Why No One Really Wants Creativity

Capital Thinking • Issue #110 • View online

“Most people do not follow a life pattern similar to that of a creative, nor would they want to.

The average person may become intrigued when the glories of successful creativity are hailed by the media.

But when confronted with the bald truth that most scientists never come up with any earthshaking findings, most new businesses end in failure, and most whistle-blowers get demoted or fired, it is not surprising that people generally opt for a safer, more normal life than that followed by the creative.”

- Barry M. Staw

OK, I don’t usually do this but this was just too good to pass up.

First, here’s a post by a guy who lets you know in no uncertain terms that creativity is not only rare (much more than you might have been led to believe) and that often, it isn’t treated well.

I know, big surprise, right?

Best line of the day: “People do not like being told they have to change the way they work.”

Well, duh!

Here’s the link to the original post: Slow Growth Innovation Works Better (Jeffrey Baumgartner)

And here’s the link to the four page article that quote is based on (great piece by the way) Can you believe it was written in 1995?

Why No One Really Wants Creativity

“Innovation champions talk of the importance of dreaming up, developing and implementing big, bold and beautiful ideas. They say that any company can become innovative if its people would just think more like innovators, have big ideas and implement those ideas. In no time, an ordinary, non-innovative and moderately profitable company could be come an innovative hero like Tesla, Apple or Uber.

This vision sounds like a recipe for innovation utopia. In fact, it is a recipe for disaster.”

And, last here’s a really boring study explaining why the above quote is correct: Very Boring Study Basically Explaining Why Barry Straw Was Right Years Before These People Were Even Born

*Feature photo by Mike Petrucci on Unsplash