The Point of Creativity
What is creativity's place in business? How we misunderstand it and what really is the point of it.
What is the point of creativity? Too often is creativity packaged and sold in postmodern gift boxes without any context.
Why would we want to be more creative? Why work so hard at creating the right atmosphere and support infrastructure for creativity? Why wake up and blast your face with the morning sunlight? Why get high? Or play LoFi playlists on your favourite music streaming service? Abusing creativity to generate bottom-line dollars.
Where creativity is the right tool in the box What then is the point of creativity in a business context? When is creativity the tool in the box? We must first accept that creativity is a very human construct to answer this.
In the former, I see telltale signs of creativity choked through without context such that the outcome isn't creative anymore but a desperate attempt to look different at any cost.
So the question we have to ask ourselves in business is this: Why be creative? Is it a buzzword we have forgotten the true meaning of? Are we confusing creativity with tactical outcomes from analytical thinking? Is your business in it for the short-term gratification, or are you here to create a legacy formed on top of generating human value?
Further on this week’s subject
The Importance of creativity in business | Harvard Business School
Reigniting creativity in business | TED talk by Alan Iny
How to manage for collective creativity | TED talk by Linda Hill
Recommended reading for the weekend
This week, the Weekend Courier recommends stories on how a progressive company lost its way, a secret code to selling just about anything thoughts on how the business of influencing is anything but frivolous.
What happened to Starbucks?
Starbucks’s app has made the coffee giant healthier financially, but at a cost to its culture, cafés, and even its brand identity. Read more on FastCompany
The Four-Letter Code to Selling Just About Anything
What makes things cool? Why do people like what they like? It is one of the oldest questions of philosophy and aesthetics. Read more on The Atlantic
The business of influencing is not frivolous. It’s serious.
Brands used to speak in monologues. Now, the buyers are talking back. Read more on The Economist
That’s all for this weekend. Have a read, slow down a little and go make a difference.