This document discusses factors that influence creativity. It states that while people are born with varying levels of creativity, environmental factors later in life also play a large role. Certain personality traits like openness and extraversion are linked to higher creativity. The document also examines how access to resources, environment, autonomy, social connections, positive feedback and low stress can enhance creativity. Managerial strategies that promote these factors, like praising experimentation and building confidence, are recommended to foster creativity in workplaces.

1. Influencers to Creativity

2. If you wanted to be a painter or a musician, are there
any genetic traits (physical, mental) you could inherit
that would benefit you?
Are there any other advantages you could be born with
that would benefit you?

3. The Creativity You Are Born With
• People are born with varying levels of creativity
• Circumstance plays a large role in your creativity
later in life
• The domain you choose
• Factors determining the quality of fit between that
domain and the individual. Factors include:
• Personality
• Resources
• Environment
• Access

4. Predisposition to creativity in a domain
• Some people are born with specific advantages to a
domain—physical/mental attributes, access to a
certain domain
• Inherent advantages to a domain lead to early success
in that domain.
• Early success enhances interest (curiosity, wonder) and
motivation in the domain
• Success and interest leads to perseverance and
continued learning/expanded knowledge.
• “Outliers”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXviNQW2xuo
• http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/donald-trumps-13-biggest-business-failures-20160314

5. They were just “born to do” that

6. The fallacy of intelligence
• Einstein’s IQ / Nobel Prize Winners
• Experts today still cannot agree on a definition of
intelligence
• Instead we find certain personality traits indicate
higher levels of creativity generally:
• Openness to Experience
• Extraversion

7. Environmental Factors Enhancing Creativity
• Autonomy
• Do people feel like they can take initiative?
• Can people experiment and be creative?
• Connection with others
• Are ideas being exchanged?
• Do people feel supported?
• Positive feedback
• Are people’s contributions recognized/appreciated?
• Do people feel their contributions are meaningful?
• Lack of stress
• Confidence
• Happiness

8. Where creativity happens…
• Frontal Lobe handles memory, learning,
emotion, language, judgment.
• Creativity happens at intersection of
learning and emotion.
• Size and function of areas of the brain
change depending on use and exposure
to various elements.
• Development of creative capacity also
correlates with development of other
capacities such as language.
Stress Documentary (13:00—29:00) (44:14-48:30)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYG0ZuTv5rs

9. Managerial Moves to Enhance Creativity
• Autonomy
• Make accountability clear. Put someone in charge.
• Praise experimentation and effort. The results will come.
• Connection with others
• Do things together.
• Expand your team’s network and exposure different
influences (people, ideas, topics).
• Encourage and praise worker’s extracurricular activities

10. Managerial Moves to Enhance Creativity
• Positive feedback
• Give credit where credit is due
• Connect people’s efforts to big picture results and change
• Lack of stress
• Have perspective. A sense or urgency does not have to
mean the sky is falling.
• Don’t belabor honest mistakes. Learn from them and
move on.
• Criticize actions, not personalities.
• Have fun when you can.

11. Managerial Moves to Enhance Creativity
• Confidence
• Find the positives in bad ideas.
• Find reasons to build people up.
• Force participation and then praise that participation.
• Happiness
• Encourage socializing.
• Take an interest in people—their lives, their careers