Why are some people more creative and inventive than others

by
Book Review: Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Invention by Dr Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi PhD  (link)
pp. 372.
I wanted to get a sense why some people are more creative and inventive than others.
Fortunately, there is a study of 91 of some of the most creative and inventive scientists, writers, business leaders etc.
Csikszentmihalyi and his team interviewed them. The list is here.
If this group of exceptional people had a secret set of tips and techniques that mere mortals, like myself, and others could use, we could all be more creative and inventive.
The secrets to their success
What is interesting is that this group of exceptionally creative and inventive men and women gave similar answers on why they had achieved so much.

Here are the ones that struck me:

  1. Deep expertise.
  2. Focus – deep concentration.
  3. Few to no distractions.
  4. Few or no internal meetings (Peter Drucker).
  5. Working in a quiet space or the library.
  6. Constant focus on one project.
  7. A network of colleagues of deep experts to gain insights from.
  8. Nap time.
  9. Nature walks.
  10. Breaks.
  11. Lightbulb moments come after years of hard work.
  12. Discovery is not planned and often accidental.
  13. Enjoy the process of discovery for its own sake.
  14. Think on paper.
  15. Partner who blocks distractions.
  16. Draw on other areas.
  17. Luck: Right time, right place.
Lessons Learned
I’d like to draw out four points. I quote or paraphrase the author.
1. Deep Expertise is a necessary high bar.
‘You need to learn the rules of the domain – therefore , it is astounding how few of us bother to invest enough mental energy to learn the rules of even one of these domains’
‘To have any effect:
  • The idea must be couched in terms that are understandable to others
  • it must past pass muster with the experts in the field
  • included in the cultural domain to which it belong’
‘You cannot transform a domain unless you first thoroughly understand how it works. Which means that one has to acquire the tools of [domain], learn the basic principles of the [domain] and become aware of the current state of knowledge.
The old Italian saying seems to apply: learn the craft, then set it aside. One cannot be creative without learning what others know, but then one cannot be creative without becoming dissatisfied with that knowledge or rejecting it (or some of it) for a better way (p.90).’
2. Attention is Limited
‘Attention is a limited resource. There is only so much (limited) information we can process at any one time.’
3. The 5 Stage Creative Process
‘Immersed in the field. Know and have direct access to leading experts.
Stages:
  1. 6 month of  directed hard preparation.
  2. 2 weeks holiday relaxing. Give ideas from the last 6 months to incubate, to sort out and shake together.
  3. A sudden insight that occurs unbidden during a moment of relexation – walking in the park, in the shower, on the night bus
  4. 6 months hard work evalautiong and elaborating the insight.
  5. Idea accepted by peer – often via publication in a peer reviewed journal
And, then only then, can the new idea be added to the domain (p. 83 (Freeman Dyson)’
4. How to predict which company will be more creative/inventive
1 & 2 are assumed to be equal.
  1. R&D spend.
  2. Creative potential  of researchers.
  3. Which company has the more detailed data about their [domain].
  4. Where are the data better organised.
  5. Which company puts more emphasis in its culture on research, relative to other areas such as production and marketing.
  6. Where does [domain] knowledge earn more respect
  7. Which company disseminates knowledge better among its staff.
  8. Where is it easier to test a hypothesis.
The company where knowledge is better structures, more central, more accessible, is likely to be the one where- other things still being equal – where the creative innovations are doing to happen’.
How can you apply this
Drawing on the study’s insights and interviews from CEOs in the FT/Fortune etc, the following are common examples of why innovation & creativity may not thrive in an organisation:
  1. Culture with a disdain for knowledge and expertise.
  2. Working on too many different things.
  3. 6 monthly company re-organisations/re-structuring.
  4. Venture capital splitting up company.
  5. Open office plan without library rules.
  6. Unfocused internal meetings.
  7. Short term return on projects.
  8. Low R&D spend or coating compliance as R&D.
  9. Projects being cut/dropped ad hoc/ whim of latest winds.
  10. Bureaucratic decision making/
  11. Clunky knowledge management/sharing.