New Book by Tina Sellig on Ingenuity

An Ateneo Graduate School of Business Advantage

Ms Tina Sellig is coming out with  a new book on ingenuity by April of this year. It is about creativity.

We all talk about being creative.  But how do you improve creativity (QI, creativity quotient).  One way is to change the way you frame your question:  5+5= will give you one answer.  But x + y = 120 will give you infinite number of possibilities.

Talk about exam at Oxford.  The one word exam where you have to give long explanation:  integrity, courage, bravery. etc.

Or to know how to get out of a blender which would start in 30 seconds.?

Lucky and unlucky persons. 

Those who are lucky persons tend to observe very well instructions on reading newspapers:   how many pictures are there in the newspaper.  The lucky ones read the instructions;  the unlucky ones did not read the newspaper.

Some suggestions on how to increase creativity:

l.  Observe

2.  Connect and combine.  Connect with other observations, cross culture, collaborate with others, synthesize ideas.

3. Challenge your first answer.  Challenge your assumptions.
e.g.  what can you do with $l0.00.  Or better if you empty a garbage can, what can you come up with.  If you have negative value, what can you produce.

4. Reframe:  Instead of asking how do you redesign the conference I.D, you ask how do you want to be introduced? brings out different ideas.

5.  Space.  Space for kinder garden children encourages creativity.  School children in uniform desk can be creative;  how about office workers in uniform cubicles.

6.  Time - Pressure.  is pressure cooker enough to bring out your creative juices.  Innovate or die.

7.  Experimentation.  Do not be afraid to faill.

8.  Attitude -  Solving jigsaw puzzle where everything  fits exactly or crazy quilt which produce surprising results?

9.  Culture -  how does background music (original score of Rocky) influence the tone of forthcoming victory of Rocky Balboa. How would you feel about the movie if the music was otherwise- sonorous?  System as John Clayton sees it, affect outcomes and results.

Internal Engine of Creativity:

Knowledge

Imagination

Attitude

External

Habitat (incentive) structure as VC, taxes, educational system

Culture

Resources.

It is an ecosytem. The internal shapes the external, which in turns goes interacts with the internal.