Where Does Creativity Occur & Who Is Creative

SAMUEL A. MALONE
WHERE DOES
CREATIVITY OCCUR &
WHO IS CREATIVE?
CREATIVITY SKILLS
FOR MANAGERS
Download free eBooks at bookboon.com

2
Where Does Creativity Occur & Who is Creative?: Creativity Skills for Managers
1st edition
© 2018 Samuel A. Malone & bookboon.com
ISBN 978-87-403-2570-6

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WHERE DOES CREATIVITY OCCUR
& WHO IS CREATIVE?: CREATIVITY
SKILLS FOR MANAGERS Contents
CONTENTS
Introduction 6
1 Where Does Creativity Take Place? 8

1.1 Creativity in the Brain 8
1.2 Flow and Creativity 10
1.3 Exercise, Sleep and Meditation 12
1.4 Creativity in the Home 13
1.5 Creativity in the Workplace 19
1.6 Nurturing Creativity in Teams 31
1.7 Universities and R&D 34
1.8 Western Verses Eastern Cultures 36
1.9 Cities as Creative Hubs 39
1.10 Summary of Chapter 1 43
2 Who Is Creative? 44
2.1 Traits of Creative People 44
2.2 The Dark Side of Creativity 47
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SKILLS FOR MANAGERS Contents
2.3 The DISC Personal Profile System 49

2.4 Thinking Styles Preferences 51
2.5 Gender and Creativity 53
2.6 Famous Creative People 56
2.7 Creativity over the Lifespan 58
2.8 Diffusion of Innovation Curve 68
2.9 Education and Creativity 70
2.10 Entrepreneurs 71
2.11 Summary of Chapter 2 73
Acknowledgements 74
About the Author 75
References and Bibliography for Creativity

Skills for Managers (books1-3) 76

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SKILLS FOR MANAGERS Introduction
INTRODUCTION
This is the third and final book in the series Creativity Skills for Managers. It covers Where
Does Creativity Take Place? and Who is Creative?
Creativity starts in the brain. Both sides of the brain are needed for creativity. The entire
creative process engages different regions of the brain. The neocortex is the part of the
brain that distinguishes us from the other mammals. Thanks to the neocortex, humans can
perform extraordinary creative and complex tasks. These include writing a book, composing
a symphony, painting a landscape or building a computer. Creative people tend to lose
themselves in the creative process. This is known as a state of flow.
Exercise, sleep and meditation are good for your creativity. Creativity can happen at home or
at work. Creativity is needed in our personal lives to solve everyday problems. These could
include household budgeting, interior design, hobbies and carrying out do-it-yourself projects.
In the workplace there are numerous opportunities to exercise creativity from continuous
improvements to new product developments. Simple everyday changes and improvements
may reap major benefits in productivity. Responding in a creative way to a customer’s request,
or solving a crisis requiring a quick response, are everyday occurrences in most businesses.
At a more sophisticated level new goods and services are coming on the market all the time.
Universities are designed to encourage the flow of ideas between disciplines within and
outside the university. Pure research is conducted in universities rather than development.
The fruits of this research benefits industry. The internet enables universities to keep up to
date on the research activities of other universities at home and abroad.
Western and eastern countries differ to the extent that they are creative. Originality, initiative,
fluidity and flexibility are highly regarded and respected in the west. On the other hand,
eastern cultures emphasise the importance of the group over the individual, and the need
for conformity, respect for age, tradition and social harmony. Japan has built its reputation
on incremental improvements rather than invention. China is becoming a major economic
force in the world.
Major cities are creative hubs. The average inhabitant of a city is three times more creative
than someone living in a small town. Innovation is a prime driver of economic growth in
cities and regions. Globalised cities such as New York and London now trade in creativity,
ideas, knowledge and innovation.

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SKILLS FOR MANAGERS Introduction
The traits of creative people include playfulness, resilience, imagination, novelty, curiosity
and energy. These traits are well worth developing. The average person underestimates how
creative they are. Creativity can be expressed in our lifestyle, in the way we solve problems, in
the way we dress, in the way we speak, in how we interact with others, and in how we cook.
There is a dark side to creativity. Many famous creative people show symptoms of extreme
personality disorders such as schizoid, histrionic, narcissistic and manic depressive. The
DISC Personal Profile System attempts to develop a creativity quotient (CQ) similar to
the intelligence quotient (IQ), but has not achieved the same level of acceptance. There are
thinking style preferences in creativity such as the inventive style, the implementing style
and the evaluating style. Men and women are equally creative.
Creativity lasts a lifetime despite the fact that some people consider themselves too old to
be creative. Creativity is a highly desirable skill at any age even though it may vary over
the lifespan of a person. Scientists, artists, politicians, entertainers and writers can remain
creative throughout their lives and into old age.
Education plays a critical role in creativity. Deep knowledge of a particular subject and a
fund of general knowledge is an important resource for creativity. Creative people need a
store of knowledge to fall back on. An individual must have knowledge of a specific field
of study to engage in problem-solving related to that field and make a creative contribution
to that subject. Entrepreneurs need to know their businesses and be knowledgeable and
creative if their enterprise is to survive and thrive.
Samuel A Malone October 2018

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SKILLS FOR MANAGERS Where Does Creativity Take Place?
1 WHERE DOES CREATIVITY

TAKE PLACE?
1.1 CREATIVITY IN THE BRAIN

The research of Roger W. Sperry, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1981, came up with
the right brain, left brain theory. He discovered that cutting the corpus callosum could
eliminate or reduce seizures during epilepsy. He also found that patients who underwent
this procedure seemed to be operating from two different and independent brains. This in
turn led to the conclusion that different activities were controlled by either side of the brain.
Language and logic are from the left, and creativity and imagination from the right. The
left brain is verbal and sequential and looks at the pieces first before putting them together.
The right side is visual and processes information in an intuitive and simultaneous way,
looking first at the whole picture and then the details. The left side is linked to planning
and organisation, analytical thinking and deduction. The right side is associated with
imagination, emotions, feelings and artistic creativity.
Later research suggests that both sides of the brain are not as separate and distinct as
previously thought. For example, abilities in subjects such as mathematics are actually
strongest when both halves of the brain work together. Today, neuroscientists know that
both sides of the brain work together when involved in creative problem solving such as
generating and evaluating ideas, and that both halves cooperate and communicate through
the corpus callosum. There is clear evidence of interaction between distant regions in both
the left and right sides of the brain when the electrical activity is measured.
The conventional wisdom was that creativity is mostly located in the right side of the brain.
This side of the brain was considered the more creative or emotional side. The left side
was considered the analytical and judgemental side. It is now thought that this division of
the brain is not as rigid as was once thought. Many brain functions are not confined to
certain fixed locations. In fact, they are much more distributed and interactive across both
sides and all brain regions. Even though the major areas for language are located in the left
side of the brain, the right side has language capabilities that can be used (through speech
training) to overcome loss of speaking ability in stroke victims.
Both sides of the brain are connected by the corpus callosum which is involved in creatively
linking both sides. Information is passed from the left side to the right side and vice versa.
This is important as the two sides perform different tasks and need to communicate with
each other efficiently and extremely quickly.

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Both sides of the brain are needed for creativity. The right side of the brain is needed for
generating ideas and arriving at an insight, and the left side for evaluation and implementation.
The entire creative process – from preparation to incubation to illumination to verification
– consists of many different brain processes and emotions. Depending on the stage of the
creative process, different regions of the brain are needed to handle the task. Researchers using
functional MRI have found that all parts of the brain are involved in creativity including
imagination, memory and emotions. Imagination is the cornerstone of creativity. It would
be impossible for anyone to be creative without having a rich imagination.
Imagination, in turn, is highly dependent on memory and experience. Without the storehouse
of memory, you could not feed your imagination with information, knowledge and experience.
For example, brain imaging has shown that the hippocampus, a memory structure deep
in the brain, is active at the moment people use insight to solve riddles. A large working
memory correlates with increased creativity. The more information you have stored in your
memory, the more likely you are to make creative connections. In addition, emotions are
intimately involved in our creativity. Intense desire and interest will drive our creativity.
Neuroplasticity means that the brain changes through action and experience by laying
down new neural pathways and connections. Areas of the brain that are used intensely
increase in size. While we are born with a complete set of neurons, the connections between
them are determined and strengthened in major part by learning, experience and using
the brain creatively.
Neocortex and relaxation

The neocortex is the most human part of the nervous system and is situated just behind
the forehead. This is the part of the brain that distinguishes humans from other mammals.
During human evolution it went through a dramatic expansion so that it now represents
one-third of the brain. It is not fully developed until we are in our early twenties. Thanks to
the neocortex, humans can perform extraordinary and complex tasks. These include writing
a book, composing a symphony, painting the Mona Lisa, or inventing the computer. The
neocortex is the control centre for the brain. If it decides to turn on the right side of the brain,
then we might end up with an insight. On the other hand, if it decides to restrict the search
to the left side of the brain then it will probably arrive at an incremental logical solution.
The neocortex needs to be relaxed to seek out the more remote associations in the right
side of the brain to provide insight. The relaxation phase is crucial. That’s why so many
insights occur when out walking, taking a shower, travelling abroad, or visiting a museum

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or exhibition. Letting the mind wander is good for insights. The big idea often comes
when people are thinking of something else or doing something that has nothing to do
with their research.
Consider the history of science and how frequently this has happened. For example, in 1990
a team of NASA scientists were trying to fix the distorted lenses in the Hubble telescope.
An expert in optics suggested that tiny inversely distorted mirrors could solve the problem.
However, nobody could figure out how to fit them into the confined space inside the
Hubble telescope. One of the engineers, while taking a shower in a German hotel, noticed
the European style showerhead mounted on adjustable rods. He realised that this was the
solution to the problem. The mirrors could be mounted on similar folding arms.
In 2001, researchers at Washington University identified regions of the brain that are active
when people are not doing anything in particular. These are called “the default network.”
These regions were found to be responsible for introspective thought and our ability to
imagine past and future events or even different realities. In other words, the parts of our
brains that are active when we are doing nothing are important to our creativity and our
ability to think about things differently. This suggests that we need time for relaxation and
recreation to rest our minds and facilitate creativity.
Another ideal time for insights is early in the morning just when we wake up. The drowsy
brain is disorganised and open to all sorts of unconventional ideas. The right side of the
brain is also unusually active during this time. EEG monitors show alpha wave activity
at this time in the frontal brain region with a diffuse and widespread pattern throughout
the brain. Alpha waves typically correlate with a state of relaxation and has been linked to
inspiration, originality and creativity. You are more likely to associate and combine ideas
when you are relaxed as alpha waves increase synchronisation between the two sides of the
brain. Just before the “aha” or “eureka” moment, the brain fires off alpha waves. In an alpha
state it is easier to form new concepts. On the other hand, trying to force an insight can
be counterproductive. The harder you try to do it the more difficult it becomes.
1.2 FLOW AND CREATIVITY

Flow is achieved when you lose all sense of time and self while being fully engaged and
responding to a challenge. It is also known as being in the zone. It is a state of complete,
intense concentration and absorption, where time seems to move very slowly or stand
still. Children, more so than adults, can easily enter a state of flow, where they become
completely absorbed in their work and time does not matter. Adults are more conscious of
the passage of time.

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Or, the opposite may happen, where time seems to stretch out. In a state of flow, we are
only aware of the here and now. Creative people tend to lose themselves in the creative
process. If a musician thinks about health or tax problems while playing they are likely to
get distracted and play a wrong note. The secret to happiness is to learn to get flow from
everything we do including everyday activities such as work and family life. We will enjoy
things much more if we consider that everything is worth doing for its own sake.
States of flow are usually associated with world class athletes who perform great sporting
feats when in a state of flow, even though it can happen to anybody in any domain. It
happens when your skills perfectly match the situation so that all feelings of self-consciousness
disappear. If your skills are not up to the challenge you will experience anxiety. On the
other hand, if your skills are too great for the task you will experience boredom. Playing
tennis or chess against a much better opponent leads to frustration; against a much inferior
opponent, to boredom. In flow the players are evenly matched in order to create challenge,
uncertainty and excitement.
Neurological studies of flow show that people expend less energy when in flow. The reason
for this appears to be that the parts of the brain most relevant for the task are most active
and those that are irrelevant are relatively inactive. By contrast, when one is in an anxious
or confused state there is no distinction in activity levels between parts of the brain. You
can train your brain to get into a state of flow by doing activities that you are passionate
about and really enjoy and thinking of how to make other tasks more fun and challenging.
When a job is enjoyable it also has clear goals and constant feedback.
In flow there is a need for an immediate feedback to one’s actions. A musician hears straight
away whether she has played the right note. A mountain climber knows the last move
was correct because he hasn’t fallen off the mountain. If we can’t get feedback from others
we should provide it for ourselves. Some research scientists drift away from pure science
because they haven’t the patience to tolerate the long cycles of insecurity before reviewer and
editors evaluate their work. The ones that stay internalise the field’s criteria of judgement
and provide their own feedback.
When we are in flow we are too involved to be concerned with failure. We know what
we have done and our skills are up to the challenge. Failure is not an issue. In addition,
when we are in flow our self-consciousness disappears. In flow we are too involved in what
we are doing to be concerned about what others think. Afterwards we may emerge with a
stronger self-concept and sense of self-efficacy. This is because we know we have succeeded
in overcoming a difficult challenge.

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Interviews with prominent creative people such as engineers and chemists, writers and
musicians, historians and architects, artists and photographers, sociologists and physicists
confirm that they all do what they do primarily because they are passionate about their
work, rather than any monetary reward involved. Most of them say that they are lucky
to get paid for doing what they love! In particular, people love designing or discovering
something new. It seems evolution has programmed humans for work, challenges, creativity,
adventure and discovery.
1.3 EXERCISE, SLEEP AND MEDITATION

Exercise, such as walking, cycling or swimming is good for getting your creative juices
flowing as it releases a peptide that helps produce serotonin. Exercise also increases oxygen
and glucose in the bloodstream and helps the brain release feel-good endorphins. Serotonin
levels tend to be highest in the morning, making this time the ideal period for brainstorming
sessions. If you have brainstorming sessions in the afternoon take a brisk walk beforehand
to build up your serotonin levels.
Serotonin and dopamine are needed for your best creative work. Increases in the stress hormones
such as cortisol will counteract the creativity boosting effects of serotonin. The appropriate
combination of both will produce a condition in which you are calm but energised. When
you are in a good mood parts of the brain that have dopamine receptors are activated, and
these are the regions responsible for creativity, problem solving and decision making.
We spend a third of our lives asleep and this activity is just as important to us as our
waking hours. As we sleep, our brain processes what we’ve seen and learned during the
day and helps to consolidate our memories and experiences. When you’re tired you lack
energy and alertness, you have poor memory, you have poor creativity, you are inclined to
be impulsive, are more likely to be stressed and exercise poor judgement. Sustained stress
is associated with lack of sleep and eventually leads to poor health.
Stress has a negative effect on creativity. People under stress are likely to stick with the
familiar when under too much pressure. Getting insufficient sleep has also a negative effect
on creativity. Most people need up to 8 hours sleep a night including 2 hours of deep, REM
(rapid eye movement) sleep for the brain to restore proper levels of serotonin. Research from
the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine shows that REM sleep enhances
creative problem solving. Dreams typically happen during REM sleep. During REM sleep
your eyes move rapidly in different directions. This doesn’t occur during non-REM sleep. It
appears that REM sleep lets the brain make new and useful associations between unrelated
ideas. Deep sleep accounts for less than 30% of the average person’s sleep, but it can be
lessened by sleep interruptions as well as alcohol and caffeine consumption. We know that
many inventors were inspired by their dreams.

