Creativity and Innovation

1. What are your personal experiences with individual creativity?  Have you had times when you felt especially creative or, even, especially uncreative?

I feel most creative when the following conditions are met:

• I have a deep understanding of the problem statement and/or experience working in the applicable context/environment (some exceptions resulting from insights derived from lack of expertise, but cross-functional application to particular solutions)
• I employ a genuine interest in the topic or category as it translates directly to my investment in the pursuit of creative solutions
• I am working with a cross-functional team that is able to draw on diverse backgrounds and expertise
• There exists an environment of safety i.e. iteration and change are not just accepted, but encouraged
  • IDEO philosophy of deferring judgement and going for quantity
  • Osborn’s cardinal rule – censor criticism and encourage “freewheeling brainstorming”

I feel least creative when the following conditions are met:

• I am working individually
• Strict time constraints exist
• The environment is not “safe” (see notes above for ideal state)

2. What are your personal experiences with organizational creativity?  Have you worked at companies that felt or behaved in ways that made them more creative or, even, especially uncreative?

Having worked at Deloitte Consulting for 4+ years, it is evident the emphasis on creativity and creative development processes varied across offering portfolios within the organization. There are a number of offerings that necessitate a more deliberate use of creativity (e.g., Deloitte Greenhouse). However, it’s worth mentioning all roles at Deloitte leveraged creative problem solving to bring our client’s visions and strategies to life.

How Deloitte is fostering creativity in a historically rigid industry:

• Launch of Deloitte Digital, Deloitte’s creative digital consultancy: Focused on transforming the digital journey, Deloitte Digital combines the creative and digital capabilities of their studios and the broad reach of an advertising agency with the technical expertise, deep business strategy and relationships of one of the world’s largest consultancies to support the growth and success of organizations around the globe.

• Acquisition of creative agencies to strengthen internal creative capabilities and external service offerings: In 2016, Deloitte announced its acquisition of Heat, San Francisco-based advertising agency. The union would kick-start Deloitte’s commitment to transformation and delivery of creative client solutions within the broader Deloitte Digital portfolio. August 2017 marked the announcement of Acne, an award-winning European creative agency offering creative, strategic, digital and other services to clients, particularly in the lifestyle and luxury retail sectors.

• Opening of Deloitte Greenhouses as a resource for executives and teams aimed at solving their biggest organizational challenges: An innovative environment that changes the way Deloitte clients solve business challenges. By taking participants outside of their everyday environments, Greenhouse sessions disrupt conventional thinking, spur creativity, bring about new perspectives, and lead to tangible solutions.

3. Do you think you, as an individual, are even capable of being creative by yourself?  And, better yet, do you think a group within an organization is capable of being creative?

This harkens back to my response to question one above. I feel most creative when I am working with a group comprised of diverse sets of experiences, skills and expertise. Drawing on unique insights that challenge preconceived notions of an industry or problem are vital for fostering creativity.

The 2012 New Yorker article references Alex Osborn’s most celebrated idea, “How to Organize a Squad to Create Ideas.” The role of brainstorming is a divergent activity that increases in value with the proliferation of ideas. Contrary to Osborn’s assertions, research and studies indicate working with others as a part of the brainstorming phase limits resulting consideration sets and ultimately the likelihood of identifying optimal solutions for solving challenging problems. With that said, I’ve found success phasing brainstorming sessions – first allowing individuals to brainstorm independently followed by a group session. Doing so seems to minimize the effects of Groupthink through this critical phase of creative development.

4. What do you think about the idea of different creative types of problems and, thus, different creative processes?  Should we trust ourselves just to know or sense when we need one type of approach versus another?

Creative processes and frameworks exist to aid in the identification and solutioning of creative problems. Using them as a resource can most certainly be helpful, but should be used with precaution. The processes and frameworks are not intended to be one-size-fits-all. Teams should encourage flexibility, not adherence as they approach problems and look for creative solutions. One of the most important tenets of the creative process is exploring the unknown and boxing teams into a predetermined framework or process can have an adverse effect on creativity. We should trust those with experience in creative solutioning most when determining the optimal approach.