Table of Contents
About the authors xi Acknowledgements xiii
Introduction xv
PART I: Who killed creativity? 1
1 Investigating the crime scene 3
Is creative thinking that important? 5
Is creative death imminent? The vital statistics 7
Are you creative? 10
2 Who killed creativity, and with what weapons? 13
Stage 1: oppression 17
Murder profile 1: the Control Crew 17
Murder profile 2: the Fear Family 28
Stage 2: restriction 36
Murder profile 3: the Pressure Pack 36
Murder profile 4: the Insulation Clique 47
Stage 3: degeneration 58
Murder profile 5: the Apathy Clan 58
Stage 4: destruction 70
Murder profile 6: the Narrow-minded Mob 70
Murder profile 7: the Pessimism Posse 81
3 Where has creativity died? 89
Locating the crime hotspots - from the boss's office to the coffee shop 90
Any time, any place 102
4 Why save creativity? 105
Innovation is a necessity, not a luxury 107
Innovate, don't amputate 109
PART II: ... And how can we get it back? 115
5 The forensic lab report 117
Exercising the brain: stretch, but don't snap 119
To what extent can creative thinking be taught? 122
The brain workout 124
Slowing down for the synaptic fire-up 127
Triggering the brain's 'on/off' switch 129
New paths to superior thinking 130
6 How can creativity be saved? 131
Stage 1: liberation 135
Rescue strategy 1: cultivate curiosity 138
Rescue strategy 2: accept ambiguity 147
Stage 2: initiation 151
Rescue strategy 3: unleash your imagination 155
Rescue strategy 4: access all parts of the brain 163
Stage 3: motivation 168
Rescue strategy 5: reconstruct common concepts 172
Stage 4: transformation 177
Rescue strategy 6: explore different paths 180
Rescue strategy 7: embrace optimism 190
7 Where can creativity be revived? 195
Building innovation hothouses - revisiting the boss's office and the coffee shop 196
Bringing the bedroom to the boardroom 208
8 And they lived happily ever after ... or did they? 213
Can the killers be redeemed ... and are the rescuers squeaky clean? 214
The yin and yang of creativity 216
Playing with fire and other disruptive innovations 219
Innovate or die - the commercial and social consequences of regeneration 221
Change is inevitable, so scale the slopes constructively 223
Why the Mexico rubbish dump dwellers might just save the planet 226
9 The rescue plan in action 229
Disarming the killers 230
Coming the full circle: the complete Creative Thinking Life Cycle Model 232
Implementing the seven creative thinking strategies - a case study 233
Endnotes 243
Bibliography 261
More ways to get creative 275
Index 277
