How Creativity Works: A Review of Imagine by Jonah Lehrer

The main aim of this book is to understand factors that contribute to creativity. The writer cites experiments to show which parts of the brain are involved and also illustrates how organizations are realigning to enhance productivity.

In my estimation, the positives (the gems) in this enlightening book outweigh the negatives.

On the negative side, the flow of the book;is at times impeded by a seemingly endless presentation of short scientific experiments and/or  case histories, particularly related to brain function.

The positives are many. Here are a couple.

1.  Innocentive website:  Eli Lilly VP Alpheus Bingham was trying to develop the next blockbuster drug. He was stymied in managing the R&D process.  He thought you should "hire the best resume and give the problem to the guy with the most technical experience. But maybe that was a big mistake?"

He came up with a radical idea that if you couldn't hand pick and predict which scientists could solve the problem then why not open up the search to everyone? So Bingham broke every rule in the book throwing to the winds the usual secrecy of not allowing competitors to know what you're working on and set up Innocentive website.

For a few weeks, his site was unsuccessful, but then it caught on as "the answers just started pouring in...The creativity was simply astonishing."

The site was spun off from Lilly and became an independent one and fielded challenges from other large companies such as P&G and GE. It now presents challenges from hundreds of corporations and non-profits in eight different scientific categories.

2. In the chapter on The Power of Q (Q measures the 'social intimacy' of collaborators, the right balance of familiarity between collaborators) he illustrates how Pixar studios since 1995 (when the first Toy Story was released) has created 11 feature films and each one has been a commercial success with an average gross of $550M per film.

This feat was accomplished mostly by an evolving a creative culture in which there was a "constant interaction between computer scientists and cartoon animators."

At first, the studio had no idea what it was doing-the animators were always asking the technicians if such and such effect were possible e.g. could you reproduce this type of facial expression or catch this blur. At first, there was a constant negotiation.

Over time, the right level of collaboration between both groups was established by having them both in the same building and not scattered about. This way they could interact more frequently at the coffee machines, lunch room, central rest rooms, etc.

Further close collaboration is illustrated in daily morning meetings between animators and computer scientists; here they spend several hours reviewing several seconds of film from the day before (each second has 24 frames).

These are not brainstorming sessions which avoid criticism and in which participators tend to stay 'within themselves' and have no motivation to focus on other people's ideas.

These session are full debates where criticism is encouraged (and can be hurtful). 'Plusing' is encouraged; this is the idea that criticism should be tempered by improving on ideas without harsh or judgmental language. Criticism should contain a new idea that builds on apparent flaws in a productive manner.

These two summaries are just some of eye-openers in Lehrer's book.  Expect more insights in this book such as why the age of Shakespeare produced so many geniuses and how close city living is so beneficial in unlocking creativity.

Enjoy!
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