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It has been known for years that meditation calms the mind and is good for creativity.
Meditation puts you in touch with your subconscious enabling you to explore possibilities.
Practising silence for a few minutes each day can unlock your creative juices because stillness
and quietness slow down our thoughts and clears our minds. Even sitting on a park bench
during a summer’s day leisurely watching the world go by can be very relaxing and do
wonders for our creativity.
You may have quiet creative oases such as on a beach, lakeside or scenic location where
you find peace and solitude that you can use as a retreat for creative thinking. Bob Dylan,
who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016, used his isolated log cabin retreat when
he wrote his bestselling song “Like a Rolling Stone.” It is known that Steve Jobs practised
Zen Buddhism. He was very focused which had been honed by his Zen training, and was
able to filter out distractions. He also had an ability to simplify things by concentrating on
the essence of things and eliminating unnecessary components and complexity.
“If you stuff yourself full of poems, essays, plays, stories, novels, films, comic strips,
magazines, music, you automatically explode every morning like old faithful. I have never
had a dry spell in my life, mainly because I feed myself well, to the point of bursting.”
– Ray Bradbury
1.4 CREATIVITY IN THE HOME

Some people think that creativity is restricted to great inventions and works of art. In
fact, creativity can happen in any area of our personal and work lives. We tend to think
of creativity as the realm of geniuses like famous artists, sculptors, musicians, songwriters,
novelists and poets. However, creativity is not just about creating a masterpiece but about
creating something new and useful that we can apply advantageously to enrich our lives.
Everything around us in our homes was conceived as an idea and developed by practical
people to make all our lives easier and more comfortable.
Seek out and embrace change and novelty in your personal life to boost your creativity.
Creativity is needed in our personal lives to solve everyday problems, such as doing more
with a shrinking household budget, like seeking out cheaper sources to buy our weekly
groceries or carrying out on-going repairs and maintenance to our homes instead of relying
exclusively on expensive tradespeople.
If I can improvise a costume for a school play, then this is being creative. If I can better
organise my day, write letters and reports in more effective ways, or make more interesting
presentations, then this is being creative. This everyday creativity plays a vital role in our

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learning and personal development as well as boosting our confidence and self-esteem. One
way to spark creativity and leave a legacy for your children and grandchildren is to write
an autobiography of your life.
Many people find a creative outlet for interior design when they are furnishing, painting
and decorating their homes. Others can develop their creative skills by designing lighting
effects, colour schemes, rearranging the furniture in their home, landscaping the garden, or
experimenting with new cooking recipes. You don’t have to be a master chef to be creative;
all you need to do is to create something new. More important is to adjust your mental
attitude so that you approach life experiences with an open mind and cultivate a belief
that possibilities and solutions are always within reach. This means that you are equipped
to handle any challenge that comes your way with confidence and flair.
Parents can encourage or suppress the natural creativity in the home environment by their
actions. Most children at preschool kindergarten or crèche level love going to school. They
are excited about exploring, experimenting and learning. This continues into the first grade
of formal education. However, by the time they are in the third and fourth grades they have
lost much of this natural curiosity, sense of wonder and creativity. They lose the facility to
revel in imaginary play and ask outlandish questions, unless they have a supportive teacher
who tolerates unconventional questions. Without this support they tend to underperform
and drop out of school.
The childhood of Stanley Mason (1921-2006), an inventor and holder of many patents
illustrates the negative impact of some educational systems. He grew up to be a prolific
inventor of such useful everyday things as disposable nappies, granola bars and microwave
cookware. In relation to the diaper he said: “My wife asked me to put the diaper on the
baby. I held up the cloth diaper, and it was square. I looked at the baby, and it was round.
I knew there was an engineering problem.”
One day while in 3rd grade Stanley was locked into the principal’s room because he would
not colour between lines. But in art classes outside school he learned how to visualise and
his work in the library as a teenager exposed him to diverse ideas. Until the 9th grade he got
poor grades because of his daydreaming and lack of focused attention in class. However, his
9th grade maths teacher recognised his potential and turned him into an honours student.
One can only imagine how many inventors were never discovered because the educational
system didn’t nurture their creativity and would not allow them the freedom to colour
outside the lines.

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Why children lose their creativity

Psychologist Teresa Amabile in her research has identified the reasons why children lose
their creativity as they grow up. These reasons can be recalled by the mnemonic SCOPE:
• Surveillance
S
• Competition
C
• Over-control
O
• Pressure
P
• Evaluation
E
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• Surveillance. This means continually looking over children’s shoulders. This makes them
feel that they are constantly being watched and policed while they’re working. This
makes them feel uneasy and inhibits freedom of expression, initiative and creativity.
• Competition. Putting children in win/lose situations, where only one person can
win. A child should be encouraged to progress at their own rate and within their
own level of ability. They should compete against themselves, rather than worry
what others think about their work. They should be encouraged to become the
best they can be, rather than be continually comparing themselves with others.
Encouraging cooperation rather than competition should be the approach adopted.
• Over control. Telling children exactly how to do things rather than encouraging them
to explore, experiment, use their own initiative and find things out for themselves.
Children perform best when given a good degree of freedom and latitude.
• Pressure. Establishing expectations that are over-ambitious for a child’s performance,
making them feel inferior. This approach can backfire and cause a lifelong aversion
for the subject being taught. Creativity flourishes when things are done for fun,
entertainment and enjoyment, rather than perfection.
• Evaluation. Making children worry about another children’s judgement about what
they are doing. In a research study, participants who did not know that they were
being evaluated made the most creative works. They were just having fun, enjoying
themselves and were not concerned about other people’s opinions, judgements or
rewards. In tasks that require creativity, new insights, or learning, we do better
when we are not being evaluated and judged. On the other hand, in routine tasks
we do better if evaluated.
Just like adults, children need all the praise that they can get. A study of students showed
that it took four praises to one criticism to keep students motivated, and a ratio of 8 to 1 to
change behaviour. The same study found that teachers’ most common methods for changing
behaviour were fear, humiliation and embarrassment. If this approach is common in classrooms
we can see why conformity rather than creativity is the outcome of our educational system.
Psychologists have discovered that the birth position may affect creativity as can family size,
the age gap between siblings and the number of siblings and family values. It seems that
children born later are more likely to be creative and pursue a vocation in the arts. Research
shows that middle born children frequently develop into rebellious and non-conformist adults.
Creativity can also be influenced by the availability of coaches, mentors and role models.
Creative adults tend to grow up in families with professional occupations that provide stable
homes with clear rules and boundaries, but where the parents encouraged uniqueness. These
families were highly sensitive to children’s needs, yet challenged them to develop skills, be
different, be imaginative and be adaptable. On the other hand, there are exceptional cases

16
where highly creative adults grew up with hardship and in the most trying and unlikely
circumstances. Hardship by itself doesn’t lead to creativity, but expediency forces children
to become more flexible, inventive and imaginative in dealing with problems in straitened
circumstances, and flexibility helps with creativity.
Play
Apparently, the games children play in early childhood help them to grow into creative
adults. Neurology shows that play is now considered crucial to brain development. In
laboratory experiments, animals that lived in an “enriched environment” grew bigger brains.
An enriched environment is one characterised by frequent changes of toys and interactions
with other animals. Children have an innate desire to experiment and explore - to try out
new things. Pre-schoolers who spend more time in role play tend to be more creative.
Similarly, involvement in drama and stage plays is a great way for children to develop their
creative talents. Ideally plays should be written by the children themselves to bring out their
creativity, and to ensure understanding and compatibility with their world.
Preparing for the play and the process of acting is inherently rewarding for the children
irrespective of the approval received from parents, teachers and friends. Acting out someone
else’s point of view, helps develop the child’s ability to analyse situations, role play, empathise
with others and see things from different perspectives. It also helps them to experience
situations that life so far has not made available to them. Even when playing alone they can
act out strong negative emotions such as anger, sadness and hostility, in a safe experimental
environment. One of the functions of play in childhood is to stimulate brain development.
Play also helps build their character and develop them into responsible adults.
A child can sit astride a stick and imagine they are a cowboy riding a horse. A little girl
plays with a doll and imagines she is a mother. She dresses up as a nurse or doctor and
imagines she is caring for the needs of patients. A girl dresses up in her mother’s clothes
and imagines she is a model or a film star. A boy puts on a soldier’s uniform and imagines
that he is involved in a war. In his games he can become a soldier, a sailor or a pirate – all
within the space of a few minutes. He uses a make-believe microphone and imagines he
is a pop star.
Children have no problem impersonating animals, superheroes, and creatures that they
invent themselves. Most children have imaginary friends they play with at some stage in
their lives. All of these are examples of role play and authentic creativity. The role play
is not merely a reproduction of the child’s experience, but a creative reconstruction of
the impressions he has acquired. Children’s ability to draw and make up stories are other
examples of creativity at play.

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Children have great imaginations which should be facilitated, encouraged and developed.
Telling children stories, myths, legends and fairy tales and exposing them to different life
experiences will fire up their little fertile imaginations. The more knowledge and experience
a child have, including wide reading, adventure holidays, visits to the playground, cinema,
theatre, variety shows, zoo and circus, the more productive his imagination. Through reading
a child can imagine another’s experience without actually going through the same physical
process. A child can read books and read about thousands of events that they have not
directly experienced and imagine them in their minds. If a child studies geography and
history they can visit far away countries in their imaginations and see things from other’s
perspectives without leaving the comfort of their own homes.
It is well known that in early childhood, especially during the pre-school period, children
go through a drawing stage. During this period, they draw eagerly, if primitively; sometimes
even without the encouragement of an adult. It is important that we unconditionally praise
their efforts during this phase. However, when they reach school age the love of drawing
begins to diminish. In some it disappears completely. After 11 years of age a child’s drawing
improves, so that we get real conventional drawing. Similarly, verbal or literary creativity
takes over especially during puberty.
Developing writing skills in children

Literary skills are helped by increased knowledge through reading and personal experience,
including an understanding of how people relate to each other, which helps the child to
express themselves in writing. A child of early school age is unable to do this because of their
limited knowledge and experience of the world, and because their brain is still developing.
A child’s literary skills are developed if they are encouraged to write about topics that interest
them, and that they understand and emotionally want to write about. Writing is a great
outlet for heartfelt feelings. The opposite happens if they are compelled to write about things
they have little knowledge, understanding, experience or interest in. Encourage children to
take a strong interest in the world around them, so that they can build up a database of
knowledge to draw on and write about. Encourage children to ask questions as they have
a natural ability to be inquisitive and are unafraid of being judged by others. Edward De
Bono maintains that the natural creativity of children is a part of their innocence. If you
do not know the usual way of doing things, the usual solution to problems, you are more
likely to come up with unusual original ideas.
Hobbies and holiday vacations can be a great source and inspiration for ideas. Encourage
children to write about what they know well and have thought about deeply. Leo Tolstoy,
the great Russian author, believed that the true task of education was not to prematurely

18
inculcate adult language in children, but rather to help them develop and shape their own
natural literary style. Just like an adult, when a child has something to write about, he
writes with great conviction. In addition, writing helps them master language and express
their thoughts and feelings in a creative way.
Some experts have categorised three stages of verbal expression in children. The first stage
is oral language and lasts from about 3 to 7 years of age. The second stage is literacy and
lasts from 7 to adolescence. Finally, the literary stage lasts from the end of puberty to young
childhood. This is in line with reality as we know that the development of oral language is
always ahead of the development of written language. Even afterwards children’s words are
often more expressive and picturesque than their writing.
Emotions affect our ability to see and feel. Experiencing fear or happiness will colour the
way we see and experience things. In the half-dark the vivid imagination of a child may
see clothes hanging on a clothes line in the kitchen as a strange man or a robber who has
broken into the house. The image of the robber is not real but the emotions of fear and
terror experienced by the child are.
Some artists are able to regress into their childlike imagination to reproduce great artwork
displaying this sense of fear. Such work can induce a strong emotional effect on viewers of
the art subconsciously. Similarly, music experienced in our childhood in a particular context
when heard again can evoke a whole complex world of experiences and feelings to the person
listening to the music and bring back childhood memories and emotions. These fantasy
experiences from childhood can help us become more creative. Some writers have exploited
this facility to help them recall childhood experiences and write great works of literature.
“There’s really no secret to our approach. We keep moving forward

– opening up new doors and doing new things because we’re
curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
– Walt Disney
1.5 CREATIVITY IN THE WORKPLACE

In the workplace there are numerous opportunities for creativity to flourish. We spend a
significant proportion of our waking hours at work, and it is one of the most important
places to express our creativity. Unfortunately, most of us have not been encouraged to be
creative at work. Nevertheless, creative thinking has contributed to the rise and continued
success of countless companies, from start-ups like Facebook, Twitter and Google, to long-
established companies like Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, 3M and General Electric.

19
Contrary to conventional wisdom, a time of recession is often an opportune time in which

to set up a successful profitable company. Companies such as Burger King, Microsoft,
CNN and FedEx were all set up during a recession. Steve Jobs released his iPad during
2001 when the economy was in a recession. A recession forces a company to think in an
innovative fashion, while overcoming problems and seeking out opportunities. They are
forced to undertake cost reduction strategies to eliminate waste and run an efficient company.
Unnecessary sources of cost are ruthlessly taken out of the system.
Creativity can take place in any area of an organisation, and not just in research and
development (R&D), management services, systems analysis, design, marketing and
advertising. Inventiveness and creativity have become even important in spheres such as
computer programming. The routine work of testing, maintaining and upgrading software
has been outsourced to low cost countries such as India. Engineers in developed countries
who are able to develop new software products are highly regarded and remunerated. Once
new software products have been invented they need to be launched in the market and
taught, explained and maintained to customers. Training manuals need to be developed,
and users trained in the new systems. Ongoing innovation within companies may take the
form of the development of new products, services, systems and processes. At a more routine
level, incremental innovation takes place all the time with the continuous improvement of
products, services and processes.
You don’t need to come up with anything spectacular to be creative in the workplace. Simple
everyday changes and improvements may reap major benefits in productivity. Responding
in a creative way to a customer request, or solving a crisis requiring a quick response, is
an everyday occurrence in most businesses. In marketing creative approaches to pricing,
identifying niche markets, advertising, packaging and distribution are examples of creativity
in action. Marketing managers also need to identify new and profitable product-market
opportunities that appeal to customers’ wants and needs.
Improving a purchasing procedure or a reporting procedure by eliminating unnecessary

paperwork and by combining operations is creativity in action. The best way of doing
this is by mapping the process through flow charts. Flow charts will help you visualise the
complete process. You can then break the process down into individual stages so that you
can readily see how it can be improved by eliminating unnecessary steps.
Structures can be rationalised and systems made more efficient. Moving a desk or a filing
cabinet so that the work flows smother may result in a significant saving of time, effort
and energy. We may redesign a job so that the same tasks are combined and given to one
person thereby increasing overall efficiency and productivity. In a factory, unnecessary
operations, movements, storage and congestion points can be eliminated to improve work

20
flow, produce faster cycle times, while at the same time reducing work-related stress. You
can discover how to reduce the wear on a cutting tool or diagnose an intermittent fault on
a complex piece of machinery.
In logistics you can discover a clever way to move a product more efficiently to a customer
or improve its design for greater customer satisfaction. In industrial relations you can figure
out how to use more empathetic and precise language to favourably influence behaviour and
outcomes. In human resource management you may want to design remuneration packages
that get skilled staff to stay with the company without paying them excessive salaries.
Maybe the reporting procedure in your company could be improved, the sales territory
redesigned or the purchasing procedures simplified, the transport system improved - all
resulting in significant savings. Forms can be simplified and combined and analysed to ensure
that all information requested on the form is necessary, and that the form is user friendly
to fill up and easy to file away. Credit control and invoicing systems can be improved.
Managers may make relatively novel changes in problem solving, decision making or
implementation. They may simplify control procedures and coordination and thereby improve
efficiency. They may introduce better staff motivation systems and improve accountability. They
may introduce better and more streamlined organisation structures, including communication
channels, and implement better planning, cash flow systems and budgetary procedures.
Creativity can even occur in accounting. I’m not referring to creative accounting here!
Over the past couple of decades, there have been many innovations in accounting that are
extremely profound and ethical, such as activity based costing, and zero-based budgeting.
Accountants can also advise when outsourcing is the more profitable course of action rather
than doing it yourself. They can demonstrate through investment appraisal studies when further
investment through capital expenditure is the wisest and most profitable course of action.
The most creative ideas often come from front line employees working closest to the customer,
because they understand the customer, and know the operational problems that they face
on a daily basis. Creative ideas should solve pressing problems that customers have. For
example, in a restaurant the best ideas may come from the waitresses and waiters, rather than
the management. They may have ideas about new additions or deletions to the menu, more
efficient ways of paying the bill, a friendlier approach to customers, improvements to the
décor and layout of the restaurant, and ways to attract more customers into the restaurant.

