B. Commitment to Creativity

   No one wants to be an "oddball." We are naturally gregarious creatures, and we value acceptance from others. We dress accordingly, behave accordingly, speak accordingly AND, consequently to a certain degree, THINK accordingly ... ALL in line with perceived social norms.

   Now, consider the pressure to conform (to each other's anticipations) that could arise among members within a group. Everyone respects the group leaders; so they train themselves to think as they do in the way of winning their respect and admiration (or a job promotion). Or they vie to impress rather than to think. It's simple goal-directed behavior: Notice what you want. Figure out a way to obtain it.

   Consequently, group thinking can stagnate on those ideas suggested by the leaders, because no one really wants to contradict the perceptions of their respected elders or authority figures. Or, group thinking can become conservative and therefore hostile to new ways of doing things, just because "new" implicates "change." Always must we remember that our leaders — though likely correct most of the time because of their experience or specialized training — are still humans capable of error.

   The above paraphrase — actually a compilation of information taken from several reliable sources — conveniently lists those important items to remember when you assemble a group to solve the particular problem confronting you.

    You may be a bit puzzled by one of the above constraints listed — "refrain from mentioning the time frame within which the decision must be made.” Recognize that when confronted with a time constraint, people tend to feel "rushed" at quickly arriving at a workable solution. On the surface, this may not seem so bad. After all, you may think, "If I tell them the final decision must be made tomorrow, they’ll work harder at solving the problem today.” And the reply to that is, "Yes, they probably will ... physically, at least.” Mentally, however, something else is likely to happen.

   You must realize that the human mind is not a mental machine. When you force it to work faster, if it has no pre-determined algorithm to work with and must "figure things out along the way," it works inefficiently, taking shortcuts and making estimates in an effort to reduce the mental load and solve the problem in a workable way, in the allotted time. We don't customarily exert our mental capacity to the fullest to solve, optimally, every single sub-problem confronting us. To reduce the mental stress, rather than imagining and analyzing from a myriad of possible perspectives, we customarily solve problems according to what seems sufficient, something psychologists have labeled, satisficing. Consequently, your group won't exert their creative prowess as completely if they feel rushed into quickly finding a solution than if they feel relaxed and open-minded.

   So, keep them focused on imagining ideas and NOT on worrying over how little time they have remaining. That's your problem, NOT theirs. Bottom line:

Keep your mouth shut!
But, encourage open-mindedness, creativity AND participation.

   Additionally, remember that if you cannot prove some novel idea to be unworthy of any further analysis or scrutiny, consider the possibility as a viable option. Consider even, perhaps, merging bits and pieces of that idea with other ideas to yield yet another option to look into! You'd be surprised at the results sometimes! Open-mindedness can mean the difference between grasping some new idea before anyone else or having a competitor grasp it for you.

   To provide you and your group with an additional burst of creative inspiration, consider the following:

   Finally, to end on a more serious note on creativity, recognize that Safety itself entails imagining possibilities before some unwanted occurrence devastates your planning. Brainstorming is not just a simple, fun exercise to be taken lightly. If you don't recognize certain possibilities before they occur, or at least make a determined effort at doing so, you can be held negligent and liable for the consequences.

All opinions expressed in this web site, unless otherwise noted, are my own, Michael Gaspard. If you notice any errors or have any suggestions for improvement, please let me know by e-mailing webmaster@mdpme.com. Thank you!

This web page was last updated on Monday, February 2, 2004.
http://www.mdpme.com/reason9.htm

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