Unlocking Creativity: How to Solve Any Problem and Make the Best Decisions by Shifting Creative Mindsets

Description

Tear down the obstacles to creative innovation in your organization Unlocking Creativity is an exploration of the creative process and how organizations can clear the way for innovation. In many organizations, creative individuals face stubborn resistance to new ideas. Managers and executives oftentimes reject innovation and unconventional approaches due to misplaced allegiance to the status quo. Questioning established practices or challenging prevailing sentiments is frequently met with stiff resistance. In this climate of stifled creativity and inflexible adherence to conventional wisdom, potentially game-changing ideas are dismissed outright. Senior leaders claim to value creativity, yet often lack the knowledge to provide a creative framework. Unlocking Creativity offers effective methods and real-world examples of how the most successful organizations create cultures of innovation and experimentation. Best-selling author and scholar Michael Roberto presents a thorough investigation of organizational obstacles to creative thought. Highly relevant to the growth crises many enterprises face in today’s economic landscape, this book examines how to break barriers to spark creativity and foster new ideas. This insightful and informative work allows business executives, senior managers, and organization leaders to: Recognize the six organizational mindsets that impede creativity and innovationLearn how to tear down the barriers that obstruct the creative processCreate an environment that allows talented people to thriveEncourage creative collaboration in teams throughout an organization Leaders do not have to conceive innovative ideas, but rather open the path for curious and creative employees within their organization. Unlocking Creativity: How to Solve Any Problem and Make the Best Decisions aids organizations in removing obstacles to the creative process and helps to form an atmosphere of imagination and innovation. Cover Title Page Copyright Contents Preface Endnotes Chapter 1 The Resistance to New Ideas Closed-Minded Experts Double Talk on Creativity Creativity Bias The Dire Need for Creativity The Person versus the Situation The Six Mindsets Endnotes Chapter 2 The Linear Mindset Linear Thinking A Sanding Block, Deodorant Stick, and Butter Dish Design Thinking Flourishes Da Vinci: An Early Design Thinker Rough Sailing in Corporate Waters We Hate to Iterate Spaghetti and Marshmallows Endnotes Chapter 3 The Benchmarking Mindset Learning from the Best The Benchmarking Curse Dave Grohl's Inspiration Fixation and Water Jars Look to the Outside! Define Substitutes Broadly Taking the Leap Endnotes Chapter 4 The Prediction Mindset Nobody Knows Anything A Dart-Throwing Chimpanzee The Need for Control Moving the Needle Growth and Expectations in the Magic Kingdom Niche versus Blockbuster Time to Ripen Endnotes Chapter 5 The Structural Mindset Does Hierarchy Help or Hurt? The Obsession with Reorganizations Shaping Team Climate Establishing Ground Rules Designing the Work Stop Searching for a Panacea Endnotes Chapter 6 The Focus Mindset The War Room at Google Ventures The Dangers of Multitasking When the Tank Runs Dry Psychological Distance Social Distance Physical and Cultural Distance Temporal Distance Focus + Distance Endnotes Chapter 7 The Naysayer Mindset The Devil's Advocate Creativity Killer? Who Plays the Devil's Advocate? When Should We Play the Devil’s Advocate? How Should We Play the Devil’s Advocate? Do You Create Anything? Endnotes Chapter 8 Leader as Teacher Stirring the Brain Encourage Questions Let Them Answer Share Failure Stories Celebrate Mistakes Empathize Genuinely Make Them Believe Introduce Novelty The Leader's Greatest Reward Endnotes Resources Case Studies Simulations Toolkits and Handbooks Articles TED Talks Acknowledgments About the Author Index EULA