Creativity & Innovation

If you want to challenge complacency in an organisation, you need to make a strong case with strong ideas. Simply claiming that 'things could be better' is too vague.

To kick of 2010, Jurgen ponders a better way to deal with email, suggests a totally contrarian time management system, takes some ideas from the Wizard of Oz and offers some thoughts on how to loose weight more effectively.

We all want to work in a gratifying and stimulating environment – one that brings out the best in us and our colleagues. But how do you cultivate such a work environment? The place to start is by building a creative workforce.

Original thinkers ought to have the courage to pursue ideas on their own - even when those around them are negative. But there are some situations where groups can be helpful in coming up with ideas to improve the way a business operates.

As we approach the end of the year, Jurgen has an unusual tip about how to be more creative, some advice for creating your own luck, an alternative use for a rubber band and a strategy for creating subliminal productivity.

I'm often appalled at the physical spaces and meeting formats in which people are meant to open their minds, solve problems and inspire progress. Desks are for filling in forms and filing papers – not for creating, thinking, making, learning, or collaborating.

Costas Markides of London Business School talks to Stuart Crainer about disruptive innovation, innovative change and how the goal of a business ought to be to produce something of value to society – not to maximise shareholder value.

More information does not in itself produce new ideas. Neither does more analysis or more logic. That's why there is a real need to develop the skill of creative thinking.

This month, Jurgen explores the benefits of being grumpy, how to embrace your versatility, the small differences that can make all the difference and one of the key secrets to better time management.

There is a mistaken belief that there should be no restrictions or barriers around creativity. But in reality, creativity is easier if there is some structure. The introduction of focus actually enhances the process.

It's easy to think that something is so simple that you couldn't improve it or so low-tech your intellect would be wasted even thinking about it. But you'd be wrong. Because anything that is invented can - and often should - be reinvented.

All of us face the same pressure not to rock the boat and not to do anything too strange. But it's the people with crazy ideas who dare to follow their weird and wonderful instincts who can change the world in tiny as well as large ways.

When things are going smoothly and there are no problems, people are fooled into believing there is no need to think. So they are lulled into a state of complacency – and continuity does not produce new ideas.

It is incredibly frustrating to have an idea for how to improve a business only to see it get rejected out of hand. But resistance to new ideas is normal. To get your ideas accepted, you need to understand the four stage of resistance and how to deal with each of them.

This is traditionally the time of the year to harvest what was planted earlier in the year. So if you've been having loads of ideas and maybe started some projects, this is a good time to take action!

For most aspects of life, judgment is crucial and extremely useful. But judgment on its own isn't enough. Rather than accepting or rejecting an idea, you need look at business ideas in order to 'see where you can move to'.

There are many myths about creativity. A major one is that creativity is a mysterious talent that some people have and others can only envy. But anyone can learn and practise the thinking skill of creativity.

The current decade's big idea in business strategy is 'open innovation'. Enlightened companies are actively seeking innovatory ideas wherever they can be found.

The whole purpose of lateral thinking is to allow us to cut across patterns and to find new ideas. As with all creativity, the ideas must be valuable and logical in hindsight.

This month, the wrong name game, the power of the strange, starting with this weakest link and something new to try the next time somebody annoys you.

Almost every car on the planet will eventually be electrified. But new types of car will require new styles of manager, too. So are there any Americans out there who can rise to the challenge?

The usual way to bring about chnage is to prove that something is wrong or inadequate and needs altering. But if something is already adequate, a new idea is unlikely to be adopted, however much better it is.

It is the most innovative and creative workers who will get us out of the recession. But they're also the ones most likely to jump at the chance of redundancy or a challenge elsewhere.

This month, some thoughts about overcoming creative blocks and why thinking big and overturning some basic givens can be personally and professionally empowering

Innovation promises benefits without all of the costs. The aim is to have your cake and eat it – to deliver two benefits that contradict each other. But to come up with things that do this, you need to learn to think better.

Innovation promises benefits without all of the costs. The aim is to have your cake and eat it – to deliver two benefits that contradict each other. But to come up with things that do this, you need to learn to think better.

Language is OK at describing new things - a helicopter, television or computer - but less good at describing new types of mental behaviour. So perhaps we need to invent a new word to describe certain types of mental activity.

This month, some thoughts about questions and how they affect our mood, the importance of interacting with other people, the nature of creativity and how even the most unlikely and poorly-received idea can still prove to be a winner.

Most innovation is quick-and-dirty. And that's particularly true in a recession when people try to do more with less, to invent rather than buy and experiment rather than live with the status-quo. So rather than dismiss them, pay attention to quick fixes.

