SMST120A06 Wk3 Lec3: Imagination and diversity

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SMST120A-06 Wk3 Lec3 Imagination and diversity

• Revision
• Explored ideas of what creativity CIs are
• Looked at TNC exhibition read catalogue for
  ideas
• Illustrated how humans are born with creative DNA
  rewired misconceptions of creativity as special
  and restricted to unique individuals
• Introduced mind mapping and MindManager

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Preview

• Linking creativity diversity
• Through Renaissance intersections
• Examining lessons from Johans
• Through Clegg Birchs imagination mapping

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Learning from Renaissance Johannsons
intersections

• Revisit Renaissance as earlier example of what
  might be called creative industries/business
• Identify key aspects of that period
• Draw parallels with the present
• Look at lessons and examples from Johansson

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Renaissance as intersection (1) After
the middle ages

• Rebirth from a world lit only by fire, nasty,
  brutish, and short with an average life
  expectancy of about 27 years
• End of centuries of serfdom superstition
• Life on earth counts as well as heaven
• Open to idea of human potential, genius, ability
  to remake world for humans
• Literally reborn into the world and at a
  transforming time

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Renaissance as intersection (2) Discoveries
globalisation

• Origins of knowledge society in inventions
  pencil, inexpensive paper, and printing press
• Knowledge could be recorded transmitted across
  generations available to many citizens
• The astrolobe, magnetic compass, large sailing
  ships
• End of flat earthers new ideas cultures
• Early globalisation and movements to democracy
• Long-range cannon hi-tech business/war

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Renaissance as intersection (3) Discoveries and
worldly goods

• Artists, intellectuals, merchants, politicians,
  scientists entered an intersection
• Converged in creative explosions in art,
  business, culture, science, and technology
• Market values A painters reputation rested on
  his sic ability to arouse commercial interest
  in his works of art, not on some intrinsic
  criteria of intellectual worth (Lisa Jardine in
  Worldly Goods A New History of the Renaissance).

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Renaissance as intersection (4) Parallels and
promos

• Contemporary parallels the national boundaries
  between politics, culture, technology, finance,
  national security and ecology are disappearing
  (Tom Friedman in The Lexus and the Olive Tree).
• Diversity in ideas and experiences breeds the
  remarkable fruit of invention. . . . Johansson
  has brought this simple notion to us in a way
  that is entertaining, informative and very
  valuable. Drop what you're doing and read it!
  (Dr. Gil Amelio, Former CEO, Apple Computers
  National Semiconductor)

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Intersection (1) Johanssons (2004) Medici
Effects lessons (121-142)

• Franz Johansson lives in New York as a
  consultant, entrepreneur, writer
  (www.themedicieffect.com)
• Focus on idea intersections and showing how to
• Break down associative barriers re-view
  problems
• Randomly, but purposefully, combine diverse
  concepts
• Walk away from familiar concepts go into
  unknown
• Execute beyond failures to make intersectional
  ideas happen

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Pre-corporate options Medici defined
good taste

• Wealthy Tuscany family in Florence who sponsored
  the artists and inventors after the middle ages.
• Michelangelo
• Raphael
• Leonardo Da Vinci
• Galileo
• Patronage nurturing creatives - innovation when
  adopted by group

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Check creative intersecting

• Design a slogan and a logo for SMST120A
• Form a group, share your ideas, then again design
  a SMST120A slogan logo
• Compare contrast the individual group efforts
• How did the group affect the outcome?
• Were there any interesting intersections and, if
  so, what were they?

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Communication barriers

• Defensive routines are thoughts and actions
  used to protect individuals, groups, and
  organizations usual way of dealing with reality
  (Argyris,
  1990)

Michelangelo.com Innovative Website Design
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Pre-corporate sponsors De Medici

•   The Medici were well-known for their
  personal as well as professional dalliances.
  Lorenzo's brother, Giuliano de Medici, famously
  impregnated his mistress before his brutal murder
  in 1478. Their child, Giulio de'Medici, was later
  crowned Pope Clement VII.Clement took a black
  slave girl as a mistress. Their child,
  Allessandro, became the first black head of state
  when he was made Duke of Florence in 1530. But he
  met a sticky end - stabbed to death by his own
  cousin after an argument over a woman.Pope Leo
  X had more exotic tastes. Famed for his
  extravagant lifestyle, he was entertained by
  young boys leaping naked from cakes. When the new
  Pope entered Florence in triumph, he had a young
  boy painted gold, from head to toe, who paraded
  through the streets. It was pure propaganda,
  implying the return of a golden age under the
  rule of the Medici.

