Anyone who enjoys new concepts and how they are invented will be pleased that the Thammasat University Libraries have acquired The myths of creativity: the truth about how innovative companies and people generate great ideas.

Its author, David Burkus, an assistant professor of management at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, says that one myth about original ideas is that they are only conceived by special people. He points to the tradition of Ancient Greece, where inventive individuals were considered to be divinely inspired. So whenever one of these characters came up with a new thought, it was what is called a eureka moment. Eureka is a word from the Greek language, meaning “I have found it.” According to legend, the ancient Greek mathematician and astronomer Archimedes (287 BCE – c. 212 BCE) would yell “Eureka!” every time he made a new discovery. Burkus argues that instead of being quick events marked by so-called eureka moments, creativity is a more gradual process. Sometimes it happens bit by bit, with little changes added to whatever may exist in a field.

Not alone.

Although there is the myth of the lonely creative genius, in fact groups of people can be as productive and inventive as solitary individuals. Yet working together with others can sometimes halt or slow down innovative thinking, when everyone in a group believes they should all agree at the same time. Burkus states that this “can actually dampen a team’s creativity. It can narrow down options and cause those with a unique perspective to censor themselves rather than risk not being seen as part of the team.” Still another myth is that when something new is discovered, it is immediately identified as a breakthrough and adopted universally. In fact, writes Burkus, some ideas seem so new that they may take many years to be widely employed.

Work for its own sake.

Although some employers try to offer bonuses and other advantages to staffers who are creative, Burkus points out that the best motivation for inventing new things is if workers are genuinely enthused about the subject matter. The prospect of a possible reward is secondary to being fascinated by the subject itself. As much as possible, people should be allowed to work at what they really find compelling.

Defining brainstorming

Burkus also has ideas about such subjects as brainstorming. He observes that some business authorities criticize brainstorming, feeling that it is not productive because “criticism and conflict” are needed to work out which ideas are useful and which are not. Others complain that brainstorming is best for forceful, aggressive personalities, while more shy and quiet people tend to remain reserved and let these other personalities dominate any meeting, even if they might have very valuable things to contribute. To these critics Burkus replies that brainstorming is rarely executed correctly and even at best, cannot be used as a single cure-all to the problems of how to be creative.

What brainstorming is and what it is not.

The American advertising executive Alex Osborn (1888–1966) who created the technique of brainstorming determined that in a true brainstorming session, as many ideas as possible should be invented. No one should offer any criticism about the ideas. The ideas can be as far-out and extreme as can be. One idea should follow another, meaning that one thinker should be inspired by what others have just said. Burkus explains that in many brainstorming sessions, people get critical right away and react to new thoughts in a way that keeps them from being developed. Also people do not listen to each other closely enough and follow up on each other’s contributions as much as they should. The point is that by being together, groups hear a series of concepts they would otherwise not encounter. The big advantage of brainstorming is to get in touch with this series of new ideas. After brainstorming, it is important to have further sessions in which ideas are criticized, adapted, and put into practical use. Quite often original ideas, even if they are retained from brainstorming events, are greatly changed by the time they turn into a practical reality. Even though things change from the brainstorming session, the session can still be considered a success.

The courage to be unsure.

Burkus also states that leaders should not feel they have to appear certain about everything all the time. If they are uncertain about something, they should admit it without fearing that this will be seen as a sign of weakness. One academic study from the University of Leeds, UK declares that a number of children and adults hate to confess that they do not know something, and prefer to make up an answer, even a confused and confusing one, than simply saying they do not know. Burkus reminds us that the authors of Freakonomics, the bestselling book about pop culture with a little economics thrown in, that the “three hardest words in the English language” are “I don’t know.” The first step of learning anything is admitting ignorance without shame or embarrassment. Anyone motivated to learn will immediately try to improve things by gaining some of the information and understanding that is lacking. Students or even older people who pretend to understand because they will not confess that they are ignorant can sometimes be very skilled at pretending to master subjects about which they have no clue. They will never learn, because their energy is spent focusing on seeming informed.

(all images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).