Saturday, August 29, 2009
Ten Great Ways to Crush Creativity
Stepcase Lifehack: "Leaders have more power than they realize. They can patiently create a climate of creativity or they can crush it in a series of subtle comments and gestures. Their actions send powerful signals. Their responses to suggestions and ideas are deciphered by staff as encouragement or rejection. If you want to crush creativity in your organization and eliminate all the unnecessary bother of innovation then here are ten steps that are guaranteed to succeed."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
13 comments:
I loved the bitingly sarcastic tone in this article--clearly the author had fun getting his point across, and very efficiently, at that. While I agree with most of what this article says, I also believe that criticism (#1 on the list of ways to quash creativity) is a necessary part of the creative process. Maybe not right out of the gate, but at some point down the line, we all NEED criticism and critiques. Others can often see our work from a better perspective, and are more willing to point out flaws.
I agree with Annie, I love the sarcastic tone of the article. But I also disagree with a few comments in the article. I understand that if one is constantly shooting down the ideas of others, people are going to be resistant to come up with new and interesting ideas. At the same time, I believe if you want to get the most out of your ideas, you need to have someone test them, to see if they can really stand up outside of your head. I also think that efficiency is very important for the creative process. Sometimes people thrive off the pressure of having a time crunch, and yet, sometimes it can be stifling. If one is not efficient in their creativity, they won't get anything done, they will just bop from idea to idea, rather than fleshing out an entire project.
What really scares me some is that someone out there is going to read this and use these easy steps as exact instructions on crushing someones creativity. I get that this entire thing is meant to be sarcastic and informative as something not to do, but I'm willing to bet that it'd work in reverse just as well, if not better then if used how it's intended to be used.
This is a list that every one should do the opposite to. i think that we should make creativity some thing that is encourage creativity in every thing. this is just a very funny article to read and i think a lot of the things would not work that he suggested.
I think that this is an awesome article. Agreeing with Annie and Liz, I love the sarcastic tone. I think that it makes it much more effective in the way that it was written. There is article after article out there on tips of how to inspire creativity, but most of those are overlooked because they all state the same thing. I think that the style this article was written in makes it much more likely to stand out and grab the readers attention. I also think it's really funny how some people who have posted on the the webpage the article came from seem to think that this really is a "how-to" guide, instead of a "what-not-to-do" guide.
Creativity is how people come up with new solutions to problems. To crush creativity is literally halting our progress forward, because we then refuse to use our minds to explore new techniques that might make projects more efficient.
I agree with annie. Critcizing is one of the most important things. Being told that this won't work or that is dumb, allows one to go back and look at things from a new perspective and come up with a better idea. If you don't criticize when you create then you aren't being an artist, in my opinion, although you should be your greatest critic. It developes better people. art and impact.
Its difficult to comment on an article which already has so many things said about it. I agree with many of the statements posted above. I find it fascinating how when one reads this, at least when I did, its so obvious that is usually the wrong thing to do. I assumed that I would never do those things, people who would are closed minded. However, I think that most of us do these things often without even noticing it. Written here it is so black and white but in reality, acting on it isn't so simple. Its important to be aware of these things otherwise you can easily be the person that would be ignorant enough to follow these instructions.
This article is everything theater is not about. Creativity is the basis for everything we do. From the actor to the stage manager, everyone has many creative aspects that drive their job. This article does a great job at pointing out ways to be creative and how creativity needs to flow from the individual. Many of the skills necessary to having a great show come from these core concepts of creativity.
I really enjoyed this article particularly because it applies so much to the way that creative firms in the world today are trying to recreate and make over their previously hierarchical way of functioning between employees. as of recently so many design and advertising firms are trying to implement a system in the work place that promotes creativity and productivity in every single employee and creative mind and I think that's so much more effective, especially as a undergrad student, i would hope that when I apply to work at an entry level internship this year, my opinions aren't disregarded but encouraged and that more organizations try to promote creativity in the workplace
I agree with Liz that disagreeing with someone else's ideas is not a way to crush creativity but rather a way to create a dialogue between two people. Ken Robinson on the website TED.com recently did an interesting lecture on childhood education and creativity. The conclusion I came to after watching his piece was that we should foster eachothers disagreements and embrace that everyone is different and has different opinions. A child that cannot sit still in class can be labeled ADD and placed on medication by one person or sent to dance class by another.
At least a couple of people commenting on this article didn't get the sarcasm.
I also have to disagree with annie and Bryce. there's a distinct difference between criticism and helpful input. Especially in a work environment. Criticism says "This is wrong." Helpful input says "I'm not sure this is right. Have you tried this?" Criticism kills morale and tells you your work is wrong, but offers nothing in return.
While I understand that in most of the cases that are brought up in this article it might be necessary ti achieve a balance, I find myself agreeing with most of what is suggested. Most notably with the first bit about criticism. I do find that sometimes when we are under pressure we sometimes forget that others doing worse does not make our own work better. I have been a part of many a class where it feel like the criticism is not used as a tool intended to help the person being criticized, but rather one used to make the person criticizing stand out. This, I have realized is incredibly harmful for both parties. The person who is hoping for feedback gets nothing useful and becomes resentful when they realize what the other person is doing. the other person is disliked and in turn also begins to receive negative criticism and the environment of the class as a whole becomes very negative.
Post a Comment