What do creativity managers do? Replace the word management with the word optimisation. That's what creativity managers do: they optimise the quality of the idea pool (creativity) and the implementation process (innovation). There are many methods of optimisation and the creativity leader must be aware of all of them, in other words, he or she must synthesise them for optimal effect. Areas [within creativity] that need managing include motivation, organisational culture, organisational structure, incremental versus radical effects and processes, knowledge mix, group structures, goals, process and valuation. Areas [within innovation] that need managing include idea selection, development / prototyping and the art of commercialisation. It is worth noting that 4000 good ideas result in 4 development programs, which in turn results in 1 winner. The value of Frameworks Creativity and Innovation Management are complex. There is no doubt about it, and the untold number of myths floating around exacerbates this complexity. The only way to develop a sound holistic understanding is to create a framework. With a good framework, you should be able to easily place, like pieces of lego, anything you come up against, onto the framework. That provides context and is great for Q&A sessions. There are at least twelve core elements to the framework, including organizational culture, organizational structure, radical versus incremental productivity and so on. I recently had a question about the aesthetic environment and its impact on creative output. We got talking about the meaning and impact of colors. Now that's not something I am an expert in I can only vaguely tell you what effect yellow may have - but I just slotted it onto the framework: on the organizational culture and process (stimuli) slots and it all fit together perfectly. It's actually great when you come up against something you cant place, because that may mean that you have a whole new branch to add onto the framework, which only helps to complete the picture. Learn more Download the MBA research, learn about this topic at http://www.creativity-management.com/ You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site. Kal Bishop, MBA ********************************** You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author's name is retained and the link to our site URL remains active. |