21
Company culture and creativity

Organisational culture is the underlying values, beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, and principles
that a company operates, that encourage, supports and reinforce a culture of innovation.
The culture is supported by the company’s mission and vision that sets the tone for the
organisation. The creative organisation believes in flexibility, adaptability and involvement,
implemented by a policy of empowering and developing their employees. Employees are
more likely to generate and offer ideas if they are empowered, work in teams and given
every opportunity to develop their talents through education, training and development. The
culture of innovation should be supported by a system of incentives, and the appointment
of champions to encourage innovative thinking. Champions help break down the barriers of
resistance to new ideas while bolstering the culture of creativity and innovation in the company.
Innovative organisations are adaptable and able to respond rapidly to the changes going on
around them. They have an outward focus and quickly respond to the needs of customers and
competitors. They encourage risk-taking and produce innovations that customers need, want
and value. They have a clear vision of what they want to do, and the way the organisation
should advance. For example, Apple has been largely driven by a strong vision, rather than
customer ideas. Innovative organisations invest in their employee training and development,
promote empowerment and facilitate teamwork. They create an environment that encourages
the exchange of knowledge, encourages constructive confrontation, initiative, and independent
thinking to stimulate creativity. General George Patton said: “Never tell people how to do
things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”
Creativity may be easier to achieve within the smaller firm where flexibility is a key factor
when addressing business opportunities. Creativity flourishes in a culture, where it is supported,
valued, celebrated and recognised. Obviously if you work in a stultifying environment such
as a bureaucracy, where conformity and mediocrity are rewarded, you are unlikely to be
creative. People like the opportunity to engage deeply in their work and make real progress.
Organisations conducive to creativity are more informal than formal, and allow people to
participate, contribute, network and experiment.
Innovation doesn’t always work. When Coca-Cola introduced New Coke in April 1985 to
replace Classic Coke, they expected a major success story. Instead the launch of the New
Coke was a public disaster with overwhelming negative reaction. Their customers, who
weren’t consulted about the change, preferred Classic Coke. Even global companies make
mistakes – there is no such thing as being right all the time. Coca-Cola probably spent large
sums of money on research, such as focus groups and taste testing, before they launched
New Coke but still failed. Failure is part and parcel of innovation and employees must be
allowed to fail in order to successfully innovate.

22
Creating an innovative corporate culture

There are six critical rules to guide innovative culture in an organisation:
Passion
Diversity Praise
6 Critical
Rules
Fail
Autonomy
Forward
Applaud
Fig. 1.2. Six Critical Rules for Innovation
1. Develop passion in the workplace to provide a sense of purpose, promoting

collaboration and having fun. Interest and passion are the drivers of creativity.
2. Celebrate employee ideas through praise, recognition, career opportunities and
encouraging employees to enjoy their work. People who enjoy what they do are
more creative.
3. Foster autonomy by reducing the number of obstacles employees must go through
to get their work done. People do not want to be frustrated and discouraged when
they attempt to try something new.
4. Applaud courage by telling employees to say what they think, even if it is controversial,
and to question actions inconsistent with company values and ethical standards.
Turning the proverbial blind eye to ethical issues in not the way forward.
5. Fail forward by learning from experiments that didn’t succeed and taking risks that
will lead one step closer to the ideal solution. Mistakes should be always considered
as opportunities to learn.
6. Maximise age, gender and cultural diversity in the workplace to understand customers
better and see the world from their perspective. A monochrome vision of the world
will not help you to see, generate and exploit opportunities.

23
Companies need to be continually creative to differentiate their products from competitors

in the market. They may do this through innovative pricing strategies, improved packaging
and design, and better and more efficient packaging systems and distribution channels.
In marketing you may develop new markets for your existing products or produce new
products for new markets.
Practical examples of companies with a creative culture

Generally, employees in 3M are allowed to spend 15% of their time on projects of their own
choosing. This time is generally unstructured and is given to creative thinking, trying new
products, and reading up on new ideas and processes that could help employees be more
creative. Specifically, 3M, engineers are rotated to a new division every few years. Sometimes
these rotations bring big payoffs. 3M realised they had a problem with their laptop battery
life because the screen used up too much energy. The engineers applied their knowledge
of see-through adhesives to create an optical film that focuses light outward, producing a
screen that was 40% more efficient.
It is part of the culture of Microsoft that people will fail as part of the process of finding
better solutions. This is acceptable provided people learn from their mistakes. At Google,
engineers are encouraged to work on “20% projects.” Basically, they can spend up to a fifth
of their time on personal ideas that interest them. For Google this approach has created new
services like Google Scholar. Twitter has a similar concept called Hack Week, described in
a company blog as “a full week to work with people from other teams, explore new ideas,
experiment with different projects and let our creativity run wild.”
Executives at Walt Disney Company know that good movie ideas can come from anybody
within the company, and not just from executives. There times a year they hold a “Gong
Show,” in which everyone in the company, including janitors, secretaries, messengers
and mailroom staff get to share their ideas with the top executives. Kodak has a humour
room for people to unwind, play games, or watch funny videos. IDEO designers describe
brainstorming sessions as one of the most fun and enjoyable things that they do.
Some companies introduce “casual Fridays” where people can dress casually. The idea is that
the informality in dress will eliminate status and encourage creativity. Formal dress codes
are a part of bureaucracy and a barrier to creativity. The change in atmosphere, signalled
by the change in dress, will hopefully free up communication, engender trust, encourage
people to network, and improve interpersonal relationships. People work best when they
are relaxed, and care and have mutual respect for each other.

24
Milliard Dexler is chairman and chief executive of J. Crew Group Inc. a speciality clothing
retailer. He maintains that creativity is letting people think outside of the box. He says most
companies don’t listen to their employees and have ineffective leaders. He has organised
his offices to encourage cross-pollination of ideas. The space has no enclosed offices - the
goal is to facilitate active collaboration and interdisciplinary learning. He believes walled
off spaces hinder communication and creativity.
Employees can also be inspired by training events such as training courses, workshops,
sabbaticals, and visits to museums. Hallmark, each year, brings into its Kansas City
HQ outside speakers from various artistic backgrounds. The sole purpose is to provide
stimulation to the world’s largest corporate creative staff of artists, designers, writers, editors
and photographers who generate thousands of original designs for their cards and related
products each year. At Mazda Motor Manufacturing USA, a combination of creativity skills,
training in teamwork, and constantly improving process methods was used successfully to
improve overall output, efficiency and productivity.
360°
thinking
Sometimes people can be inspired by attending overseas exhibitions. Starbucks was originally
set up to sell coffee equipment and coffee by the bag. Howard Schulz, the director of retail
operations and marketing, was attending an international housewares show in Milan. On
.
360°
thinking . 360°
thinking .
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the way back to the hotel he noticed an espresso bar and decided to investigate. He had
his first cafe latte and realised that Starbucks was in the wrong business. Coffee was meant
to be a social experience. The revelation prompted Schultz to take Starbucks down a new
path, resulting in the profitable worldwide business it is today.
The SAS Institute is a US based developer of analytic software. It is one of the world’s
largest private software companies and has the largest market share in analytic software.
As it grew it added more divisions, instead of layers of management, so that it has a very
simple and flat organisational structure. SAS believe in the training and development of their
employees and send them to conferences and training courses to hone their skills and keep
up to date with cutting-edge technologies. They help their employees do their best creative
work, and keep intellectually challenged and engaged by removing workplace barriers, and
creating a stress-free environment. They believe that challenging work is a key source of
motivation rather than salary or bonuses. The most fitting reward for a job well done is an
even more demanding project. There is no penalty for making mistakes in the pursuit of
better products. Experimentation is crucial for breakthroughs, and some paths are bound
to be fruitless. They engage with customers as creative partners so that they can deliver
superior products. They listen to their complaints and suggestions and use this feedback to
produce better products.
Steve Jobs invested in Pixar, an established company already involved in the production of
cartoons, and made it into the creative force it is today. Pixar displayed great creativity in
Toy Story which went on to be a huge box office success. It has gone on to win 26 Academy
Awards, 5 Golden Globes and 3 Grammys. This is very impressive when you consider that
in 1991, Pixar was a computer hardware company with only 42 employees, on the brink of
bankruptcy. Jobs believed that good teams produce good movies. He believed if you bring
a diversity of talent together they learn from each other.
He designed the Pixar studio to facilitate social exchange and lively discussion with employees
randomly bumping into each other. His brief to the architect was to design headquarters
that promoted casual encounters and unplanned collaborations. The atrium or centre of the
building houses focal points like the café, foosball tables, and a fitness centre. As we know
random conversations often lead to creative breakthroughs. The more people you talk to the
more ideas you are going to have. He exploited the findings of the Allen Curve, claiming
that people are more likely to talk to neighbours at a nearby desk, rather than somebody
who sits more than 50 metres away.
W.L. Gore & Associates is a private company located in Newark, Delaware, USA. It
specialises in products derived from fluoropolymers. Its medical products include heart
patches and synthetic blood patches. Its cutting-edge fabrics are worn by astronauts, soldiers

26
and North and South Pole trekkers. It is one of the most innovative companies in the USA.
The company’s ability to innovate does not come from huge research in R&D, but springs
from its culture where creativity is encouraged, resourced and celebrated. Employees are
free to pursue ideas on their own, communicate with each other, and collaborate out of
self-motivation rather than a sense of duty.
The company has a flat organisational structure where employees are known as associates. There
are neither chains of command nor predetermined channels of communications. Associates
spend about 10% of their time pursuing speculative new ideas. Anyone is free to launch
a project and be a leader provided they can win followers by their passion and ideas. This
approach to business is based on founder Bill Gore’s experience with task force teams while
working at the DuPont Company. These multidisciplinary teams attack problems on an ad
hoc basis, and typically operate for a short period outside the formal management hierarchy.
Bell Laboratories was one of the most famous and productive creative and innovate centres in
the world. It invented radar, lasers, fibre optics, mobile phones, and satellite communications,
and produced 13 Nobel Prize winners. It designed the transistor and the first silicon solar
cells. It developed Unix and the C programming language.
The driving force behind Bell Labs was Mervin Kelly (1894-1971) whose greatest
contribution was in creative technical management. He believed leaders or managers should
be technologically trained and technologically competent. He designed a work environment
where engineers, physicists, chemists, material scientists and mathematicians would inevitably
interact. He fostered an open, cooperative, and interdisciplinary environment. He believed
in the value of training. He gave his researchers plenty of scope to pursue whatever they
believed would be beneficial and profitable to the company. He promoted ability and
conversely was impatient with mediocrity and didn’t tolerate incompetence. He took a long-
term view and often supported pure scientific research even where an immediate payoff was
unlikely. He accepted that failure was a necessary part of the process of making technological
breakthroughs. Despite the importance of teamwork, he believed that the individual’s role
in creativity was still paramount. He once said: “It is in the mind of a single person that
creative ideas and concepts are born.”
Kelly believed that the formula for innovation had three ingredients:

27
3
Ingredients
Multi- Practical Best

Discipline Problems Resources
Fig. 1.3. Three Ingredients for Innovation
• Bring together a multi-disciplinary team of clever creative people. The building was
designed with this in mind to increase the chance of serendipitous casual encounters
and cross fertilisation of ideas. Three
Ingredients
• Give them practical problems to solve. One of their famous innovations was
replacing vacuum tubes with transistors. People love solving challenging practical
problems with tangible outcomes.
Multi Discipline Practical Best
• Provide them with the best resources, including equipment, training and adequate funding.
Discipline Problems Resources
In a company there is a positive correlation between investment in R&D and sales growth.
Investment in R&D is an important element in creating a culture of innovation in a company.
However, it is important that R&D is focused on the needs and objectives of the company,
so products that customers actually need are created, and sales and profits grow as a result.
There is no point in producing products that nobody wants to use and buy.
Individually employees can become more creative by getting involved in opportunities, such
as foreign assignments, cross-functional projects teams, job rotation, or being involved in a
crisis situation where their abilities and skills are stretched to the limit. A static environment
in the same old office with the same old desk, doing the same routines, and working with
the same old colleagues can be stifling.
If managers want to encourage creativity and innovation they must simplify bureaucracy,
and reward new ideas and risk taking. If you delegate work to staff you should give them
the freedom to exercise their initiative to decide how to tackle the work. In all environments
you get what you reward. Rules should be designed to reward initiative and creativity.
Incentives should be aligned with the goal of creativity.

28
Jobs should be enriched and enlarged and workers empowered to make changes concerning
their immediate work. After all, they know more about their work than anybody else, and so
are in a greater position to improve it by solving work related problems while constructively
engaging their initiative and creativity. Organisations should encourage employees who
have skills outside the job to develop them further. For example, some employees might be
amateur photographers, great organisers or artists. The creative mindsets involved in these
skills can be transferred to on-the-job situations. For example, innovation often occurs when
two separate realms are combined together.
Structures influence the level of creativity, or lack of creativity in an organisation. Centralised

structures and control generally encourage rigidity and bureaucratic thinking, whereas
decentralised structures and delegation facilitate creativity, innovative thinking, initiative,
and empowerment. Creativity suffers greatly during a restructuring or downsizing as they
fear losing their jobs. It is even worse coming up towards the downsizing as people’s fear of
the unknown causes them to lose interest and disengage from the work. Communication,
trust and collaboration decline significantly as does people’s sense of motivation, morale,
freedom and autonomy.
A blame culture should be avoided and people should be encouraged to use their initiative
and treat their mistakes as learning opportunities. This point is illustrated by a story told
about the Ford Motor Company. One of Henry Ford’s Vice Presidents made a huge inventory
error that cost the company in excess of $1million; a lot of money back in 1920. The VP
assumed he would be fired and handed in his resignation. Ford declined to accept the
resignation pointing out that he had just invested $1million in the VP’s education.
There is a global creativity gap according to a survey carried out by the Adobe (Nasdag:
ADBE) benchmark study in 2012. Five thousand adults across the US, UK, Germany, France
and Japan took part in the survey. The research shows 8 to 10 people feel that unlocking
creativity is critical to economic growth. Two-thirds felt that creativity is valuable to society,
but only 1 in 4 people believe they are living up to their own creative potential. The study
revealed a workplace creativity gap, where 75% of respondents said they are under growing
pressure to be productive rather than creative, despite the fact that they are increasingly
expected to be creative on the job.
Across all five countries surveyed, respondents said they spent only 25% of their time at work
being creative. Lack of time is seen as the biggest barrier to creativity. Four in ten people
believe that they do not have access to the tools, techniques or training to be creative, which
are seen as the biggest driver to increase creativity. Technology is seen in a positive light as
it helps people overcome creative limitations. The study reveals that lack of education and
training is draining people of their creative abilities, producing a workforce conditioned to
prioritise conformity over creativity. In the study generational and gender differences were
marginal, reinforcing the idea that everyone has the potential to be creative.

29
Surveys show only 30% of companies do anything substantial such as training about creativity.
The most creative companies are in agriculture, arts, leisure and the media. Most employees
feel they are not encouraged to be creative and many feel they are actively discouraged to
be so. On the other hand, most senior managers are more positive about creativity in their
companies than their staff. Google, Twitter and Microsoft actively encourage their employees
to be creative – they give their staff time off during working hours to devote to personal
creative jobs. Google’s mission is to recruit employees with diverse interests and encourage
them to think freely.
Maintaining company creativity

Companies can create and maintain creativity in their organisations by:
Simple
Structure
Stress Free
Diversity
Environment
Encouraging
Creativity
Collaboration & Creative

Communication Leadership
Treated
Equally
Fig. 1.4 Encouraging Creativity

30
• Keeping organisational structures as simple as possible. The command and control

structures popular in the last century were not conducive to creativity and have
been replaced by the more progressive divisional and decentralised structures which
encourage initiative and creativity.
• Hire employees from diverse backgrounds. This will encourage diverse ideas and
interdisciplinary inputs to problem solving. On an ongoing basis encourage employees
to learn additional skills. Encourage employees to take on difficult or novel tasks
and learn from their mistakes.
• Encourage creativity through creative leadership. Leaders should communicate a
vision conducive to creativity. At all levels of the organisation creativity should
be encouraged and contrary influences eliminated. Mistakes should be treated as
learning opportunities. Managers and supervisors should be role models for creativity.
The Pygmalion effect suggests that if leaders expect their followers to be creative,
then it is more likely that they will live up to their expectations. It becomes a
self-fulfilling prophecy.
• Creative people should not be treated differently from others. Their uniqueness,
independence of mind and non-conformity should be appreciated. Their creativity
should be celebrated and it should be emphasised to others how it will benefit
themselves and the company. Creative energies should be channelled into creating
innovative products, services and processes that are profitable for the company and
create competitive advantage.
• Collaboration rather than competition between employees should be encouraged.
Such an atmosphere encourages people to exchange creative ideas and help each other.
• Communication channels should be maximised across departmental and hierarchical
boundaries. The swapping of ideas and expertise facilitates creativity.
• Create a stress-free environment as far as possible as a stressful environment is likely
to impair creativity. Remember the problem often contains the solution. Don’t be
afraid of failure, but get up and try it again!
1.6 NURTURING CREATIVITY IN TEAMS

Creative individuals within organisations contribute to overall competitive advantage and
organisational innovation, while teams or groups of creative individuals increase this advantage
further. It is essential that the right leaders are appointed so that creativity is nurtured and
supported. A culture within the company of openness to innovation, transparency and
acceptance of new ideas should be encouraged.