In a business, who should be on the lookout for 'concepts'? Concepts can occur to anyone at any time, so the answer is that it is everybody's business to look for new concepts.

With spring is in the air (in Europe, at least), some thoughts on time travel, the roots of creativity, multi-tasking, the importance of water and the power of surprise.

A strange phenomenon has arisen as a result of the recession. Because it's the most successful companies which seem to be the ones needing to make the most radical changes in their thinking in order to weather the storm.

As we huddle near the fire for the last weeks of winter (he said, optimistically), it's a good time for reading, thinking, and looking ahead to projects we'll be launching in the Spring. Here are some items that may inspire you.

At an early stage, creative people can sense the 'smell' of a new idea. They are then sufficiently motivated to pursue and develop that creative thought. But how do they do it?

It doesn't matter what the economic conditions are, better thinking is never a luxury. And now, when times are hard, better thinking – which must must include creativity - is an absolute necessity.

The financial crisis and the ever-increasing rate of unemployment highlights the need to foster creativity and innovation. But before you expect employees to be innovative, managers have develop their own creative mindsets.

As recent events have demonstrated, waves are bigger than any individual, company, or nation. To survive them, you need to learn to read the signs and then ride the surf all the way to shore.

Even when you're doing a job by yourself, who you put in charge - or rather, which one of your sub-personalities takes the lead - may be the key to how well it gets done.

Would a peek into the future help you in your business or personal life? Could streetcombing improve your creativity? Have you ever thought about keepoing a joy journal?

Looking at similarity, difference and contrast in business ideas is a worthwhile exercise because all three can be used to boost the creative thinking process.

Here's some thought-provoking stuff from Dawna Jones, our Evolutionary Provocateur Podcaster. In this video, she develops some ideas that Max McKeown discussed recently about using the crisis to ramp up innovation. But as Dawna explains, this isn't always an easy thing to do.

Every now and then there will be a crisis. Look around and you might even conclude that there is always a crisis. Crises force a choice between inertia and innovation. So when faced with one, ask: How can we use this crisis to make thing better?

Even more so than normal, tough times call for creative solutions. This means more than just problem solving; the skill of creative thinking is one that can – and should - be learnt.

The best way to deal with a recession is not to hide until the storm has passed, it's to innovate your way out of it. If you sit still, you'll get left behind. While your competitors are full of uncertainty and doubt, you can introduce innovations that others cannot easily imitate.

This month, some questions that you might find tough to answer. Such as - what in your life would benefit from some urgent patience? What is your weakest link? Are you a contrarian? Read on to see how you can benefit from knowing the answers.

Seeking better, simpler, faster or cheaper ways to do something should be everyone's business all the time. That includes all the heads of departments and divisions, whatever their function.

Edward de Bono explains how our very practical obsession with truth makes us anxious to pick on one perception and ignore others, and why that needs to change through creativity

Just as summer is as much a state of mind as it is a state of the weather, our state of mind can affect us in a whole host of others ways, too – some of which you might find surprising.

Many managers are reluctant to try out new ideas because, if an idea fails, it is seen as their failure. So perhaps companies need a 'new ideas officer' to encourage, develop and protect new thinking.

If you find that your decision-making is sometimes short-sighted, here are some ways to improve your long view as well as helping you to get more done and achieve your goals.

We're always told to think outside the box, but often we're not thinking far enough out of it. Here are some ideas to help you expanding the boundaries of what you will allow yourself to think.

Many people regard all thinking as problem-solving. It isn't. Powerful, useful new ideas can equally emerge when no obvious problem is apparent. That's what creative thinking is all about.

People who are very creative usually achieve more by themselves than in a group. For others, the opposite is true and they find it very hard to think on their own. But with the right tools, both groups can be helped to improve their thinking skills.

What's your Dramatic Difference? What sets you apart from the rest? Don't have one? Well get working on it and raise that bar. Because the chances of achieving success simply by being the same as everyone else are reducing rapidly

Big companies want big products. They want big ideas. They place big bets on a big future. But what they're doing is putting all their eggs in one big basket. Or worse – putting all their faith in just one egg.

Creativity is not just for people with a creative temperament. Lateral thinking and its formal techniques can be learned and used deliberately by everyone.

With business increasingly knowledge-based and 24/7, creativity and communication will be the key skills for the future. Shame no one told the U.S. education system.

Des Dearlove talks to psychologist Howard Gardner about the qualities of thinking that will allow people to survive and prosper in the 21st century, both in work and life generally.

As the old cliché goes, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". But just because something isn't broken doesn't mean it can't be improved upon. Remember, not all thinking is about problem-solving.

Some ideas around attitude, language and activity that I hope will make these late winter days a bit less grey and boost your creativity and thinking powers.