Developing creativity by nurturing divergent thinking
Divergent thinking is one of the defining qualities of creative and high ability people. While it may be a prominent trait of children and many gifted adults, encouraging out of the ordinary ideas can be suppressed as we “grow up” and learn to fit in. But it can also be actively nurtured.
Some examples of what could be called divergent thinking can be absurd or very amusing.
As a child, when Einstein… Continue reading
Energetic thinking breeds creativity
Environmental consciousness has grown tremendously in the 39 years that have passed since the first Earth Day in 1970. Nowhere is the progress more apparent than in the field of alternative energy.
As much as we would all like to think that meeting our environmental obligations is a function of inherent responsible action, the fact is that economic incentives go a long way toward encouraging such behavior. That was the case… Continue reading
The Wexley Way: How to Think Creatively in 8 Easy Steps
“Lots of people say, ‘Let’s make a viral video and put it on YouTube’” says Wexley’s Cal McAllister.
“But you have to do more to be successful.”
Do what exactly? Inc. asked McAllister — and fellow Wexleyites Brian Marr and Ian Cohen — to take us through their creative process, using a hypothetical example: the launch of a new health club in the imaginary Seattle suburb of Wexlandia. The gym has two… Continue reading
THINKING CREATIVELY ABOUT TAXES
Over in The Times today, Bob Herbert pushes the transaction tax, one of my favorite policy ideas. The mechanics are simple: The tax would levy a small fee — up to, say, 0.25 percent — on the sale or transfer of stocks, bonds and other financial assets. On first glance, this doesn’t seem like it would raise much money. But that’s because most folks don’t realize exactly how many… Continue reading
Market calls for creativity, quick thinking
Jacky Teplitzky is a managing director at Manhattan-based brokerage company Prudential Douglas Elliman, and she is also the leader for a real estate team.
She has sold more than $500 million worth of Manhattan properties and is ranked among the top 1 percent of New York City brokers. Born in Chile and raised in Israel, Teplitzky also lived in Spain and England before moving to New York City in 1989. She… Continue reading
Expert calls for innovative thinking
MORE disabled people should be given support to start their own business – according to a report compiled by Dr Gary Packham, of the Glamorgan Business School.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said the challenging economic climate called for innovative thinking around welfare reform, seeing job creation as an answer to rising unemployment figures and self-employment considered as a significant option for disabled people.
The FSBs biennial survey of 8,700 members… Continue reading
Creative Thinking Techniques: The “Playful” Edition
“To stimulate creativity, one must develop the childlike inclination for play . . .” — Albert Einstein
The more comfortable you are at being creative, the more successful you’ll be at problem solving, and at seeing new opportunities. And creativity experts have long known that play is one of the most effective creative thinking techniques that there is. In the article “Creativity and Play: A Systematic Approach to Managing Innovation“… Continue reading
Thinking Creatively…About Advertising
It’s an axiom of newspaper Web site strategy and design that one of the worst things you can do is “paste a newspaper on a screen,” or too slavishly replicate the print experience online.
It may even be worse to paste print advertising onto a screen. But that’s what too many newspaper Web sites do. And that’s a big reason why newspapers are having trouble finding growth in Web advertising
The role of the corporate innovation team
Over at BankerVision, James Gardner weighs in on the importance of strategic innovation for financial institutions. Having worked for egg (a London based online bank), and seen some of the thinking first hand, I agree entirely with his point:
Try this experiment. Dream up some bank-important scenario. Create two stories, one in which the bank makes a decision, and the other in which it doesn’t. Present both. Watch the… Continue reading