31
Transformation leadership, in particular, stimulates creativity and innovation. Such leaders lead
by example, are honest, convey a strong vision, show consideration for others, are creative
themselves and inspire others to be likewise. Employees like to work in a company where
creativity is supported, valued, recognised and celebrated. This results in lower employee
turnover and greater customer satisfaction with significant growth in revenues.
People are more creative in work groups that have different experiences, cultures, gender
mix, age profiles, expertise, perspectives and world views. The more diverse the group, the
more likely they are to come up with breakthrough ideas. For example, the best ideas for
Disney theme park adventures have come from older people in their 60s, 70s and 80s. So,
don’t neglect the older generation, while at the same time giving the younger generation
opportunities to develop and grow! In addition, work groups that collaborate rather than
compete are more creative.
Steve Jobs was a firm believer in groups with multi-disciplinary backgrounds. He once
said: “I think part of what made the Macintosh great was that the people working on it
were musicians, poets, artists, zoologists, and historians who also happened to be the best
computer scientists in the world.”
Interactive versus nominal groups

Researchers have found that interactive groups are less effective than nominal groups (single
individuals) at producing novel ideas. This is because of social loafing, evaluation apprehension,
production blocking and participant domination – all barriers to creativity. Social loafing or
free-riding occurs when a member in a group sits back and lets the other members come
up with the ideas. This might be because they feel they are not accountable or that their
contributions are not needed. Interactive groups can stymie creativity if members of the group
withhold ideas because they are frightened of negative criticism, their ideas will be stolen
or that they won’t get credit for their ideas. In an effort to reduce evaluation apprehension
many idea generation techniques suspend judgement until after the idea-generation phase.
Production blocking occurs in an interactive group because only one member can communicate
at a time. Because they are so intent on listening, group members may suppress or even
forget their own ideas. Participant dominance occurs when some extroverted group members
exercise undue influence or monopolise time in an unproductive manner at the expense of
the shy or introverted ones. A nominal group is one where individuals generate ideas alone,
before pooling their results with the rest of the group and so avoid evaluation apprehension,
production blocking and participant domination.

32
Groups that change membership are more creative than those whose membership remains
the same. They generate more ideas and different kinds of ideas than those groups who
remain intact. Groups that stay together without any change get into a rut. New blood
introduces new ideas and perspectives into the group. They may also motivate existing
members to revisit problems and develop new and improved ways of finding solutions. In
addition, teams that experience membership change are more task-oriented. They like to
get the job done quickly because of the transitory nature of the group.
A trained facilitator should be appointed to steer and motivate the team. The facilitator will
be good at handling groups and use strategies to avoid conformity within the group while
challenging them to be creative. He will be aware of and follow the rules of brainstorming.
He will keep the team on track, keep the process moving, and ensure that social loafing,
evaluation apprehension, production blocking and participant domination do not occur.
He will encourage the shy members to come forward with their ideas and support all who
offer ideas. Sarcasm, criticism and put-downs are not allowed.
The most creative teams are those that have the confidence to share and debate ideas. They
bring different perspective to problems, encourage individual contributions, and respect
the different thinking styles of members. They resolve conflicts diplomatically and provide
positive feedback for ideas. They create a positive playful environment to enhance creativity.
Teams high on shared goals and tasks that engage in participative problem solving, within
a climate supportive of creativity, are more creative.
Teams that socialise inside and outside of work break down barriers quickly facilitating
creativity. Teams that are open and transparent, and that are made up of diverse personalities,
such as introverts and extraverts, are generally more creative. On the other hand, when
people compete for recognition, they become selfish and stop sharing information. Such
destructive behaviour means that nobody in an organisation has all the information required
to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. This means that sub-standard decisions and
solutions to problems are made.
“Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great people.”
– Leo Burnett

33
1.7 UNIVERSITIES AND R&D

Universities are designed to encourage the flow of ideas between disciplines within the
university, and outside the university through links such as collaborations and joint ventures
with industry. They are more concerned with pure research rather than development.
Development is more the concern of companies as they want specific marketing results and
profitable products. University Research & Development (R&D) are interested primarily
in the advancement of knowledge, and sometimes make many major breakthroughs. Joint
research projects are often undertaken with government and industry and the outcomes shared.
Students in universities are drawn from different countries with different cultures, so that
universities become a hothouse for creative ideas. Universities produce PhD’s for employment
in research and development, departments within companies and government research agencies.
The internet means that universities throughout the world can be in instant contact with
each other. Researchers in one university can work as closely with their colleagues in
other universities throughout the world, as they do with their colleagues in their own
research departments sharing information and research results. This means that they are
constantly up to date in their particular speciality. This is why it pays for industrial R&D
to keep in touch with what is happening in the Universities. R&D departments focus on
interdisciplinary or cross-functional learning which enhances learning, and the creation of
innovations. The leadership provided in the management of R&D departments plays a vital
role in their effectiveness.
An important aspect of R&D is monitoring and scanning the external environment for new
knowledge, so that you know what research and breakthroughs are happening elsewhere.
This includes keeping track of new patents and breakthroughs published in professional
journals. A gatekeeper may be appointed to perform this role possessing the set of skills
needed. The importance of scanning the external environment is confirmed by the view
of one R&D director, who maintains that it is often faster and cheaper to look outside
for the relevant technology than to develop it in house. Expertise can also be bought in
through the purchase of patents and mergers and acquisitions. New advances can come
from anywhere in the world.
R&D departments routinely exchange know-how and technologies with other R&D
departments, through collaborations, strategic alliances and professional networks of scientists
and engineers. For example, Procter & Gamble can create cheaper and better products faster
through collaboration with others. It collaborates with suppliers, competitors, scientists,
entrepreneurs, and others; systematically scanning the world for proven technologies, packages
and products that they can adapt. This means improving, scaling up and marketing them on
their own or in partnership with other companies. To do this a company needs additional
skills such as negotiation and project management and evaluation. Just like manufacturing
and services, R&D can be performed in house or outsourced to others at home or abroad.

34
No longer is basic research centralised near the corporate headquarters of companies, as was
largely the case in the 1970s. The trend to decentralise R&D was evident by the early 1990s.
Studies found that the share of foreign R&D sites increased from 45% in 1975 to 66%
in 2004. Units abroad have evolved from listening posts and product development for the
local market, to more significant R&D departments. For example, new product development
tasks in laptop computer production, including design, prototypes, and pilot production
are relocating to China. Concept and production planning remain in the US and Japan.
The separation of research (R) from development (D) is becoming more common. It is still
the case that research is less dispersed than development. Research is concentrated in a few
regions worldwide, while development is more widely decentralised. Basic research remains
largely in a firm’s home country, usually situated near the headquarters of the company.
R&D departments, when decentralised, tend to locate in places where the best conditions
for success are found, both for research and for the transfer of results into viable profitable
products. This means that R&D clusters are usually found in major cities with access to
cutting-edge research in universities and government laboratories. The academic and industrial
labour markets overlap in postdoctoral research and doctoral students. R&D clusters also
need a good local infrastructure, such as airports, road networks and telecommunications,
to facilitate communication and knowledge exchange.
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International collaboration
Globalisation has intensified the amount of collaboration between research agencies around
the world. The Human Genome Project, the International Space Station, the Large Hadron
Collider at CERN near Geneva, and ITER (formerly the International Thermonuclear
Experimental Reactor) in France, are only a few examples of international collaboration in
science. The Human Genome Project was an international research effort to sequence and
map all the genes in the human body. It was completed in April 2003 and gave us the
complete blueprint for building a human being.
The International Space Station is mainly financed by the US and Russia but other countries
are involved as well. ITER is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering
project. The project is run and funded by seven-member states including the EU, India,
Japan, China, Russia, South Korea and the US. CERN, the European Organisation for
Nuclear Research, employ physicists and engineers from all over the world to probe the
fundamental structure of the universe. It was one of Europe’s first joint ventures and now
has 21-member states. The globalisation of science has provided many tangible benefits for
humanity, including greater cooperation between nations, and an unprecedented opportunity
for a cross fertilisation of ideas leading to creative problem solving.
“A business’s ability to innovate is vital to global competitiveness. It is only by

continually developing new products, processes and services that businesses can
gain the competitive edge necessary for the increasingly global economy. R&D
is a key component of this, helping to generate the advances that lead to new
value-added products and enabling people and capital to be more effective.”
– Lord Sainsbury
1.8 WESTERN VERSES EASTERN CULTURES

The western world encourages individualism, independence of thought and freedom of
expression. Originality, initiative, fluidity, and flexibility are highly regarded and respected.
It is very supportive of competition, productivity and variety. The whole western society is
built on capitalism, consumerism and choice. Private enterprise and the work ethic are very
much part of western culture. It has a philosophy of building for the future and material
progress. It believes individuals can improve their standard of living by working hard.
This means that creativity, innovation and continuous improvement is very much part of
everyday business life.

36
The rise of the US economy has been built on its openness to new ideas, allowing it to
mobilise and harness the creativity of its people. Freedom of expression has encouraged new
technologies and culture to emerge – from biotechnology in science, to rock and roll in
music. The influx of talent since the 1930s from Europe, fleeing from fascist, totalitarian
and communist regimes, has contributed in no small way to the success of the US economy.
During the 1980s and 1990s, thanks to a more liberal immigration policy, talent has
poured into the United States from every corner of the globe. For example, the cofounder
of Google is Sergey Brin who was born in Moscow and Hotmail confounder is Sabeer
Bhatia, who grew up in Bangalore. In 2004 the foreign-born population of the US was in
excess of 30 million or about 11% of the total population. Vinod Khosla, the cofounder
of Sun Microsystems was born in India. These people set up creative industries that have
been the inspiration for numerous offshoots as well.
On the other hand, eastern cultures emphasise the importance of the group rather than the
individual, and the need for conformity and social harmony. It engenders respect for collective
endeavour, tradition, culture, authority, seniority and age. It deemphasises the importance
of the individual and competition in achieving results. For example, Chinese people are
socialised since childhood to revere their elders and respect authority and be concerned
with the opinions of others. They are worried how others regard, receive and perceive them
especially by family members and clan. Negotiations between people from western and
eastern cultures often run into trouble because each misunderstands the other’s point of
view. Eastern cultures perceive people in the west as brash, loud, aggressive and pushy, while
westerners see people from the east as respectful, shy, diffident and slow to make decisions.
Muslim cultures ban the representation of religious icons in their mosques. On the other
hand, religious icons are prized in most Christian churches and cultures, and this gave
rise to the renaissance in art and sculpture during the 15th and 16th centuries. Muslim
culture also views the worst excesses of consumerism in the west as evil. So, we see that a
particular cultural view may hinder freedom of expression, economic development, scientific
progress and creativity.
An historical perspective
Historical studies of art and literature show many great breakthroughs in China and Japan
throughout the centuries. Many of the great inventions in history such as gunpowder, paper,
printing and the compass were first discovered in China despite claims to the contrary. History
reveals equally impressive ancient accomplishments in astronomy, botany, seismology, and
other scientific fields. Chinese astronomers have been gazing at the heavens for hundreds
of years and are credited with the discovery of sunspots long before the Europeans.

37
According to the historian Ian Morris, up until about 1700 China was ‘the richest, strongest
and most inventive place on earth.’ Over the next few hundred years the west has raced ahead
economically and technologically. The Chinese authorities weren’t interested in exploring the
knowledge and technologies of the west, because they were perfectly happy with their lot.
They preferred to look inwards to their ancient and rich traditions and were uninterested
in what was happening outside the country. Today they realise the error of their ways and
are now beginning to catch up at a fast pace.
Evidence suggests that the Renaissance and the Enlightenment in Europe were highly
influenced by the exposure of European culture to Asian influences in the middle ages,
through the Silk Road and Indian Ocean trade routes. In addition, contemporary historical
research concludes that the key reason why the industrial revolution broke out in Manchester
first rather than in Shanghai or Tokyo was not culture but geographical, with the availability
of the right kind of coal.
If you use Nobel prizes as a measurement of creativity, then the east comes out poorly. The
tally of Nobel laureates isn’t high for Asian creativity, especially in science, as countries with
a lesser population such as the US, UK and Germany outpaces all of Asia. The comparative
difference in wealth may account for some of the difference.
Even Japan, which is a wealthy country, lags behind small nations such as Switzerland and
the Netherlands. In fact, Japan seems to be better at making incremental improvements rather
than breakthrough innovations. It was incremental improvements that accounted for Japan’s
success in the late 20th century in the automobile, electronics and other high technological
industries. This zeal for improvement has prompted some researchers to suggest that East
Asian culture fosters incremental improvement, while Western culture fosters breakthrough
innovation. The open-ended basic research practised in the West has given rise to numerous
serendipitous inventions such as Viagra.
Human resource procedures are different in Western and Eastern countries and mirror the
cultural tendencies for breakthrough innovation versus incremental improvement. In the
West we favour a more participatory and decentralised approach to management, whereas
in the east a more top down autocratic approach is favoured. It is known that participatory
leadership styles and empowerment policies facilitate employee creativity. Breakthrough
innovation is fostered by cross-pollination of engineers and scientists from universities and
other companies. Incremental improvements are fostered by long-term employment where
employees have been rotated through different jobs and are able to use their accumulated
experience. The Eastern philosophy seems to prefer usefulness rather than novelty.

38
Some psychologists maintain that the academic approach in Asian cultures stunts scientific
creativity. It is thought that ideographic languages such as Chinese do not exercise abstract
thinking, unlike the alphabetic languages. In addition, Asian education emphasises holistic
thinking rather than analytic thinking. A more positive sign is the number of basic
research investments in recent years by companies such as Microsoft, Pfizer, and Exxon in
the labs of East Asia.
The world’s scientific community has become less dependent on the US and the West. Fifteen
years ago, the US published more than 10 times as many scientific papers as China. In
2010 China ranked second in the world in published papers and is now ready to overtake
the US. A Thomson Reuters report showed that China surpassed the US and Japan in new
patent applications last year. During the past decade, China, India and Brazil more than
doubled their expenditure on research and development. Their contribution to world R&D
spending increased from 17% to 24%.
1.9 CITIES AS CREATIVE HUBS

A large proportion of the world’s output is now produced in large cities with a population
in excess of 1 million. In 2013 it was estimated that half of the world’s population lives
in urban areas, and this is likely to grow in the future. Vibrant cities act like magnets to
people who want to improve their lives. The average inhabitant of a city is three times more
creative than someone living in a town. They are also likely to earn a higher income and
generally have a higher standard of living.
Innovation is a prime driver of economic growth in a city or region. Cities provide the
infrastructure for individuals to network, be creative and learn from each other. Physical
proximity is an important factor in creativity, and in cities a lot of people share the same
space. When people spontaneously interact, often serendipitously, it facilitates the exchange of
knowledge, expertise, ideas and innovation, and is the reason why cities have produced most
of our great political and social ideas, books, inventions, works of art and economic wealth.
In addition, the closer one is to research laboratories, universities, institutes, government
departments, libraries, museums, journals and conference facilities, the greater the chance
of being creative.
In ancient Greece, Athens became a hub for philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle
giving rise to the birth of democracy and Western Civilisation. In the Renaissance, creative
people moved between Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome. Florence in particular became a
magnet for creative artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Donatello. Today
our creative talents move easily between Silicon Valley, Shanghai, London, Paris, Rome,
Tokyo, New York and other major cities.

39
Fostering creativity is the reason why in 2000 the European Council set the goal of making
the European Union (EU) the “most innovative and dynamic knowledge-based economy
in the world. Innovation is achieved when firms and individuals in close proximity in a
particular city swap information and expertise. In the Adobe (Nasdag: ADBE) 2012 survey
Tokyo ranked as the most creative city with New York second. Outside of Japan, national
pride in each country is evident, with the UK, Germany and France ranking their countries
and cities next in line after Japan.
The attraction of cities

The most important creative resource in cities is people. Creative people are attracted to cities
with strong art, musical, social, cultural and economic infrastructures. Globalisation means
that these people can come from anywhere in the world as well as from the local economy.
Immigrants from different countries bring their own cultures and unique perspectives and
thus add to a city’s vibrancy and creativity.
Creative people like to live in places that provide them with a good lifestyle, with access
to cultural outlets such as museums, libraries, art galleries, craft workshops, theatres, and
cinemas. They are attracted by social outlets where they can meet other people in a vibrant
downtown; bookshops, coffee shops, restaurants, parks, playgrounds, pubs, race meetings and
sports facilities. They also like to meet other professionals through professional associations
and conferences to network and exchange knowledge and expertise. The internet facilitates
social networking through Facebook, Skype and Twitter, even though the internet is still a
poor substitute for meeting face to face.
Cultural and artistic facilities also encourage tourists to visit a city creating employment
in service industries such as retail shops, hotels and restaurants, which adds further to
the vibrancy and attraction of cities. Some cities try to establish a unique selling point
by running literature, art, film, music and other festivals to attract tourists to visit. Many
cities provide financial assistance through grants for creative and artistic people, interested
in setting up small enterprises.
Because of the variety of opportunities in creative and diversified cities people have great
job mobility. They can easily move between different jobs bringing their unique skills and
expertise with them, doing so without having to relocate their families, or lose their friends or
social networks. This facilitates the transfer of knowledge and learning between firms in the
same and different industries which fosters creativity. Many administrative and manufacturing
processes are generic in nature, and so can be applied in different contexts within different
companies fairly easily. They do this by adapting specific know-how they have acquired in
previous employments to other lines of work they encounter in their new jobs.

