Reimaging Creativity in Business using the HBDI®

Creating the future of business is a challenge that the most innovative companies are facing every day. Each of us as leaders are facing transformative change unlike anything that we have ever experienced. The pace and progression of technology, big data, science & robotics, the internet of everything and the digital society are just a few of the many paradigm shifts that are converging on us with great speed. Many of the futurists believe that the U.S. and our corporations are becoming out-innovated by other countries. Along with the pressure for growth, we are being pushed to better collaborate both inside and outside our institutions.

According to Frank Diana, a pragmatic futurist and author of a blog called Our Emerging Future, “the evolution of business is not just likely, but critical. Our businesses were structured for a different time – a time dominated by linear thinking. As the world shifts to exponential thinking, imagination and creativity come front and center. Leaders will search for effectiveness. Whereas the goal of efficiency is doing things right, effectiveness will focus on doing the right things.” Mr. Diana is driving leaders to shift from left-brain linear thinking to right brain imagination, creativity, empathy, risk-taking and intuitive skills to name a few. Along with becoming purpose-drive, developing these skills are what will lead us to the cognitive diversity that will get us there.

Our brains, as we know, is the source of our creativity and the HBDI® Creativity Model that supports this is below. It highlights the various preferences that affect creative thinking. It’s not just the one BIG idea from the yellow quadrant, it is about engaging all four quadrants and this array of diverse thinking to incrementally bring change, process or product improvement and even the big innovative idea to fruition.

Key Takeaways: According to a study by Ned Herrmann and Ann Herrmann-Nehdi in The Whole Brain® Business Book 2nd Edition, it is important to create the right climate for creativity to flourish. A large company found itself hiring people who selected creative as #5 in key descriptors, but it ranked #15 out of 16 as a work element! Clearly something was happening in that culture that stifled creative and innovative thinking. Here are key action steps, from this book, to increase creative potential:

1. Challenge assumptions
2. Recognize your mental defaults
3. See things in new Whole Brain ways
4. