structured surface on the back lights of cars is derived from a dragonfly’s
wings, for the shape causes mini-turbulence which prevents dust and dirt
from becoming attached to the surface.
We try to find at least 5 particular characteristics for this analogon.

An elephant

TIP FOR THE COACH

UÊ has a trunk
UÊ lives in a herd
UÊ has a good memory TEC HNIQ UE WITH
UÊ comes from Africa or India
DIRE CT ANA LOGY IS A HIGH LY ACC ESSI BLE
T GROU PS
UÊ performs in a circus A BROA D RANG E OF APP LICATION S AND MOS
EXP ERIE NCE IT AS VERY REWARDI NG.
UÊ has big ears etc.

LD BE
C. Resociation A FEW PRAC TICA L TIPS : THE ANAL OGON SHOU
R TO GEN ERAT E
For example:
INSP IRING AND SUF FICIE NTLY KNO WN IN ORDE
UÊ The ‘trunk’ could make us think of a kind of built-in vacuum cleaner
S THAT CAN LEAD
in the table, to be used to clean the tabletop A NUM BER OF PART ICUL AR CHA RAC TERI STIC
FROM WHAT IS
UÊ The ‘herd’ generates the idea of a series of smaller tables that can TO A FLU ENT AND VARIE D FLO W OF IDEA S.
slide into one another OGON CHO SEN FROM
UÊ A good ‘memory’: why not insert a horizontal computer screen into
EXP LAIN ED ABOV E, WE SEE THAT AN ANAL
FOR MAN Y PEOP LE.
the tabletop so that you can browse the morning news on the NATU RE CAN PROV E TO BE VERY INSP IRING
Internet while you have breakfast?

You will observe that a different kind of ideas is generated here than those
which resulted from the presupposition technique. Now you can go further
and search for ideas based on the other characteristics of an elephant.
92 CREATIVITY IN BUSINESS 93 CHAPTER FIVE U THE DIVERGING PHASE INSIGHT

Superhero
What is it? As a child you probably admired the ingenuity of Batman, Zorro
or Mickey Mouse, always able to find a way of turning desperate situations I M A GI N AT IO N
into something good. The superhero technique brings these heroes back to I S M O R E I M P O R TA N T T H A N K N O W L E D G E
life in concrete problem situations. Albert Einstein
‘Superhero’ is an example of a fantastical analogy. The fantastical analogy
is related to the former technique although, unlike like direct analogy, it isn’t
limited to reality. We can let our imagination go wild when choosing an anal- Superhero
ogon. This creates another angle from which to view the problem and from 1. Starting formulation
there, new ideas can be generated. 2. First round
3. Think of a hero or a heroine
How does the technique work? Think of a hero or a heroine whom you are 4. Bring the hero or the heroine to life
in awe of, in a positive or negative way. Fairytales, comics, cartoons or science Which characteristics could you attribute to him or her?
fiction can be a valuable source of inspiration. Always choose a hero or heroine 5. How would the hero or the heroine tackle your problem?
with whom you are well acquainted. It’s preferable not to choose stereotypical 6. Transform the suggestions into concrete solutions for the problem.
heroes. Your hero may also be a real or historical person but for the sake of Resociate
the exercise you will need to raise this person to a mythical status.
Now bring the chosen hero or heroine to life in your thoughts. What does A variation on this method is to read a story in which the protagonist
he or she look like? How does she move? What does she feel? What is she encounters several problems. While reading you can pay attention to the
capable of? Once you have your heroine in mind, ask yourself how she would solutions proposed in the story. Afterwards, you can try to transform the
react when confronted with the actual problem. How would she tackle this solutions from the story into solutions for the actual problem.
problem? You then transform every solution you find into concrete suggestions
for solving the problem. Fairytales are written in a very expressive language which makes them very
Examples of heroes or heroines might be: Batman, Leonardo da Vinci, useful here. They lead us into a world of wonders and unlimited fantasy.
Gandhi, Frodo, Madonna, Lara Croft, Monsieur Poirot, your (late) grand- ‘Success consists of going from Their structure is remarkably similar to the creative process: there is a problem
failure to failure without loss of
mother, Harry Potter, Philippe Starck, Inspector Morse, David Copperfield, to be solved, obstacles occur and finally a solution is found. The fantastical
enthusiasm.’ Winston Churchill
Flipper the dolphin, Andy Warhol, Nelson Mandela, your white blood cells... solutions that the hero or heroine comes up with can incite you to think up
How would Leonardo da Vinci handle the queue problem (‘How can we fantastical ideas concerning your own problem. The world is full of fairytales:
create a more pleasant atmosphere during the waiting time at the checkout?’ the tales of Grimm, Andersen, Perrault, Hauff, 1001 nights...
see page 228). His perspective drawing of the Last Supper might make you
think of optical illusion: visual tricks could make the waiting line seem shorter
or hide it from view. His Mona Lisa could lead you to a philosophical approach
towards the whole issue (make the waiting seem worthwhile) or teach people
how to paint in the waiting line. His drawings of helicopters could introduce
TIP FOR THE COACH
the third dimension. Why not consider putting checkouts on different levels,
IN GENE RAL PEOP LE LIKE THIS TEC HNIQ UE VERY
not only on the ground surface?
MUC H. IT IS OBVI OUSLY VERY PLAY FUL AND BRING
S
On page 113 you can practise with your superheroes. OUT THE CHIL D IN US. WHE N APPLYING THIS
TEC HNIQ UE IN A GROU P, LET EVER Y PART ICIPA
NT
CHOO SE A DIFF EREN T HERO . THIS BRING S MORE
DIVE RSITY TO THE FLOW OF IDEA S.
134 CREATIVITY IN BUSINESS 135 CHAPTER SIX U THE CONVERGING PHASE INSIGHT