40
The facilities and energy of cities in turn attract industries and businesses such as multinational
companies and financial services centres. They are attracted because of advantages such as a
developed research infrastructure, information and communication technology infrastructure,
a highly qualified and educated workforce, and an innovative culture. Big cities tend to
have universities and government agencies with research facilities and companies who like
to tap into these. They also have the services that companies need such as management
consultancy, accounting, advertising, banking and law. In addition, they have good airports,
rail, roads and broadband facilities linking them to other major cities and town.
In April 2013 Booz & Co published a report which concluded that all growth in the
creative industries is underpinned by digital technology. This involves improving upload and
download speeds and educating people in digital technology. A good physical and digital
infrastructure provide people with the choice to communicate and share information with
each other face to face, or on the internet. In the modern world all of the factors mentioned
previously are more important than natural resources.
Firms in similar or related industries tend to locate in particular places. The economic benefits
that firms enjoy when located near each other include networking, shared infrastructure,
suppliers and customers. This is the reason why Silicon Valley, near San Francisco in
California, USA became attractive and world famous as a hub for information and
communications technology. The term Silicon Valley originally referred to the regions large
number of small silicon chip innovators and manufactures in the area, but now includes the
high-tech industries in the area. These firms and industries in turn created spin-offs when
employees left and set up their own firms. Silicon Valley continues to be a leading hub for
high-tech innovation and development, accounting for one-third of all the venture capital
investment in the United States. It has attracted firms like Intel, Apple, Cisco, Oracle, Sun
Microsystems, Netscape, Google, Netflix and Facebook. Science parks have been set up in
major cities throughout the world modelled on Silicon Valley.
Globalised cities
When industries, individuals, professions and occupations gather together in close proximity
in cities, this creates an environment in which ideas can flow quickly from one person to
another. These interactions between people can help them to be creative and innovative.
Creativity, knowledge and information are now the key factors in economic growth. Some
researchers have categorised New York and London as “learning and knowledge intensive
cities” because of the marvellous social, cultural, education, academic and economic resources
in these major cities. The same can be said for other major cities throughout the world.

41
Globalised cities in the developed world now trade in creativity, ideas, knowledge and
innovation. Jobs that can be made routine gravitate towards countries where labour costs
are cheap, meaning that manufacturing is now mostly done in poor countries. On the other
hand, developed economies are concentrating on the design, development and marketing
of increasingly complex products and systems.
New York is a leading global city and a major centre in the US for finance, insurance, real
estate, media and the arts. It has a strong competitive advantage in creative industries, such
as new media, advertising, fashion, design and architecture. Its television and film industry
are the second largest in the US outside of Hollywood. It always has been considered a major
place for the music industry, from the development of modern jazz in the late forties and
early fifties, right through to the creation of rap music and hip-hop in the mid-seventies.
In addition, high-tech industries such as biotechnology, software development, game design
and internet services are also important to the New York economy.
The scientist and entrepreneur Ralph Landau, maintained that the success of his small R&D
organisation was because it was located in the Greater New York City area. This allowed
his employees to benefit from the cosmopolitan perspective, vibrancy and creativity that
only a large city can offer.
London is a global city, the capital city of England, and the biggest city in Europe. It
generates about one-fifth of the UK’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). More than half of
the UK’s top FTSE listed companies and over 100 of Europe’s 300 largest companies have
their headquarters in central London. Moreover, 75% of Fortune 500 companies have offices
in London. It is one of the major financial services centres in the world. It is also a thriving
centre for creative writing, plays, novels, musicals, and cinema. Any service or facility that
a person desires is available in London.
Creativity is now seen as an engine for economic growth. It is the driving force behind a
wide variety of innovations, such as service and marketing innovations, as well as scientific,
engineering and technological ones. It generates wealth and employment through business,
cultural and artistic innovation. Globalised cities tend to attract creative people and creative
industries. The creative industries include publishing, film, television, multimedia, electronic
publishing, design, advertising, marketing, software and research and development. These
industries in turn attract the highly educated people needed to run these businesses,
including university professors, scientists, engineers, PhD holders, novelists, entertainers,
artists, actors, designers, non-fiction writers, journalists, editors and other opinion makers.
These are highly educated and talented people and are particularly good at inventing new
jobs through their entrepreneurial skills and setting up small businesses.

42
The number of patents awarded to inventors in a city is a rough indicator of how inventive
the people in that city are. Other indicators of innovativeness in a city are the rate at
which it attracts inward investment in research and development. Studies show there is
a positive relationship between investment in research and development and the number
of patents awarded.
“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.”
– Joseph Chilton Pearce
1.10 SUMMARY OF CHAPTER 1

Without the human brain it would be impossible to be creative. Both sides of the brain
are needed for creativity. It is the neocortex that separates us from other mammals. This is
the part of the brain that enables us to carry out extraordinary creative and complex tasks.
People who are creative and fully engaged in what they are doing are said to be in a state
of flow. Exercise, sleep, meditation and relaxation facilitate creativity.
People can be creative at home and at work. Creativity is needed at home to solve everyday
problems. Creativity is needed at work to improve systems, procedures, and processes and
to come up with new products and services. Japan has built its reputation on continuous
improvement rather than invention.
Universities engage in creative pursuits through their research and inter-disciplinary

collaboration. They tend to do pure research rather than development. The internet enables
them to collaborate with and keep up to date on the research activities of other universities
at home and abroad.
Western countries, because of their culture tend to be more creative than eastern countries.
Western countries encourage initiative and creativity. On the other hand, eastern countries
encourage conformity and respect for tradition.
The major cities of the world act as creative hubs. Vibrant cities are like magnets drawing
creative people into their midst. Innovation is a prime driver of economic growth in
cities and regions. Globalised cities such as New York and London trade in creativity,
ideas and knowledge.

43
SKILLS FOR MANAGERS Who Is Creative?
2 WHO IS CREATIVE?
2.1 TRAITS OF CREATIVE PEOPLE

Use the acronym PRINCE to recall the traits of creative people:
• Playfulness
P
• Resilient
R
• Imagination
I
• Novel Ideas
N
• Curiosity
C
• Energy
E
Fig. 2.1 Traits of Creative People
• Playfulness. Creative people are extroverted and quite happy to play about with
ideas that others might find childish. Creative people have a well-developed sense
of fun and humour. If you can think like a 7-year-old you will be more creative.
Children of this age are not self-conscious; enjoy the freedom to take risks, and
the opportunity to explore alternatives. Being happy, rather than anxious, means
that they are more likely to be creative and solve problems. During the 1930s and
1940s, laughter was a disciplinary offence at the Ford Motor Company’s River
Rouge plant in Michigan USA. Today, many organisations actually encourage their
employees to enjoy their work with opportunities for fun, humour, games and
playfulness. Management should embrace the flexibility of playfulness that allows
creativity to flourish. Both Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein believed that having
fun and being playful was an essential part of creativity. Richard Feynman (1918-
1988) got the inspiration for his Nobel Prize in Physics while watching students
playfully spinning plates in the cafeteria of Cornell University. He loved having
fun while playing with problems in physics. He related the mathematics of this
behaviour to an unsolved problem in quantum physics. Playfulness, laughter and
humour can also be useful in providing new perspectives and stimulating ideas,
while creating an enjoyable and relaxing atmosphere.

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• Resilient. Creative people are driven by a need to create and are not put off by
obstacles and setbacks. They are not too worried about ideas that do not seem
to work, but just get on with the job of producing better ideas. They have an
unrelenting work ethic enabling them to turn mistakes into successes and problems
into opportunities. They know that creativity depends on difficulties, constraints,
ambiguity and learning from failures. Physicist Ernst Mach wrote that many
accidental events ‘were seen hundreds of times by others before they were noticed.’
Most ‘overnight success’ stories are made after many years’ hard work and struggle
with a seemingly insurmountable problem. Even before this you must have acquired
the appropriate expertise through study and experience in the field. It takes at least
10 years of constant study and practise to become an expert in a subject. This is
so irrespective of the discipline, whether music, art, science or sport. For example,
Mozart, perhaps the most precocious and most prolific of composers, took ten years
before he produced his first masterpiece in 1777. Therefore, you should always
consider learning as a work in progress, rather than a finished product or chore.
• Imagination. Creative people have vivid imaginations, above average intelligence
and a facility to come up with new ideas. It is not logic, but imagination that
gives birth to new ideas. Imagination is like a muscle that strengthens with use.
Expect to be creative and you are more likely to be so. Creative people have above

45
average intelligence, are good at using imagination and fantasy, and are open to
new experiences. They have the ability to visualise problems and come up with
new ideas. Imagination gives you the ability to explore options and see situations
from different perspectives. Imagination helps you explore the past, exploit the
present and visualise the future. We use our imagination when we give directions,
describe an event, tell a story, or bake a cake. We need imagination to design a
house, paint a picture, organise a party, or write a book. When executives use their
imagination, it is called vision. The novelist uses imagination to create characters,
locations, a plot and a storyline. Chemists imagine molecules interacting to anticipate
and understand how chemicals will behave when combined. Inventors use their
imaginations to come up with useful products to improve our lives.
• Novel ideas. Creative people are capable of coming up with unusual ideas. It is this
facility that makes them stand out from others. They are often non-conformists,
and happy to stick with their viewpoints despite lack of popular support. They
dislike routines. They are often difficult to get on with, and employers should bear
this in mind when hiring creative people. They are reluctant to follow a consensus
group view. They frequently appear to be preoccupied and waste time. They are
chronically dissatisfied with the status quo. They are comfortable with change and
have a tolerance for ambiguity. They often lack business acumen and are prepared
to leave the development and exploitation of their ideas to others. They can be
more interested in producing ideas, rather than exploiting them commercially,
and consequently many who didn’t bother to take out patents to protect their
inventions finished up bankrupt. Dick Fosbury won the gold medal for the high
jump for the USA at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. He is the creator of the
novel and famous “Fosbury Flop,” which is now the most popular and successful
high jumping technique.
• Curiosity. Curiosity is an internal motivator of exploratory behaviour, which leads
to learning, or increased knowledge. Curiosity is a natural personality trait, stronger
in some people than in others. Creative people have broad interests and specific
interests and are innately curious. Their broad interest motivates them to seek
out various sources of novelty, challenge and information. Their specific interest
motivates them to increase the depth of their specialist knowledge and experience.
Creative people, whether they are artists, architects, inventors, or scientists, share
some common traits such as openness to experience. In addition, they like to
question the purpose of everything and see things from a new perspective. They
bombard others with “whys” and “why nots.” They like to ask “what if?” Their need
to question things may irritate others with a more practical bent of mind. James
Watt invented the steam engine and asked the question why? after noticing the
power of steam to lift the lid off a kettle. Newton is said to have formulated the
law of gravity, after being hit on the head by an apple falling from a tree. Curiosity
about their discovery raised questions to be answered in their minds and spurred
them on to great achievements.

46
• Energy. Creative people have high energy levels with great staying power and are
driven by an innate need to produce creative work. They believe they must put in
the effort if they are to be successful in whatever they undertake. Creative people
create more ideas, come up with more possibilities, and generate more schemes.
They make more attempts, make more mistakes than others, and endure more
setbacks. They treat mistakes as experiments to learn from. They know that if they
don’t make mistakes they fail to learn, let alone do anything unusual or innovative.
“Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas.”
– Donatella Versace
2.2 THE DARK SIDE OF CREATIVITY
Creativity’s
Dark Side
Schizoid Histrionic Narcissistic Manic
Fig. 2.2. The Dark Side of Creativity
Many famous creative people show symptoms of extreme personality disorders such as
schizoid, histrionic, narcissistic and manic depressive. These traits seemed to help rather
than hinder their creativity.
• A person with schizoid personality disorder is marked by withdrawal and an

inability to form close relationships with other human beings. People with this
personality disorder tend to be detached, aloof, and appear to be cold, disengaged
and disinterested. They are obsessive about their work and neglect interpersonal
relationships. They spent long hours in solitude working on their complex, abstract
problems. Well-known examples were Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Nikola
Tesla. Einstein spent long hours thinking about his proposed theories and preferred
47
this approach to physical experimentation. During these long periods of time he

wasn’t interested in social discourse. Like Einstein, Newton was a loner and found
it difficult to relate to other people. He never married and spent his life in conflict
with the famous scientific personalities of the day. Similarly, Tesla never married
because he believed it would interfere with his work. He preferred to work long
hours in his laboratory.
• Histrionic relates to acting. People who are histrionic are like actors because
they are egotistical and love to be the centre of attention. They are extroverted,
exhibitionistic, dramatic and imaginative. Their constant need for attention and
to be in the limelight encourages them to be flamboyant and creative. They love
to dress in a colourful, showy, outrageous fashion to attract attention. They often
exploit sexual themes to further their careers. Actors, singers and dancers would be
good examples. People with histrionic personality disorder tend to be creative and
include Liberace, David Bowie, Elton John and Madonna. One of the most famous
histrionic performers in the world was Liberace. He was an accomplished pianist,
who gave concerts dressed in flamboyant colourful costumes with ornate pianos and
candelabra. His over-the-top showmanship won him the fame and attention that
he craved for. The late David Bowie was a rock star, song writer and actor. Bowie
dressed in outrageous costumes and was known as a musical chameleon because of
his ever-changing styles and colourful appearance. Elton John is a singer, pianist
and composer. He was known for dressing in fabulous, over-the-top costumes,
and outsized glasses for his elaborate staged concerts. Because he wasn’t handsome
or a sex symbol like David Bowie, he decided he was going to attract attention,
and compel people to look at him. Madonna is an exhibitionist and uses sexual
innuendo in her performances to further her career.
• Narcissistic people are obsessed with themselves and particularly with their looks.
The word narcissistic is related to the Greek myth of Narcissus. He was a boy
known for his good looks who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool. He
wasted away, too fascinated with his own image to look after himself. People with
narcissistic personality disorder like to manipulate and exploit others for their own
ends. They use others ruthlessly and selfishly to meet their ambitious goals. They
are independent, imaginative, self-sufficient and have a superiority complex. They
tend to be arrogant and hold deep secret feelings of contempt for others. Narcissists
are not only found in the entertainment world but politics attract them as well.
Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolph Hitler, Mussolini and Joseph Stalin are good examples
from the political world. Napoleon was preoccupied with power, prestige, vanity
and grandiose thinking. Napoleonic Complex is named after the French Emperor,
who overcompensated for his small stature by his overweening ambition to become
Emperor of France. Like Napoleon, Hitler was obsessive, self-centred, preoccupied
with power, prestige and grandiose thinking. Picasso is a good example from the
artistic world. Picasso wrecked several lives that he came in contact with - more
than one of his closest companions committed suicide. Stalin was so obsessed with

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hanging onto power that anyone who disagreed with him was jailed. When he
thought that Leon Trotsky was a threat he sent his henchmen to Mexico to kill him.
• Manic depressive. They suffer from a disorder characterised by alternating extreme
mood swings of mania and depression. Many creative people have suffered from
manic depression. When they are manic they become energetic, ruthless and self-
obsessed. In this phase they tend to be full of energy and highly creative. When
they are depressed they become despondent, listless and dependent. Michelangelo,
Edgar Allen Poe, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and Ludwig von Beethoven
are examples. Michelangelo was a manic-depressive for most of his adult life. He was
known to binge drink for weeks on end. Edgar Allen Poe suffered from depression
and attempted suicide during his short lifetime. Abraham Lincoln suffered from
depression most of his life. One of his friends said he was the most depressed person
he ever met. Like Lincoln, Churchill suffered from manic depression all of his life.
He complained to his friends that he suffered from the “black dog of depression.”
When he was in his mild manic phases he was personable, but his moods could
change quickly and unpredictably. However, his periods of high mania were highly
creative and productive. He would stay up all night, eventually producing 43 books
in addition to his political career. Beethoven suffered from manic depression most
of his life. When he was on a high he could compose numerous works all at the
same time. It was during his low periods that many of his most famous works were
produced. It was also during one of these low periods that he contemplated suicide.
2.3 THE DISC PERSONAL PROFILE SYSTEM

There have been numerous attempts to develop a Creativity Quotient (CQ) similar to the
Intelligence Quotient (IQ), but none have been scientifically proven.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
• Dominance
D
• Influence
I
• Steadiness
S
• Conscientious
C
Fig. 2.3. DISC Personality Profile

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The DISC system is one of the most popular personality profiles. DISC is based on the
theory of human behaviour by psychologist William Marston and was developed into an
assessment tool by industrial psychologist Walter Clarke in 1940. His theory claimed that
people express their emotions using four behaviour types called Dominance, Influence,
Steadiness and Conscientiousness. Hence the acronym DISC. He argued that these behavioural
types came from peoples’ sense of self and their interaction with the environment.
The distributors of this creativity profile maintain it is the oldest, most validated personal
assessment measure, and has been used by more than 50 million people. It enables people
to understand their personality traits in relation to leadership, teamwork, communication
and creativity. The behaviours reflect how people tend to react to their environment, either
actively or passively, depending on the individual’s perception of their power.
People with dominance traits are confident, direct, outspoken and like to solve problems
and accomplish results. They see the big picture and like to accept challenges. They can
be blunt as they like to get straight to the point. People with influence traits are open,
friendly, outgoing and like to influence and persuade others. Hence, they tend to be good
at interpersonal relationships. They are optimistic, enthusiastic and like to collaborate
with others. People with steadiness traits are patient, consistent, sincere, cooperative and
dependable. They like to keep the peace and maintain the status quo. They are humble, calm
and supportive and don’t like to be rushed. People with conscientious traits are competent
and like accuracy and quality. They are independent, organised, methodical, and logical and
like to pay attention to detail. They tend to be perfectionists.
Dominance and influence traits are active in those people who see themselves as more
powerful than their environment. They are therefore, more likely to be creative and work
actively to shape and change it. These people are comfortable with change and may work
effectively to implement change. People strong in steadiness and conscientiousness see the
environment as something stronger than themselves. They are therefore, more likely to be
uncreative and passive - adapting and preserving the environment.
People with dominance and conscientiousness traits tend to see the environment as
unfavourable, and consequently are task oriented, and ignore rather than confront people
issues. On the other hand, people high in influence and steadiness see the environment as
favourable and prioritise people issues ahead of tasks.
“Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.”
– Pablo Picasso

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2.4 THINKING STYLES PREFERENCES

People have a characteristic style, or way of doing things. There are three such styles;
inventing, implementing and evaluating.
Thinking
Styles
Inventing Implementing Evaluating
Fig. 2.4. Thinking Styles
• Some like to do things their own original way. This is known as the inventing style.
• Some like to follow established procedures. This is known as the implementing style.
They prefer to follow the procedures of others rather than inventing their own.
• Other people prefer to sit back and watch others do things while analysing and
criticising their efforts. These have an evaluating style. They typically act as critics,
judges or evaluators, rather than doing it themselves.
We all possess all styles to one degree or another. What differentiates one person from another
is the preference they have for exercising one particular style. To be creative, a person must
prefer the inventing style and so like thinking up novel or unusual ways of doing things.
We all have the ability to be creative, but some of us choose not to exercise it or develop
it. If we choose not to practise our creativity we will not become good at it. If a person
habitually criticises the ideas of others, without practising generating and developing his
own ideas, his analytical ability will become sharp and precise, but his inventing ability will
become dull and rusty from lack of use.
Psychometric tests can be used by Human Relations specialists to identify the people likely
to have personality traits facilitating creativity. These tests purport to measure originality
(novel ideas), fluency (number of ideas) and flexibility (different perspectives). These tests.
though popular. have questionable scientific validity. The difficulties of validating these tests
are many and include the following:

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• There is still no agreed standardised definition of creativity – hence the difficulty

of measuring it.
• The traits of creativity differ from one test to another and indeed from one
person to another.
• Motivation, attitude and culture are almost impossible to measure.
• It is impossible to test and control behaviour in laboratory like conditions, so that
similar results could be reproduced elsewhere.
Optimism and creativity

Optimistic and confident people think more positively, flexibly and creatively. With
an optimistic attitude you have a belief that things will work out well, despite adverse
circumstances, and that all you have to do is to figure out how. This attitude helps you to
come up with innovative solutions, while pessimism may have the opposite effect. Inventors
tend to be more confident and optimistic than the general population. They spend more
time on their projects, even after receiving negative feedback that it is time to quit.
There is the widespread idea that fear and sadness is a spur to creativity. On the contrary,
creativity is positively associated with joy, love and happiness, and negatively associated with
anger, fear and anxiety. People are happiest when they come up with a creative idea, but
they are more likely to do so if they experience happiness beforehand.
Empowered people, or people with control over their lives, are more likely to be creative
than people who believe they cannot influence the circumstances under which they live.
Such people believe their lives are controlled by others, and therefore have little incentive
to be creative, or learn new things.
Even though some people think that they are far more creative when working under time
constraints, the opposite, in fact, is true. Creativity requires an incubation period as previously
discussed; people need time to absorb and soak in a problem, and let the ideas emerge. Time
pressures stifle creativity, because people haven’t the time to deeply engage with and think
about the problem. John Cleese, the actor and comedian, talks about how beneficial it can
be to “sleep on a problem.” He recalls observing a dramatic change in his approach to a
creative problem, when he decided to leave it aside and concentrate on other things. This
approach eventually resulted in a solution to his problem. Engaging our conscious minds
on other tasks, like sleeping, walking, driving or taking a shower, allows our subconscious
to work on the problem using the information we’ve gathered to-date.

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However, people may become more innovative with the challenge of recessionary times,
more competition, tighter budgets, constraints, and deadlines. When your back is to the wall
you are often forced to come up with more effective, smarter and less costly ways of living.
The pressures and demands of wartime often give rise to an increase in useful inventions
and ideas for everyday living and survival.
“If you would be more creative, stay in part a child with the creativity and invention
that characterises children before they are deformed by adult society.”
– Jean Piaget
2.5 GENDER AND CREATIVITY

There is no doubt that men and women have the capacity to be equally creative. Similarly,
few would contest the assertion that men and women have equal brainpower or intelligence.
Despite this it is a fact that most significant inventions have been made by men. Patents
submitted by men far exceed those submitted by women. Since it was established the Nobel
Prize has been awarded 807 times to men and only 44 times to women. This is probably
a reflection of the cultural attitudes and misogynists views of women.
Fifteen women have won the Nobel Prize for Peace, twelve have won it in Literature, ten
have won it in Physiology or Medicine, and four have won it in Chemistry, two in Physics
and one in Economic Science. In other areas women are also scarce on the ground. Consider
professions like visual artists, top class chefs, musicians, mathematicians, composers, artists,
designers, sculptors, film directors, playwrights, business directors and architects. What is
the reason for this?
There are in fact numerous reasons. Over thousands of years women have been brainwashed,
dominated, suppressed, stereotyped and discriminated against by men and by society generally.
For many years the education of women was actively discouraged, and they were seen as
the property of men. It was not until the turn of the last century that women were allowed
to vote. In some Muslim countries this situation has not changed with violence being used
against women who dare venture outside their culturally expected roles. The role of women
in society was confined to being a good wife, mother and nurturer of children. It is only
recently that women are allowed to drive cars in Saudi Arabia.
This meant that their husbands had the time to pursue and develop their own creative
interests from a supported, secure and safe home base, at the expense of women. Because
of their domestic workload women had little time or incentive to pursue or develop any

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creative or educational interests or inclinations of their own. They would have little energy left
after fulfilling their household duties of caring for two or more children, doing housework,
laundry, cleaning and looking after the needs of a husband. It seems women’s creativity is
channelled elsewhere as it takes a lot of creativity to rear children, prepare meals, decorate
a home, wash clothes and run a household successfully.
Creative work requires long periods of concentrated and dedicated effort and time. This
opportunity is not available to women during their peak work and childbearing years, which
also coincides with their most creative period of life. Take the case of Marie Mileva Einstein,
Albert’s first wife. She was a gifted mathematician in her own right. She ultimately sacrificed
her own promising career for her husband’s. After marrying and having children her life
changed drastically. She spent all day cleaning, cooking and caring for the children. During
the evening she would proofread her husband’s work and do mathematical calculations to
help him. Her whole life revolved around the needs of her husband.
It is only in relatively recent times that women have been actively encouraged to pursue
careers outside of the home in areas like business, law, politics, science and medicine.
Even today despite the rise of feminism and much equality legislation, the position of
women hasn’t changed as much as they would like. They still only hold a small percentage
of significant jobs in business, academia, politics and science. The number of women on
boards of directors is still much too few. The number of female professors in relation to
male professors is small. The same holds for science and politics.
A disproportionate amount of family responsibilities, household chores and childcare still fall
on the woman even if she is pursuing a career. A study published in 2013 in the magazine
American Scientist found that a woman’s career in science compared favourably to a man’s
before they had children. However, the challenges of childcare and the demands of running
a research lab are often seen as incompatible. The authors of the study found that women
who plan to have children drop out of the academic research race at twice the rate of men.
Balancing childcare and career pursuits is difficult in any profession especially if you are
expected to carry a disproportionate share of the childcare and housekeeping burden.
Older people have some advantages when it comes to innovation. They have a greater
capacity for empathy because empathy is improved and refined as we age. Empathy is
critical in design, as people need to understand the needs of the people they are designing
for. Generally, older people can decipher patterns more easily, and see the big picture.
They have more knowledge and experience, so that they have a rich and greater resource
to draw on when coming up with ideas and making decisions. Combining knowledge is
what creativity is all about.

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Older people are unlikely to be distracted by the fads and temptations of modern life that
often trap the impressionable young. As we age we are better able to anticipate problems,
and reason things out than when we were young and inexperienced. Older people tend to
be more mindful and live more in the present, because they are aware that their future is
finite. This sense of urgency to get things done contributes to creativity. They have a greater
self-knowledge and are more aware of their environment leading to new useful ideas. They
have the tenacity, willpower, and persistence needed for creative tasks needing long-term
commitment. They often bring better powers of concentration, interest and motivation, to
bear on a task.
Many younger people have short attention spans and are preoccupied with status and
personal advancement rather than self-fulfilment. They sometimes don’t know what has
been tried before, and thus tend to reinvent the wheel. Those who don’t know history are
prone to repeat it.
Family influences
Parental values are passed on to children. Males and females within families are often treated
differently and they absorb the cultural expectations of their roles from parents and society
from an early age. This is often traditionally expressed in different colour schemes when
decorating a girl’s and a boy’s room – pink for a girl and blue for a boy. It is reinforced by
the way parents dress their female and male children. Gender appropriate toys are bought
for girls and boys – dolls and prams for girls and cars and sporting gear and Meccano for
boys. Advanced games and toys and challenging educational experiences are more likely to
be provided for boys.
Girls are prepared for a nurturing role while boys are taught to be more competitive and
aggressive. Generally, girls are not supported or encouraged to pursue creative occupations
unlike boys, and they often lack appropriate role models and mentors to do so. In school,
girls are often steered away from science-based careers even if they excel at maths. Dance,
drama, art, music and domestic science is more often thought to be appropriate for girls,
while getting good grades in science and mathematics are expectations for boys. Professions
like nursing and teaching are considered more appropriate for girls, while boys are encouraged
to be engineers and scientists.
Parents’ expectations for female children are for them to get an appropriate education,
become financially secure, get married and have children. Girls are often taught to be more
modest, mannerly, polite, ladylike and less assertive than their brothers. Girls learn early
on to be modest about their achievements and intelligence, and to downplay it in relation

55
to their male friends, to win the acceptance of attractive males, while at the same time
not upsetting their male egos. They thus grow up to be less competitive, and to be more
concerned with social relationships and friendships than individual achievement and status.
This means they are reared to be more interested in people than things.
These imbued behaviours passed on to girls are the opposite of what is necessary to be
creative - the ability to challenge convention, question authority, take risks, pursue goals
with passion and determination, and speak out for change. On the other hand, boys are
encouraged, usually by their fathers, to be more mechanically minded and find out how
things work. They also expect their boys to be more physically active and take part in
competitive sport such as football and rugby. This gives boys valuable head starts, in the
physical manipulation of objects – a skill necessary for science and engineering class projects.
Being part of teams also helps boys to develop valuable networking skills from an early age.
In later life they use these networks and contacts to help further their careers. Girls don’t
seem to do so to the same extent.
2.6 FAMOUS CREATIVE PEOPLE

People have been creative from the beginning of human history. We have built on the
shoulders of giants to get to our present state of sophisticated civilisation and comfortable
lifestyles. Evolution is just as applicable to science as it is to biology. Scientific discoveries
are built on previous scientific breakthroughs. Every inventor is a product of his time, his
culture, education and environment.
It is unlikely that the creativity of Mozart, Einstein, or Picasso would have happened if they
were born in a different culture or time. Inventions cannot happen without the materials,
technology, intellectual atmosphere, sociological and psychological conditions necessary for
them to occur have appeared. They must also fulfil a need or purpose. The middle classes
produced a disproportionate number of inventors because they had the education, wealth
and time to devote to their work.
Creation is a historical incremental process. Leonardo da Vinci conceptualised tanks and

helicopters but the technology was not there to produce them. Similarly, Charles Babbage
designed a computer, 100 years before the electronic one, but the technology was not there to
support it. These inventors were visionaries who foresaw what the world would eventually become.
I have taken a few inspirational figures from history and from more modern times. These
demonstrate the significant effect people can have on our lives, either working alone, or in
teams. We can model our behaviour on these people and learn from their achievements. Be
inspired by their enthusiasm, great powers of observation, concentration, curiosity and hard work.

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Historical creative figures

Many discoveries were made by people, obsessed by and totally immersed in their subjects,
after much patient, research and experimentation over a long period of time. Isaac Newton,
when asked about how he discovered the law of gravity, said he thought of it all the time.
It seems if you are not actively looking for new discoveries, and clued in for relevancy, you
will overlook them when they happen. Many people saw the apple fall but none except
Newton understood its significance. By the way, the story about the apple is probably
apocryphal. It also plays down the 20 years of hard work and sacrifice that Newton spent
thinking about and developing his theory of gravity.
The development of the theory of evolution offers a good lesson in creative problem solving
in science. The idea that all animal species were related had been around for many years.
However, the mechanism of evolution, through natural selection of the survival of the
fittest, went unnoticed. Both Charles Darwin and naturalist Alfred Wallace coincidently
arrived at the solution to the evolution puzzle by the same route and around the same time.
Each had stepped back from the immediate problem and noticed how relevant the ideas of
Thomas Malthus were to the evolution puzzle. He had described the struggle for existence
of increasing populations and reducing food supplies. This was the eureka moment and the
analogy that Darwin and Wallace needed to solve the conundrum of evolution.
Creative geniuses such as Benjamin Franklin, Nikola Tesla, and Leonardo da Vinci did not
simply create great things, they created things of value, highly desired and useful to people.
Franklin invented bifocal glasses, Tesla invented the alternating current and the electric
motor that made the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity possible and
revolutionised our lives. Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. All of these things have
enriched and have had a great impact on our lives.
Modern inventors
Dean Kamen is best known as the inventor of the Segway – the two-wheeled human
transporter which has been taken up by police services throughout the world – but he’s
far from a one hit wonder. The US entrepreneur has created many inventions, from an all-
terrain wheelchair, to a water purification system for Third World villages. His obsession
with innovation came gradually. He wasn’t inventive as a child, but he did have one standard
trait: an insatiable curiosity about the natural world. He derived great pleasure in finding
unexpected uses for existing technology, such as making tiny portable pumps for diabetics.

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He thinks that the public have the mistaken perception that inventors have great ideas,
get the parts, and make the product. However, he points out the process of inventing is
not like that – it’s not a linear, straightforward process. You have to be willing to adapt
your ideas quickly, no matter how passionate you are about them, and just keep working
patiently away until you have a worthwhile product.
Esther Takeuchi is an engineer at the State University of New York, who has turned her
talent for figuring out how things work into a very successful career. She holds over 120
patents – more than any other woman alive – and has received many awards for her work.
She developed the Lilliputian battery that powers implantable cardiac defibrillators, a device
that has improved the lives of thousands of heart patients. Perfecting her most famous
invention took many years of hard work. She doesn’t discount the importance of split-
second inspiration but emphasises that innovators need to have an extensive background
of knowledge before they arrived at the eureka moment. She highlights the importance of
spending sufficient time exploring and thinking about the problem and reading extensively
around it. Sometimes she sets the problem aside and finds that she arrives at the solution
in the most unexpected manner, often when doing something else.
Tim Berners-Lee, who was born in England in 1955, is the inventor of the World Wide Web
which came into existence in 1989. It has revolutionised information and communications
technology with an impact on the world as great as Gutenberg’s printing press. The World
Wide Web is quite distinct from the internet. The internet is the physical infrastructure
through which data can be transmitted. On the other hand, the World Wide Web was the
first means through which the world gained access to and the ability to share information
across the internet. These days you can do anything on the web, from buying a car, to
researching an essay, to listening to the TV or radio, to getting a weather report, among
thousands of other things. Thirty years ago, this was impossible.
“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns

in order to look at things in a different way.”
– Edward de Bono
2.7 CREATIVITY OVER THE LIFESPAN

Creativity is an ability that develops over the course of the human life span, despite the
fact that some people might consider themselves too old to be creative. It is true that
certain abilities decline with age. Fluid intelligence, which involves working memory,
computational speed and the ability to hold numerous ideas in the mind at the same time,

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does deteriorate with age. This type of intelligence is innate and is little affected by learning.
Its various components peak early – in a person’s teens, twenties or thirties. Later decades
show some deterioration in these skills, and after 70 years of age, the decline may be severe
in some people. In addition, with age your reflexes slow down and your hearing, eyesight
and energy levels decline.
The second type of intelligence is known as crystallised intelligence. It is more dependent

on learning than innate skills. It involves making judgements, seeing similarities and
differences between things, using deduction and logical reasoning. These abilities depend
more on reflection than quick reaction. Thus, they usually improve with the passage of
time, at least up to the age of sixty and sometimes beyond. Creative people depend more
on crystallised intelligence.
So, age is not a barrier to creativity provided you keep healthy and reasonably fit. We are
hardwired for creativity, and so can exploit our creativity from cradle to grave. Creativity
is a state and attitude of mind rather than a number indicating age. You don’t want to
come to the end of your years and regret not having done something you always wanted to
do. Many famous people did not reach the heights of their creativity until they were past
middle or indeed into old age. They spent their lives continually reinventing themselves
with new challenges and new opportunities. Their mental prowess rises above their physical
limitations which they adapt into their style.
The old model of the aging brain was negative. It was believed that all the neurons of the
brain were in place by the age of two. From that age on it was thought to be all downhill,
neurons dying off at an alarming rate particularly in middle and old age. Once lost, it was
believed these neurons were irreplaceable and gone for ever. However, in the past decade a
new model of the aging brain has now gained acceptance.
The word “plasticity” currently characterises our latest understanding of the human brain.
The brain is flexible well into old age. Even people after suffering strokes can be trained,
so that part of their brain can take over and compensate for the functions that have been
damaged. In fact, if you keep your brain challenged, the number of dendrites, or connections
between brain cells grow, and new contact points called synapses increase. This means that
your mental capacity improves. This phenomenon is known as “neurogenesis.”
Research has found that dendrites grow to their greatest length in humans from their early
50s to their late 70s. Creativity helps neurons in the brain to add insulating fat layers, in
a process called myelination helping the brain to run smoothly. Previously, it was thought
this only happened in our 20s – hence the reason why some scientists and mathematicians
peaked at this time. However, recent research suggests this process may continue into our
50s and even 60s provided we continue to engage in creative activities. In any event, even

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if it is true that myelination is less efficient as we grow older, connectivity in the brain
may loosen up associations allowing ideas to move more freely and help combine familiar
information in an unusual way. This means that older people may generate more ideas rather
than just have one great idea – the difference between the great inventor who comes up
with a once-off amazing invention, and the jazz musician who improvises all the time, or
the artist who improves incrementally over a lifetime.
There is no better way to keep your brain challenged than by continually exercising your
powers of creativity. Become a lifelong learner, be willing to do new things, develop strong
social networks, observe what is going on in the world, and don’t be afraid to move out of
your comfort zone. As you get older take up a new hobby, travel to new places, develop a
new interest, and learn to play a musical instrument, challenge yourself with word games
and crossword puzzles, and seek out unique experiences. Change newspapers occasionally as
reading the same newspapers will not challenge your views. Hobbies can provide a source
of information and analogies not generally available to others which can be applied in your
work and used profitably in creative problem solving.
Challenge your assumptions, become comfortable with ambiguity and change, and be
prepared to take calculated risks, listen to different points of view, and develop your ability
to accept differences. There is even evidence that creativity has an anti-aging effect on the
mind and body. Dr Gene Cohen in a study sponsored by the US National Endowment
for the Arts found that those engaged in painting, jewellery making, or singing in a choir
had better overall physical health, made fewer visits to the doctor, used less medication,
and had fewer medical problems than a control group.
Examples of Lifespan creativity

The following are examples of lifespan creativity in science, art, politics, entertainment
and writing.
Science
Creativity is a highly desirable skill at any age even though it may vary over the aging
process. Some research maintains that creativity can be divided into two types: conceptual
and experimental.

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA
2 Types of
Creativity
Conceptual Experimental
Fig. 2.5. Two Types of Creativity
• Conceptual thinkers like Einstein come up with their best ideas when young but
often remain productive creatively into ripe old age. John Philip Holland, an Irish
man, conceptualised the first submarine when young but was relatively old when
it finally came to fruition at the age of 56 when it was adopted by the US Navy.
• Experimental thinkers often peak when relatively old. Their ideas are incremental,
often improvements on existing or previous ideas. They are uncertain about their
goals, and thus proceed more gradually and cautiously than their conceptual
counterparts. These can take decades, so that their best work comes late in life.
Alfred Hitchcock directed his best and most creative films between the ages of 54 and
61. Edison, one of the most prolific inventors of all time built on the ideas of others
and continued creatively and productively right into old age. Although Edison is credited
with the invention of the electric light bulb, it was actually Joseph Swan who invented it.
However, his refinement of the light bulb ushered in the age of electricity. In fact, most of
his inventions were incremental improvements of existing ones. He had an amazing capacity
to make things practical and commercially viable and useful, so that they could be mass
produced. Thus, he created an electricity distribution system in New York for those who
wished to use his electric light bulb.

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The opposite case can also be made. It is known that the more education and life experiences
novelists and philosophers have the greater their vocabulary and capacity to write. It is also
known that the best novelists are the most avid readers. Similarly, scientists can peak at any
age, and many don’t make their major impact until quite mature. However, scientists are
often quite young when they make radical conceptual breakthroughs. Others take longer
improving incrementally with experience, whilst learning from mistakes.
Einstein believed if you didn’t do any major work by 30, you wouldn’t do any. This is no
longer accepted. Take for example the number of PhD holders who are advanced in years
when they eventually win the coveted Nobel Prize. Many composers change their musical
styles as they mature and often peak in old age. Similarly, many artists change their artistic
style as they mature, and often peak in middle or old age.
Frank Lloyd Wright, the renowned architect, designed the Guggenheim Museum in New
York City at 76. Benjamin Franklin invented bifocal lens at the age of 78. Graham Bell
perfected his telephone at 58 and was over 70 when he solved the problem of stabilising
aircraft balance. John Ericsson designed and built the revolutionary new warship USS
Monitor in 1862. It changed the course of the American Civil War.
Artists
Politicians, artists, scientists, entertainers, writers, chief executives, prime ministers, judges,
diplomats and medical specialists are all considered very young at 50 and are often considered
only in their creative prime when well into their 60s and 70s. In the artistic field, Picasso
produced some of his best work during the later stages of his life and reinvented the
conventions of painting. Claude Monet, the French impressionist, painted well into his
80s, and created masterpieces in the last decade of his life. He continued painting up to
the final months of his life and stopped when he was physically unable to do so.
Cezanne, a contemporary of Monet, produced his best work in his 60s. They both believed
in continuous improvement through practise of their trade. Michelangelo was appointed
architect of St. Peter’s in Rome when he was 72. Grandma Moses didn’t start painting
until the age of 76 after arthritis forced her to give up embroidery. She had no formal art
training, and yet when she died at 101 her paintings were featured in many prominent
museums throughout the world.
A striking example of someone who became more creative as they advanced into old age is
the sculptor Louise Bourgeois. She is regarded as one of the greatest female artists of the
20th century. Her most renowned work was produced in the first half of her 80s. Some art

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historians judge that the most important work of her career was made in her ninth decade.
It is no surprise that Bourgeois believes that artists improve with age. She said: “I am a
long-distance runner. It takes me years and years and years to produce what I do.”
In 1909 Monet similarly declared that he became better with the passage of time: “I have
half a century of experience, and soon I shall have passed my sixty-ninth year, but my
sensitivity, far from diminishing, has been sharpened with age, which holds no fears for me
as long as unbroken communication with the outside world continues to fuel my curiosity,
so long as my hand remains a ready and faithful interpreter of my perception.” Research
has found that artists who are at their most creative late in life are invariably experimental
innovators. They believe that they constantly learn through experience and experimentation
and change their style gradually over the years.
Politicians
Nelson Mandela, de Gaulle, Churchill and Regan are some of the politicians that made it
late in life. Nelson Mandela, after spending 26 years in prison, for his opposition to the
apartheid policies of South Africa, was elected deputy president of the African National
Congress at the age of 72. He was almost 74 when he was elected President of South Africa.
Charles de Gaulle was in his 70s when he was president of France.
Winston Churchill was in his late 70s when he became Prime Minister of Great Britain in
1951. He was also a great writer and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1953. He played
a significant role in the defeat of Germany in World War 11. Similarly, George C Marshall
became Chief of Staff of the US Army at 59. He is credited with bringing about the victory
over the Nazis and then spearheading the Marshall Plan. Bernard Baruch became the US
representative on the Atomic Energy Commission of the UN at 76, and formulated the
Baruch Proposals for international control of atomic energy.
Ronald Reagan became the oldest President of the USA, when he was elected the 40th
President of the USA. He served two terms from 1981 to 1989 retiring in his late 70s.
During a presidential debate he whimsically said that he would not hold his opponent’s
youth against him. Even when politicians retire they often find scope for their considerable
creativity such as writing talents, negotiation talents, diplomacy skills and political savvy.
These skills are highly reliant on creativity and experience. For example, many make their
names as peace negotiators in trouble spots around the world such as Northern Ireland,
Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

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Many of the rest of us thrive in our retirement years accomplishing things we could only
previously dream about but hadn’t the time to devote to. We then push ourselves to do
things we never thought possible. Some of us even turn hobbies such as photography into
worthwhile pursuits when we retire, discovering dormant abilities that we never knew we had.
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes began studying Greek at 92, because he hadn’t the time to
take it up previously. He had resigned from the US Supreme Court due to ill health in
1932 at the age of 90. Except in circumstances of poor health or dementia evidence suggests
there is little or no decline in creativity and intellectual ability until advanced old age. This
is provided you keep in reasonable health and go on challenging yourself through lifelong
learning and novel experiences.
While some old people become more conservative as they get older, others become more
liberal and radical than they were in their middle years, often supporting radical causes.
A case in point would be the former British Labour Minister and MP – Tony Benn. If
anything, he became more radical and more committed to his principles of social justice
as he matured and progressed into old age. Having rid themselves of the responsibilities of
middle age they feel a sense of liberation.
Entertainers
In the entertainment business, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Andy Williams, Perry Como
and Tom Jones all performed successfully until very late in life. As they got older they
reinvented themselves, and adapted their styles and interpretations of songs to the demands
of the modern audience. Frank Sinatra enchanted millions with new material right up to
his death at the age of 82. Andy Williams of TV and recording fame continued to play live
into his 80s. During a 2007 tour of the UK he maintained that performing kept him well.
He died aged 84 in 2011. Tony Bennett’s career continued into his 80s. His most recent
recording was made in 2012.
Over a fifty-year span Perry Como had a very successful recording and TV career. He died
at the age of 88 and performed right into his 80s. Tom Jones is still going strong in his 70s
and is as popular as ever. He still appears on many TV shows and gives live performances.
George Burns, the famous US comedian, was active right into his 90s. He didn’t believe
in retirement. He wrote two autobiographical books when he was 92. He died when he
reached 100. In classical music Verdi, a composer of tragic, sombre romantic operas, wrote
Falstaff as his last opera when he was nearly 80. In education, it is not uncommon for
people in their 50s, 60s and 70s to complete third-level and postgraduate qualifications.

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We now know as far as creativity is concerned that people peak at different ages. Some peak
when quite young while others bloom late in life. For example, poets, chess players, computer
experts, fashion designers, scientists and mathematicians peak early in their careers while
philosophers, historians, lawyers, psychologists, and novelists peak later. Orson Welles was
only 26 when he made Citizen Kane. The film was released in 1941 and is considered the best
movie of all time. When asked at 45 how he did it, he replied “Ignorance, ignorance, sheer
ignorance – you know there’s no confidence to equal it.” This suggests that our originality
and creativity is often held back by experience and others people’s ideas.
Writers
The following writers demonstrate that there is no time limit on creativity. Some writers even
claim that their creativity can be spurred on by their keen sense of mortality. They realise
just how short life is. They want to leave a legacy in the form of published work. Valerie
Trueblood, who did not publish her novel Seven Loves and two short story collections until
in her 60s, maintains age can bring greater urgency to the creative process.
Peter Mark Roget got the first edition of his famous Thesaurus published when he was 73,
and he oversaw subsequent editions until he died at 90. He had managed to produce the
most enduring and iconic reference book in his retirement years. Noah Webster wrote his
famous and monumental dictionary at 70. Canadian short story writer, Alice Munro won
the Nobel Prize for literature at 82 after a prodigious lifetime of writing. She had won
the Booker Prize at 78. She said that she intends to retire in June 2013, although she has
recently hinted she may go on for another while.
Goethe finished writing Faust at 82 years of age. George Bernard Shaw was still active in
his 70s. Adam Smith remains a towering figure in the history of economics. He was 53
years old when The Wealth of Nations was published, which is the age that many people
are now contemplating early retirement. Mary Wesley, a bestselling author, was 70 when
her first book was published. She went on to write a further nine novels and regularly
appeared in the bestseller lists.
Elizabeth Jolley had her first novel published at the age of 57. In one year alone, she got 39
rejection slips. Despite this she went on to have 15 novels and four short story collections
published to much acclaim. Lorna Page got her first book titled A Dangerous Weakness
published when she was 93. Millard Kaufman’s first novel Bowl of Cherries was published in
2007 when Kaufman was 90 years of age. He was 86 when he began working on the novel.

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Doris Lessing, the Nobel Prize winner, who died at the age of 94 in 2013, was prolific
most of her life. Her books covered a broad range of themes including racism, colonialism,
politics, feminism and communism. When she won the Noble Prize in literature at 88 years
of age, she was the oldest author, and the 11th woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature.
Learning from the example of others

Peter Drucker (1909-2005) was a quintessential renaissance man. He was a guru, writer,
professor, management consultant and self-described “social ecologist.” He was hailed by
Business Week as “the man who invented management.” He wrote articles for business
management magazines right into his 90s. He wrote 39 books and even wrote a novel. He
invented the term “knowledge management” and was a proponent of lifelong learning. He
emphasised the important role knowledge would play in the future, as a basic resource for
problem solving, decision making and innovation. During his life he set himself the task
of learning the rudiments of a new area or discipline every three years, mainly in the arts,
humanities and the social sciences. He did this for 60 years or more and thus built up an
extraordinary store of knowledge. He used this knowledge to inform his writings in management.
As a young man Drucker was inspired by Verdi who wrote the opera Falstaff at the age of
80. Verdi is known to have remarked that despite his best efforts, perfection had always
eluded him as a musician, and he therefore felt obligated to make another try. Verdi’s work
ethic and striving for perfection became Drucker’s ideal and modus operandi. Drucker said:
“I then resolved that if I ever reached an advanced age, I would not give up, but would
keep on. In the meantime, I would strive for perfection even though, as I well knew, it
would surely, always elude me.” He wrote business articles up to the end, even though old
age and poor health diminished his prodigious energy. He believed that your first career is
but a preparation for creativity in old age. When asked by his students for the source of
his original ideas, his answer was extremely modest. He retorted that all he had done was
to take ideas from the universe around him and adapt them to solve business problems.
We should be prepared to learn from the examples above of artists, writers, politicians and
scientists that we can remain creative all through our lives and into ripe old age. We should
strive to develop our talents and pursue perfection as we age wherever possible. Famous
creative people were passionate about what they did, developed their talents, worked hard
and were persistent in the face of obstacles. Just like the rest of us they had their ups and
downs going through life. Some suffered from bad health, relationship difficulties, ridicule
and opposition to their ideas, past failures and other challenges that could have derailed
them but didn’t. Instead they reflected on them, learned from them and found renewed
sources of energy to carry on.

