The 5 Myths about Creativity in Business
- The smarter you are, the more creative you are: Research suggests that there is no correlation between intelligence and creativity once your intelligence level has reached a fairly modest level of an IQ above 120. There is no valid profile for the creative person nor is there a test for determining a person’s creative prowess.
- The young are more creative than the old: Age is not a clear predictor of creative potential. Research shows that it usually takes 7 to 10 years to build up deep expertise in a given field – the kind of expertise that enables you to perceive patterns that are invisible to a novice. Thus in the business world, the necessary creativity can be found in an adult of any age. At the same time, however, expertise can inhibit creativity. Experts sometimes find it difficult to see or think outside established patterns.
- Creativity is reserved for the few flamboyant risk takers: A willingness to take calculated risks and the ability to think in untraditional ways do play roles in creativity. But that does not mean you have to be a bungee jumper or sky diver to be creative. It doesn’t mean that you have to be markedly different from everyone else. Nor does it mean that creativity is restricted to high risk endeavours.
- Creativity is a solitary act: A high percentage of the world’s most important inventions are products of collaboration among groups of people with complementary skills. Innovation and creativity is therefore best encouraged by bringing groups of people together with complementary skills.
- You can’t manage creativity: Granted you can never know in advance who will be involved in a creative act and when inspiration will strike. Nevertheless, a manager can create the conditions that make creativity more likely to occur.
