Those of you who know me will be aware that since studying the subject as part of my MBA over a decade ago creativity has been a passion of mine – using idea generation techniques at partner conferences, deploying problem definition frameworks at coaching sessions and even teaching a creativity class to marketers.
What you may not know was that I have known Peter Cook (“Best practice creativity” and “Sex, Leadership and Rock’n’Roll) for a rather long time and went along to one of his creativity masterclasses this morning to spend some time amongst like-minded creativity junkies.
What an inspiration! I truly wish I could open my comparatively modest creativity training sessions playing a Fender electric guitar – using it as an example of intuitive innovation or reading T Rex lyrics to demonstrate bisociation and metaphor.
Anyway, I tweeted (RedStarKim) some of the highlights and here there are for ease of reference, plus a few extra points that I thought would be of general interest:
Causal ambiguity – Don’t know what caused the problem. Casual ambiguity – Don’t know what caused the problem and don’t care either
Creativity process unplugged – explanations span divinity, pure luck, planned luck, endurance and methodologies
The four habits of naturally creative people – mental play, metaphor, intuition and naivety
The 12 precepts for creative management summarised into four themes:
CURIOSITY
- Adopt a set
- Explore the givens
- Broad picture
- Load detail
FORGIVENESS
- Value play
- Build up – knock down
- Live with looseness
LOVE
- It’s there already – nurture it
- Involve others
- Connect and be receptive
DIRECTION
- Know what you really want
- Cycle often – close late
- Use process, tools and methods
Anatomy of a brainstorm
- People
- Place (symbolic and practical value)
- Process (desired outcome, time management, reaching escape velocity, recording ideas)
Selected techniques:
- Brainstorming and brainwriting
- Reversal
- SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Magnify/Minimise, Put to other uses, Eliminate/Elaborate, Rearrange/Reverse)
- Force fit
- Superheroes (you’ll know that this is one of my favourites)
- Bisociation
- Metaphors
- Bitching with attitude (a new favourite)
Business school tests of innovation:
- Relative advantage
- Compatibility
- Simplicity
- Trialability
- Observability
If you are interested in learning more, there’s an FAQ on this web site and some practical material in my last book “Growing your property partnership – plans, people and promotion”. And I strongly recommend Peter’s books (Twitter.com/AcademyOfRock) obviously!