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“Grow old along with me

The best is yet to come,
The last of life, for which the first was made.”
– Robert Browning
The four creativity stages in later life

Dr Gene Cohen in his book The Creative Age, after thirty years of research has classified
four creativity stages that older people go through
Re-evaluation
4 Phases of Creativity
in Later Life
Liberation
Summing-up
Encore
Fig. 2.6. Four phases of Creativity in later Life.
1. Re-evaluation Phase. This happens when people are in their 40s and 50s. When
people enter their 40s they think about how much time is left rather than how
much time has passed. In some this triggers off a mid-life crisis. However, in a much
larger group it triggers a constructive mid-life re-evaluation of life. It triggers off
questions such as: Where have I been? Where am I? Where am I going? What am I
going to do with the rest of my life? Some people may have regrets about how the
first half of their life has panned out and are determined that the second half will
be better and more in tune with what they really want. So, they decide to change
careers or undertake new challenges and try something new before it’s too late.
2. Liberation Phase. This stage is reached when people are in their 60s. At this stage
people are not concerned with what others think of them. This gives them the
confidence and permission to do things that they have never done. They may be
financially secure with a pension, giving them the scope to pursue interests they had
no time to do before. People in their 60s are more socially creative having acquired

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good interpersonal relationship, empathy, diplomacy, facilitation and negotiation

skills. They are better at controlling their emotions, less prone to anger and come
up with better solutions to conflict. That is why retired politicians using their
diplomatic and negotiation skills are sent to trouble spots throughout the world to
solve conflict problems. They have nothing to lose in doing what’s right rather than
what’s expedient. Senator George Mitchell is admired for the major contribution he
made to the peace process of Northern Ireland in 1998. When most other people
of his age are thinking of retirement he selflessly devoted his time to bringing about
the peace process. His considerable patience, tact and facilitation skills won the day.
3. Summing-up Phase. At this stage people are in their 70s, 80s or even beyond.
People at this stage like to reflect back on their lives and tell their life story. They
consider what they have achieved and gained in life and want to give something
back. They may do this through volunteering and philanthropy. They may also
attend to unfinished business, or to what remains undone. This is why some people
in advanced old age achieve creative success through art, music or writing.
4. Encore Phase. This is the end stage. George Abbott the American playwright,
screenwriter and film director is a good example of the encore phase. He was a
vigorous man who remained active past his 100th birthday. His New York Times
obituary read: “Mrs Abbott said a week and a half before his death at age 107
he was dictating revisions to the second act of Pajama Game with a revival in
mind, in addition to working on a revival of Damn Yankees.” At the age of 106,
he walked down the aisle on the opening night of the Damn Yankees revival and
got a standing ovation.
“If you take all the experience and judgement of men over fifty out
of the world, there wouldn’t be enough left to run it.”
– Henry Ford
2.8 DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION CURVE

This is a predictive tool used in marketing suggesting how fast different types of consumers
adopt a new product. Some consumers adopt a product as soon as it comes on the market.
These are the creative risk takers. Others are amongst the last to adopt a new product. The
successful diffusion of an innovation within an organisation is a two-step process. First it is
taken up by early adopters and opinion leaders and then subsequently adopted by a larger
population. The model provides a useful tool for marketing managers when targeting likely
buyers for their new products. Obviously, the laggards should never be targeted initially

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for their new products. The new product adoption process can be modelled in the form
of a bell-shaped diffusion curve. The diffusion curve shows that 2.5 per cent of people are
innovators, 13.5 per cent are early adopters, 34 per cent are the early majority, 34 per cent
are the late majority and 16 per cent are laggards.
Innovators
2.5% Early Early Late
Adopters Majority Majority Laggards
13.5% 34% 16% 16%
Fig. 2.7. Diffusion of Innovation Curve
In more detail these groups of people can be defined as follows:
• Innovators. They make up about 2.5 per cent of the population. These are well-
informed risk-takers and innovators who are not afraid to try out a new unproven
product. They either have a pressing need or are rich enough not to worry too much
if the product doesn’t live up to expectations. They are likely to be knowledgeable
and self-confident and may be people that others look up to. They are venturesome
with the ability to apply complex technical knowledge. They act as gatekeepers to
the flow of new products. The innovator plays a critical role in the diffusion process.
They initiate new ideas by introducing innovation from outside into the organisation.
• Early adopters. They make up about 13.5 per cent of the population. These people
do not buy until they get positive feedback from innovators. They will check out
the product with the innovator. Early adopters tend to be educated and technically
competent opinion leaders who are prepared to try out new ideas, but in a careful,
cautious and studious way. They are respected by peers for their discrete use of
products and serve as role models for other people. They decrease uncertainty
about the usefulness of a new product through their practical example by adopting
it. Their faith in the product is then passed on to others implicitly or explicitly
through social networking.
• Early majority. They make up about 34 per cent of the population. These are
careful thoughtful consumers who are cautious about new ideas and tend to avoid
risk. They adopt the product out of economic necessity, and as a result of peer
pressure. They wait until the product has been proven by the early adopters. They
rely on recommendations or endorsements from others who have experienced the

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product. Despite their caution they are prepared to accept change faster than the
average consumer. The early majority are the largest category representing about
one third of the total.
• Late majority. They make up about 34 per cent of the population. These are
extremely sceptical and cautious consumers, who acquire a product only after it
has been widely accepted and used successfully by others. Late majority buyers are
more likely to welcome simplicity and reliability, rather than hi-tech gadgetry. Like
the early majority the late majority represent about one third of the total, making
them also a significant category of consumers. They are motivated to buy through
necessity, by the volume of uptake already achieved and by the growing impact
of peer pressure.
• Laggards. They make up about 16 per cent of the population. These consumers
avoid change and do not trust new inventions. They are conservatively set in their
ways and stick to the old ways of doing things. They desire to retain the status quo
and live by tradition. Their financial resources tend to be limited. They may not
adopt a new product until traditional alternatives are no longer available. Socially
their friends are other laggards holding similar opinions on innovation. By the time
they adopt an innovation it may have been overtaken by a new product already
adopted by innovators.
“Creativity is contagious, pass it on.”
– Albert Einstein
2.9 EDUCATION AND CREATIVITY

Having an appropriate education provides a firm foundation for creativity. Knowledge is
acquired through formal education. An individual must have knowledge of a specific field of
study to engage in problem solving related to that field and make a creative contribution to
that domain. Some experts now maintain that a MA in fine arts is the new MBA for business.
A broad liberal arts education is suggested that includes literature, philosophy, and history,
as well as technology and science. Through a liberal arts education people are trained to gain
personal insight, and to challenge their assumptions by studying other cultures or disciplines
for ideas and diverse perspectives. In addition, their powers of observation are enhanced.
In business this helps people see the company in the context of its environment and the
world. It helps people make sense of groups, societies, cultures and technologies and to see
patterns and relationships between them. It provides them with a holistic view. In seeing

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the entire system, they will be able to make unique connections that weren’t made before.
This is what creativity is all about.
Research in 2001 found the accuracy of diagnoses made by medical students in Yale
University was improved after taking an art history course. The study concluded that the
medical students became better diagnosticians because the art history class improved their
observation skills. Art teachers tell their students that in order to draw they must see.
To be a good novelist you must be a keen observer of people. Inventors will tell you that
to invent you must observe what is going on around you. Even in football the best players
are those who observe, anticipate and react quickly to what is going on in the playing field.
The importance of keen observation to enhance creativity has been known for a long time.
In the Renaissance, artists such as Leonardo da Vinci relied heavily on observation of the
natural world to see possibilities beyond themselves. Like in art, managers can improve
their understanding of problems through better observation before searching for solutions.
2.10 ENTREPRENEURS
Innovation means coming up with practical products or services that have a good chance of
succeeding in the marketplace. Innovation is a core responsibility for any business that wants
to grow. Entrepreneurs are creative and innovative in that they exploit business opportunities
for competitive advantage when they establish a new business. This is despite the fact that
most businesses fail, and only a tiny minority are successful. They would never undertake
risky business projects, if they did not believe that their one is the one that is going to defy
the odds and be successful. They provide the basis for innovation and business growth, as
well as meeting the needs of customers and investors.
They also create employment opportunities for others, while generating revenue through
taxation for the government. This is why governments encourage entrepreneurship through
mentoring and financial incentives, such as taxation allowances and grants. Optimism
motivates them to work hard, while protecting them against the ever-present risk of failure.
Entrepreneurs tend to be proactive rather than reactive and be risk-takers and innovators.
Being proactive means making things happen through hard work, persistence and adaptability
while at the same time solving problems in a non-conformist way. Risk-taking means
committing money and other resources to your business in the firm belief that you will
succeed, despite the fact that most start-ups actually fail.
Entrepreneurs should not be afraid to fail. In Silicon Valley, venture capitalists encourage
entrepreneurs to “fail fast,” “bounce back,” and learn from their failures. Sometimes failure

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may not be your fault but was caused by unpredictable market conditions and unforeseen
circumstances. Failing fast means that you will make mistakes that you will learn from
and never repeat again. The attitude is if you are not failing often you are not trying hard
enough. Every failure gets you one step closer to success. You have to keep trying until you
get it right. When true entrepreneurs fail, they identify and learn from their mistakes, dust
themselves off and start all over again.
Entrepreneurs should build a prototype or a working model of their product, to determine

whether their innovation will actually work and deliver what it promises. This provides them
with an opportunity to make improvements before going into full production. You can test
the product on a limited number of potential customers, to gather client feedback and refine
the product before going into full implementation. If this process proves satisfactory, then
you can implement your production plan with measurable targets and milestones. Working
to a strict timeline and budget will help the entrepreneur achieve business objectives.
Smart entrepreneurs adjust their products and services in response to changing market
demands and conditions. They are ahead of the competition and are able to predict the
next big thing and define the next key market changes. This means staying on top of
market conditions by constantly gathering good information. Attending industry events,
such as trade shows, exhibitions, conferences and seminars gives you first-hand knowledge
on what your competitors are doing. You also gain valuable insights from experts about
new developments that you can profitably apply to your business.
In addition, keep in touch with the research that is going on in universities and government
establishments, and in innovation minded companies. This will help you to be aware of
pertinent developments that you can adapt as appropriate to your business. Competition
is now global, and customers are always seeking better products and solutions and
superior value for money.
Entrepreneurs need to be confident and energetic and be knowledgeable about the business
they are about to enter. They need to have a well-developed business plan and have social
contacts, combined with an ability to spot and exploit opportunities. Entrepreneurs
are motivated by the prospect of the success of their business. The entrepreneur must
demonstrate strong leadership skills by shaping business strategy and motivating their
employees through example.
His vision should inspire followers and be communicated across the organisation. Initiative,
problem solving and creativity should be encouraged in employees to enhance intrinsic
motivation. The entrepreneur can encourage creativity by facilitating a participative work

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environment, where creative individuals and groups prosper. High employee engagement
has been linked with many business benefits, including revenue growth, cost containment
and enhanced productivity. Creativity may be easier to encourage within a small firm where
flexibility is a key factor in exploiting business opportunities.
“I firmly believe that all human beings have access to extraordinary energies and powers.
Judging from accounts of mystical experience, heightened creativity, or exceptional
performance by athletes and artists, we harbour a greater life than we know.”
– Jean Houston
2.11 SUMMARY OF CHAPTER 2

The traits of creative people can be recalled by the acronym PRINCE. This stands for
playfulness, resilience, imagination, novelty, curiosity and energy. Many famous creative
people show symptoms of extreme personality disorders such as schizoid, histrionic, narcissistic
and manic depressive.
The DISC Personal Profile System attempts to measure a creativity quotient in people
under dominance, influence, steadiness and conscientiousness. It claims to be the oldest,
most validated personal assessment tool for creativity. Thinking style preferences include
the inventive style and the evaluating style. Optimistic and confident people think more
positively, flexibly and creatively. Men and women are equally creative.
Creativity is the ability that develops over the course of the human lifespan. This is despite the
fact that some people might consider themselves too old to be creative. In all walks of life people
can be creative into old age including scientists, artists, politicians, entertainers and writers.
The diffusion of innovation curve is a predictive tool used in marketing suggesting how
fast different types of consumers adopt a new product. The types of customers are called
innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards. The range is from those
people who take up innovations quickly to those who adopt a cautious wait and see strategy.
Education lays a good foundation for creativity. An individual must have knowledge of a
specific field of study to engage in problem solving related to that field and make a creative
contribution to that domain. As well as having plenty of initiative entrepreneurs must have
knowledge and experience in their chosen business endeavours if they want to be successful.

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SKILLS FOR MANAGERS Acknowledgements
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The artwork in this text was produced by the author with the aid of Microsoft’s ‘SmartArt’
creatively combined with the clipart facility in the word package. Some of the artwork
was accessed through Google. Known copyright material accessed through Google has
been acknowledged. I will gladly acknowledge any other copyright material brought to my
attention in future editions.

74
SKILLS FOR MANAGERS About the Author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Samuel A Malone is a self-employed training consultant, lecturer, moderator, examiner
and author. He has published numerous journal articles in the fields of learning, study
skills, personal development, motivation and management. He is the author of 21 books
published in Ireland, the UK and worldwide on learning, personal development, study skills
and business management. Some of his books have been translated into foreign languages
including Russian, Spanish, Danish and Norwegian, and gone into second editions. His
most recent book (2014) is titled Awaken the Genius Within – A Guide to Lifelong Learning
Skills (Glasnevin Publishing, Dublin). He has a M.Ed. with distinction (in training and
development) from the University of Sheffield and is a qualified Chartered Management
Accountant (ACMA), Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) and a Chartered
Secretary (ACIS) and a member of the Irish Institute of Industrial Engineers. He is a Fellow
of the Irish Institute of Training and Development (FIITD).
Previous books published by the author include Why Some People Succeed and Others Fail
(Glasnevin Publishing, Dublin), Learning about Learning (CIPD, London), A Practical Guide
to Learning in the Workplace (The Liffey Press, Dublin), Better Exam Results (Elsevier/CIMA,
London) and Mind Skills for Managers (Gower, Aldershot, UK) and How to Set Up and
Manage a Corporate Learning Centre (Gower, Aldershot, UK). The last two books become
best sellers for Gower in their training and business categories. Better Exam Results proved
to be a best seller for Elsevier/CIMA and is still in print 30 years after its earlies incarnation.
Most of his books are available online from Amazon.co.uk.

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& WHO IS CREATIVE?: CREATIVITY REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR CREATIVITY
SKILLS FOR MANAGERS SKILLS FOR MANAGERS (BOOKS1-3)
REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

FOR CREATIVITY SKILLS FOR
MANAGERS (BOOKS1-3)
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Web sites:
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(Creative Women: Visual Artists, Mathematicians, Scientists, Musicians)’ By Jane Piirto 2000.
The authors latest books have been published online by bookboon.com in 2018 namely:
• The Role of the Brain in Learning

• How Adults Learn
• Learning Models and Styles
• Experiential Learning
• Learning with Technology
• The Ultimate Success Factor
• Series of Books on People Skills for Managers
• Series of Books on Creativity Skills for Managers

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1 Where Does Creativity Take Place? 8

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2.3 The DISC Personal Profile System 49

About the Author 75

References and Bibliography for Creativity

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Samuel A Malone October 2018

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1 WHERE DOES CREATIVITY

1.1 CREATIVITY IN THE BRAIN

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Neocortex and relaxation

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1.2 FLOW AND CREATIVITY

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1.3 EXERCISE, SLEEP AND MEDITATION

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1.4 CREATIVITY IN THE HOME

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Why children lose their creativity

Fig. 1.1. SCOPE

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Developing writing skills in children

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“There’s really no secret to our approach. We keep moving forward

1.5 CREATIVITY IN THE WORKPLACE

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Contrary to conventional wisdom, a time of recession is often an opportune time in which

Improving a purchasing procedure or a reporting procedure by eliminating unnecessary

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Company culture and creativity

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Creating an innovative corporate culture

Fig. 1.2. Six Critical Rules for Innovation

1. Develop passion in the workplace to provide a sense of purpose, promoting

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Companies need to be continually creative to differentiate their products from competitors

Practical examples of companies with a creative culture

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© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.

Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.

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Multi- Practical Best

Fig. 1.3. Three Ingredients for Innovation

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Structures influence the level of creativity, or lack of creativity in an organisation. Centralised

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Maintaining company creativity

Collaboration & Creative

1 Where Does Creativity Take Place? 8

Samuel A Malone October 2018

1 WHERE DOES CREATIVITY