If you have access to the McKinsey Quarterly, there’s a nice quick read that gives four simple tips to boost creativity:

Although creativity is often considered a trait of the privileged few, any individual or team can become more creative—better able to generate the breakthroughs that stimulate growth and performance. In fact, our experience with hundreds of corporate teams, ranging from experienced C-level executives to entry-level customer service reps, suggests that companies can use relatively simple techniques to boost the creative output of employees at any level.

Sparking creativity in teams: An executive’s guide – McKinsey Quarterly – Strategy – Strategy in Practice.

A quick pointer at a short read worth some attention:

for tasks that require a little bit of creativity, we seem to benefit from high ceilings, lots of windows and bright blue walls that match the sky.

via Jonah Lehrer on Buildings, Health and Creativity | Head Case – WSJ.com.

From James Gardner (Chief Technology Officer at the Department for Work and Pensions in the UK, and ex- innovation guru at Lloyds Bank) comes this ode to senior executives who find themselves in the startling – and potentially exciting – position of holding the innovation candle:

You need to build your innovation effort from the bottom up as well as from the top down. The little people at the front line are just as important as the ones in the center who make the decisions. It is the front line and their managers, after all, who will be affected by anything you do. If they love your innovation effort, they will make sure you succeed. If they don’t, you will certainly fail.

via Dear Senior Executive… – BankerVision.

What do you get when you put a chef, CEOs, architects, entrepreneurs, photographers, an Everest guide, a philosopher, scientists and a lightening sculptor in a room along with thirty other interesting people in a bar?  A damn good night of fascinating conversation.

That’s the recipe for BASE – an event I hosted last week. It’s an acronym for business, arts, science and exploration.  As you can see from the list I covered off all those areas and only invited people that had done interesting things. The result was brilliant.

People made unexpected connections, ideas flew and conversations were animated. Perfect conditions for sparking innovation. Artists talked to CEOs, musicians chatted to explorers, and scientists waxed lyrical with architects.

The mood of the evening was summed up by Doug Wingfield who has his head painted to reveal exactly what was on his mind. In case you’re wondering about the word in blue next to the loveheart, according to Doug “REEB” is a “beer going down.”

Just read this on Bob Suttons blog, and it’s really worth sharing:

As I argued in Weird Ideas That Work, if you are an expert, seek and listen to novices, as their fresh eyes can provide insights that you are unable to see. […] In some organization’s I have worked with, senior executives accomplish this with “reverse mentoring” programs, where they are assigned to listen to and be coached by newcomers. This is an effective strategy if the veterans actually make it safe for the rookies to speak their minds.

Full post here: http://tinyurl.com/2fgo9sa

(apologies for lack of formatting – WordPress maintenance is required)