strategy, etc – in short, everything that could make you think an idea might
be difficult to achieve.
Creative Session Based on these two criteria – originality and ease of implementation – we
Choosing with groups can be divided into two different selection processes. get a diagram with three interesting boxes.
A. During creative sessions, as a group participant you are invited to be at the service
of the problem owner. You will of course have your own opinions but at the same time The COCD Box
you consider the ideas from the point of view of the problem owner. You choose and
develop the ideas that offer the largest added value from their perspective. This is
the selection process that we will develop further in Creativity in Business.

B. A totally different situation is when there are elements within the group that need
to take one particular standpoint (defensive) and yet a shared decision is necessary.
One could call this ‘selection by negotiation’. It is very common in political situa- ideas for the future
tions; for example, during negotiations between unions and employers. This is a dreams, challenges
political decision process. We will not treat that process in this book.
mental booster
red ideas for tomorrow
Choosing within groups has several procedural and psychological aspects. When selecting
your ‘choice model’, consider the following:
U the commitment of the group
U the number of ideas you are starting with, and how many ideas you want
to end with
U the degree of innovation you are aiming at
U the culture of the environment in which you will be working
easy to implement innovative ideas
low risk breakthrough
high acceptability exciting ideas
existing examples can be implemented
Technique 1: The COCD Box®
The COCD box was created by a Dutch-Flemish organisation for the devel-
opment of creative thinking – the abbreviation COCD stands for Centre of
Development of Creative Thinking. The COCD box is one of the better tech-
niques to have been developed in recent years to manage the start of the
convergence phase. You can apply it to all kinds of problems and in all kinds
of groups. By using the COCD box to make a selection of the most promising
ideas, you can focus on real innovation and you will increase the group’s emo-
tional commitment towards the selection that has been made. In the bottom left box we find the blue ideas. These are common and feasible
ideas. They are very useful, there’s nothing wrong with them. These ideas
The COCD box originated from frustration at the creadox. How can we would probably have resulted from an ordinary meeting.
avoid falling back into old patterns and wasting innovative potential? The bottom right box shows the red ideas. In fact, a creative session is
meant to generate red ideas. The red ideas are exciting and innovative, and
When selecting ideas according to the COCD box method, you consider yet, your intuition tells you that these ideas could be realised without too
two basic criteria. On the one hand, degree of innovativeness – is the idea much trouble.
old hat or new? On the other hand, feasibility: is the idea easy or difficult to On the top right there is a category of ideas that normally get lost at the
realise? Feasibility should take into account costs, legality, technical feasibility, end of almost every creative session: the yellow ideas. You know that these