Bias Against Creativity

It is typical that in creative environments spontaneous idea generation gets in the way of following through on any particular idea. The wise creative leader understands that idea generation is a wild animal that requires a stolid trainer to tame excitement with a healthy dose of skepticism. You need to say “no” more than you say “yes,” and you nee

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Creativity is scarce because of censorship. Not in the usual sense of that word—the cops closing down a strip show, or some government official collecting and burning politically offensive books—but rather in the sense of “discouragement,” of telling those who have creative ideas that the ideas aren’t really interesting, that they aren’t sensible, ... See more

"Each year, Steve Jobs would hold an annual meeting with the 100 most important people at Apple.

Crucially, these were not the top 100 executives, but rather the 100 people who were most important to the company that year. Jobs personally chose attendees based on their direct contribution, creativity, vision, and impact within the company, regardle... See more

In the face of this, organizations can become overly narrow, unable to look at the broader landscape of ideas or simply engage in a sense of play. Therefore, there is a need for organizations to create a space for more undirectedness, which involves thinking along longer time horizons and creating room for randomness and optionality.