CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, July 10, 2018

There Is Creative Conflict And Then There Is Creating Conflict

Butts In the Seats: Last Monday I wrote about how intrinsic motivation can often be more effective than external motivators like rewards and punishments, but suggested non-profit workers not allow people to use that finding to insist they will be more productive if they are poorly paid.

1 comment:

Nathaniel Crain said...

I feel as though this concept of creating conflict and using conflict to generate creation is a truly fascinating idea but the cons can quickly outweigh the pros. Many of the requirements for creating a group that safely uses conflict to generate creation are subjective and don't have a way to truly measure the true safety that is assured to the individuals participating in the group. For instance, you need to find a group that has the right combination of personalities that settles in comfortably with one another, but filling a group with leaders and followers is not psychologically safe. By creating a group that uses conflict to generate creation, you risk damaging the pysche of members who's ideas are consistently trod upon by the group and who's artistic vision is consistently left unrealized. People may insist that they are fine and that everything is okay, however consistent negation of ideas damages the morale of an individual and can even lead to periods of depression. I thought this article was interesting in discussing the pros and cons of conflict causing creation, but I feel like it does not appropriately address the failings of such a system.