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Intersection (2) Examples
from The Medici Effect

• Intersection with difference innovation
• E.g., Emotions of Shrek Steve Jobs on Pixar
  computer animation . . . . frees our animators
  from drawing so that they can concentrate on
  acting, breathing life into their characters as
  they move. This allows Pixar to hire animators
  who may or may not excel at drawing, but are
  brilliant actors. Our animators even take acting
  lessons.
• New 3D animation shows feelings as part of the
  third dimension rather than simple expressions
  and within a few years 2D cartoons were in
  trouble The Incredibles won a 2005 Oscar

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Intersection (2) Lessons from The Medici Effect
(continued)

• 2. Work with diverse groups of people
• The Enigma project. British WW2 codebreakers
  broke Germans code
• Cryptologists, codemakers and codebreakers,
  traditionally came from linguistics
• Enigma group contained mathematicians (including
  Alan Turing), scientists, chess grand masters,
  and crossword addicts.

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Intersection (3) Lessons from The Medici Effect
(continued)

• 3. Go intersection hunting
• E.g., Engineers wanted to remove ice from power
  lines safely and efficiently. When badly stuck
  they took a thought walk round their hotel. One
  came back with a jar of honey, another suggested
  putting honey on top of each pole and climbing
  bears would shake ice free. That vibration idea
  led to final solution of helicopters hovering
  over lines to shake ice free.

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Intersection (4) More
Medici Effect examples

• 3. Reverse assumptions
• A restaurant with no menu
• Chefs inform customer of that days ingredients
  they create meal from the ingredients the
  customer selects
• A restaurant which doesnt charge for food
• Café style venue where people meet to talk/work
  pay per hour they stay with some free low cost
  items
• A restaurant that doesnt serve food
• Unique décor in exotic environment. People bring
  their own picnics and pay a service charge for
  location/entertainment

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Intersection (5) More lessons from The Medici
Effect

• 4. Handle failure and dont avoid risk
• Some business guidelines
• Make sure people know that failure to carry out
  ideas is unacceptable
• Learn from past failures
• Be suspicious of people with low failure rates.
  They are probably not taking enough risks or
  hiding their failures and thus no one else is
  learning from them.
• Employ/cultivate people who have had intelligent
  failures

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Summary of Johannson

• Considered Renaissance as an earlier period of
  creative industries/business
• Identified key aspects of that period
• Drew parallels with the present
• Looked at lessons and examples from Johannson in
  readings and from elsewhere in his book
• Suggested that to get ahead you must take risks
  and accept some public failures

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Clegg Birchs Imagination Engineering (pp.
105-123)

• Brian Clegg Has Masters degrees in Natural
  Sciences and Operational Research
• Worked for British Airways (BA) and wrote
  creativity software for them
• Writes business books and columns for PC Week
  Personal Computer World
• Sings in several choirs
• Paul Birch
• Also worked for BA in Operational Research, IT,
  Marketing Finance, Strategy Corporate Jester.
  Now runs creativity consultancy

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Clegg Birch (1) Background

• Brian Clegg Has Masters degrees in Natural
  Sciences and Operational Research
• Worked for British Airways (BA) and wrote
  creativity software for them
• Writes business books and columns for PC Week
  Personal Computer World
• Sings in several choirs
• Paul Birch
• Also worked for BA in Operational Research, IT,
  Marketing Finance, Strategy Corporate Jester.
  Now runs creativity consultancy

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Clegg Birch (2) Imagination Engineering (pp.
105-123)

• Survey chap. in 120 reader 3 other stages
• Stage 1 Building (overcomes obstacles by)
• Tunnel (push through obstacles by, e.g.,
  challenging assumptions, reviewing facts,
  reversing relationships)
• Bridge (look at problems from a different
  direction, indulging in fantasy, seeing from
  someone elses eyes, applying a metaphor)
• By-pass (use a secondary destination to get
  around blockages, Tries random work or picture
  association)
• Finding new destination

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Clegg Birch (3) Stage 3 Waymarking

• When route is established we need to mark the
  way, refining and clarifying. Can generate extra
  building and may be public or private.
• Waymarking techniques
• Slip road slimming down possible solutions
• Washroom purely subjective judgment what do
  you feel about it?
• Viewpoints considering all stakeholders views
• Signposts looking at everything that is good
  and achievements to date
• Hazard markers Looking at possible snags/risks
  and how to get round them/minimise them

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Clegg Birch (4) Stage 4 Navigating

• Having established practicality now execute.
  Different approaches for different journeys
• Highway Obvious path and no need for detailed
  plan. Requires a clear road with milestones (slip
  roads available for unexpected detours)
• Country lane No obvious path needs more
  flexible planning. Think each stage individually
• Railway Someone else is driving but need for
  all to keep track of progress. Agree route and
  stations to monitor that your going in right
  direction
• River Very long and meandering goals, where
  journey is daunting. Can only be done a stroke at
  a time and holding firmly to destination/goal

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Clegg Birch Summary

• Provided context to Survey chap. in 120 reader
• Looked at different stages and considered
  metaphor as stimulation
• Explored how to move on from surveying to next
  stages by
• Building
• Waymarking
• Navigating