The creative individual in the knowledge-based society

V i e n n a, October 19th S c h ö n b r u n n pa l a c e c o n f e r e n c e c e n t r e

Developing the creative individual

in the knowledge-based society

Developing the creative individual in the knowledge

based society

Tudor Rickards

Working definitions

Creativity: The process which generates new andvaluable ideas

Innovation: The process which brings aboutchange through ‘original thinking applied’

Benign Structures: Procedures through which individuals and teams achieve valued improvements in creative performance

Theories have privileged the individual

Insight theories Self-actualization Transcendence Cognitive reframingEvolutionary psychologyInformation processingProblem-solvingExperiential learningIntrinsic motivation…

An Early View of Creativity

Early mythologies assumed creativity was a gift to ‘chosen ones’, to celebrate the ultimate creator of the Universe

“The Eureka Moment”

A long-held theory of insight

The Creative Individual

Mme Curie

Steve Jobs

Mozart

Schrödinger

Modernity forced creativityinto new responses

“Painting is washed up. Who will ever do anything better than that propeller?”

Marcel du Champs [at an early exhibition of aviationTechnology]

By the 20th Century ..

Alex Osborn(Brainstorming)

EdwardDe Bono(LateralThinking)

GenrichAltshuller(TRIZ)

Fritz Zwicky(MorphologicalAnalysis)

…systems were beingdeveloped for stimulating creativity

“Als Kreativitätstechnik ist ein Satz von Denk- und Verhaltensregeln für eine Gruppe oder ein Individuum zu verstehen, die in ihrer Gesamtwirkung das Entstehen von Ideen Begünstigen”

Quelle: Geschka (Kreativitätstechniken, 2002).

The structures became known as creativity techniques

Leadership for Creativity:The MBS studies (1980s-2000s)

MBA project team studies (1980s-2000)

Longitudinal studies (1999 - )

Leadership data base (2006 -)

Manchester Business School (West)

Project Team Leadership and The Manchester Method

The Project Team studies at MBSwere part of an educational innovation known as The Manchester Method

MBA teams ‘learn while doing’business projects’

Team tutors began to recognise consistent patterns of success and failure

Three Kinds of Team?

A small proportion of teams struggle (‘Teams from Hell’)

The majority of the teams achieve the goals set them(‘Standard Teams’)

Another minority perform beyond expectations(‘Dream Teams’)

?

A Theory of Creative Leadership Emerged

It proposed two barriers to team success

Leaders who created new and benign structures for action and change

Seven team factors associatedwith team success

Creative leaders release creativity in self and others

The leader’s secret weapon is the application of personal creativity directed towards releasing more creativity in others

Leader Creativity

Creativity

Benignstructures

Creativity

Creativity

Creativity

Creativity

TeamFactors

How the Two-barrier ProposalModifies Team Development

Theory

Form

Storm

Norm and Perform

Outperform

Dysfunctionalteams

Standardteams

Outstandingteams

Weak behaviouralbarrier

Strong performancebarrier

The role of Benign Structures in Creative Leadership

Creative leaders help reconfigure the structures under which team members operate.

Team-building structures overcome inter-personal barriers and establish team norms

In a ‘dream team’, leadership provides benign structures which transcendestablished norms

More about Benign Structures

MBS project leaders introduced benign structures based on lateral thinking approaches, versions of brainstorming, mindmapping and ‘Yes and’ invitations (encouragement of positivity)

More research is required on benign structures in other kinds of situations and teams

The Seven Team FactorsInfluenced by Creative Leadership

CreativeLeadership

Platform of understanding

Vision

Climate

Idea Ownership

Resilience

Network activators

Experientiallearning

Creativity in the Knowledge Society

Great changes are emerging

Velocity of changeAmbiguities of workNetworksCo-creativityNew Business modelsSocial media

The Creative Organization

HEALTH WARNING

The creativeorganization isunder-researchedterritory

ConclusionsCreativity and Innovation are closely linked

Individuals can set up benign structures To achieve unexpectedly creative results

Co-creation will become more important

Creative organizations embed creative teams and individuals within wider social networks