How to Spark “Next-Gen” Creativity
As robots take over more and more “dirty, dull, and dangerous” jobs from humans and automation assumes the
knowledge work once done by people, the vocations that require complex,
creative thinking will remain the domain of the living.
This
point was driven home in a recent World Economic Forum (WEF) report, which forecasts expected advances in automation,
artificial intelligence, and other areas that constitute Industry 4.0. The changes, already unfolding, could — and likely will
— be profound, and include shifts in even the most essential job skills.
The report compares the top skills needed in
2015 and those predicted to be critical in 2020 (which is just a few heartbeats
away). Quality control and active listening drop from this list — perhaps
new technology will take care of these. Emotional intelligence and cognitive
flexibility take their place. What I found most interesting is that creativity
rockets from the number 10 spot all the way up to number three.
But
before you unleash your inner van Gogh, know that creativity isn’t just about
being visually artistic (or acting like the office free spirit). According to
the human resources and other senior executives surveyed by the WEF, 52 percent
of jobs will require complex cognitive abilities such as “creativity,
logical reasoning, and problem sensitivity” as a
core capability — a sort of “next-gen” creativity.
I’m a former communications creative director
from the days when holding a creative role meant you were one of the few in the
office who could forego a suit and allocate plenty of “out of the box” thinking
time. But today’s workplace, and the workplace of the future, requires an
approach to creativity that promotes free thinking yet also has a focus on
getting projects completed, products launched, and services humming along.
However, just telling people to “be more
creative” without further definition can be frustrating for all concerned.
Leaders should work for clarity about what creativity means for a specific
role, and to do this, it’s helpful to think about what creativity means in
various contexts. Today, creativity can range from a blank canvas (the ability
to think way outside the box) to tightly bounded (the skill of solving within
fixed parameters). I spoke to several people who use different forms of
creativity and asked them: “What does creativity mean in your work?” They
revealed four principles useful to any business leader.
Know
which boundaries to draw — and which to erase.
I started with Bill Hartman, who leads the
innovation strategy team at design consultancy Essential Design. This is the
kind of firm that companies turn to for help in creating new products and
services. Hartman studied to be a fine artist and then pursued a career in
industrial design.
Hartman
paraphrased the creative challenge as articulated by two of his design
heroes, Charles
and Ray Eames: “How do we design great utility in a world
with finite resources?” Charles Eames
described design as “a plan for arranging elements in
such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.” Not a lot of blank
canvas there, yet the Eameses’ creations remain design icons.
Hartman
went on to describe the MoSCoW model, used by many designers,
as another useful tool for talking about creativity: Define what the end
product or service must do, should do, could do, and won’t do (at least in this
iteration). “This helps designers set creative priorities,” he said. The same
can be said of most any department. Knowing as many specific parameters about a
project as possible, yet allowing employees the leeway to be creative with how
they make the project a reality, helps keep people on track and moving forward
with a clear direction.
Create
an environment that fosters creativity — and that doesn’t mean buying
foosball tables.
To
understand creativity in a completely different domain, I went to Samir
Kapuria, senior vice president and general manager of Symantec’s cybersecurity
services. One of the challenges his business faces is to counteract that which
has yet to happen.
“We
orient our teams to anticipate the future and novel attack events,” he told me.
“We have to be creative because our enemy is constantly changing its tactics
and techniques.” To foster the team’s thinking, Symantec creates “immersive
simulation experiences to stimulate their ability to look for new things.” It
is a low-risk environment, yet one that creates “the contextual challenges of
overwhelming information and constant change.”
Kapuria extends creative thinking to the
organization itself. “You need a self-evolving organization and a culture that
is willing to take risks in the interest of the mission and the business,” he
said. He has created an environment that rewards risk taking for innovation by
celebrating those who are willing to push their thinking to secure the digital
economy.
Creating immersive simulation experiences and
rewarding risk taking are two effective steps leaders can take to drive
creativity among their ranks. These are proven techniques with results that far
outshine those of the dot-com–era days of foosball tables and fish tanks.
Decide
where improvisation is most appropriate.
I also
spoke with Jake Hawkes, the current proprietor of family-owned Hawkes Wines in
California’s Alexander Valley. Like every good farmer, he acknowledges that
variables such as the weather are critical yet completely outside of his
control. “My job as winemaker requires constant improvisation and creative
problem solving to turn what we have into something we can sell,” he said. And
it isn’t just the grapes — success requires navigating the interdependent
functions of farming, winemaking, and marketing, all areas in which creativity
has different meanings.
He explained a creativity-driven choice for
differentiation he has made: While some vineyards strive for year-over-year
consistency to build brand loyalty, he has embraced “vintage variability,” in
which each year’s production is a distinctive reflection of “time, climate, and
place.” His informative, humorous, and often irreverent notes that accompany wine
club shipments are one way that he cultivates an appreciation of that
variability among his customers.
In some instances, there will be variables
that are beyond a leader’s control. In Hawkes’s case, it is the weather.
Elsewhere, it may be budget, or the software or hardware on hand. Allow these
limitations to spark creativity and improvisation elsewhere. When one mechanism
is sticky, perhaps another can be oiled with some unexpected thinking.
Dwell
on the question, not the answer — and give it time to emerge.
Creativity
coach Julie Daley told me that new ideas can’t be forced. “Everyone is
creative,” she said. “It is our nature. We are educated out of it. Creativity
is not artistic ability. Creativity can be seen as an adventure. We are wired
for adventure — part of us still wants that.” She advised taking your ego
out of the outcome. “The more personally invested you are in the solution, the
less possibility you will see.”
She advised dwelling on the question
— the unknown — and not investing in an answer too quickly. “When you
get adamant about outcomes, you exit creativity,” she said. Leave time for
incubation. “You have to step away from the problem for a bit. That’s often
when the ‘aha’ moment comes.”
The increasing importance of creativity at
work has the potential to make many roles more interesting and rewarding
— if we’re both creative and smart in how we approach them. For leaders,
the job is to frame the challenge appropriately, ensure clarity of the
governing principles, create fertile conditions, and then have the wisdom to
step back to let people contribute.
Eric J. McNulty
https://www.strategy-business.com/blog/How-to-Spark-Next-Gen-Creativity?gko=4810f&utm_source=itw&utm_medium=20171116&utm_campaign=resp
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