creativity

Transcribe is not only a laboratory to test new ideas, it is also a test kitchen for tools that facilitate effective collaboration. The virtual world is becoming more and more mainstream and we at Collective Next have been considering how we can harness its power to bring people together and move them forward. At TEDx Boston 2012, we were introduced to the amazing vritual environment that AvayaLive offers and they were kind enought to build us a virtual office.

Execution is every organizations dirty little secret. Creative organizations and creative people are continuously attempting to balance feverishly meeting looming deadlines and still finding time to dream. We here at Collective Next were intrigued by the perceived dichotomy that exists between execution and creativity during this week’s Transcribe Live in the Lab.

I like driving. Not short trips to the store, but longer trips across town. Who doesn’t like a good road trip? When my wife and I get in the car to go on a trip, we both offer to drive first, and the first driver inevitably gets the wheel for the bulk of the trip. 

Trolling a couple of good discussion boards on the discipline of Design Thinking, inevitably someone will ask the group - "know any good books on DT?".  The ensuing thread usually makes reference to some timeless classics as well as a good book that may have just been released.  No self-promoting authors promoting their works, just recommendations from discussion group participants.  The Design Thinking LinkedIn group, as well as the Design Management Institute (DMI) provide a rich archive of just these kinds of threads.  Over the past year or so I have been trying to bu

In another great post, Jonah Lehrer explores The Cognitive Cost of Expertise. Through a process called "chunking," we use our expertise and knowledge as a lens; it helps us quickly recognize patterns within our field of expertise. But that same ability creates a strong bias--we're always trying to fit the patterns we see into our existing models.

One of my favorite assignments from college came in an advanced drawing class. We were asked to work in pairs and create a series of images that represented both of us. Most pairs produced visual mash-ups of their individual styles, but something curious happened with our work. My partner and I created a set of images that were not only stylistically departures from our personal sensibilities, but they also could not be deconstructed into either of our individual hands. What we produced was a true co-creation, what today I would  recognize as an act of genuine collaboration.

How many times in a week do you hear the phrase “out of the box thinking”? And how many times do you actually see evidence of its application?

You only get out of the box if you get out of your box. For example, if you’re interested in innovative ideas to expand your customer base using social media, don’t just read the latest HBR article on why Twitter is or isn’t here to stay or browse the business books section at Barnes and Noble. Step out of your box. Explore. Here are some ways to get started:

On his blog, Jonah Lehrer discusses the impact of distraction on creativity. The study he reacts to describes a high level of distractibility, that inability to avoid eavesdropping at a party, “low latent inhibition.” So, if you are practicing latent inhibition, you are able to focus and channel your attention.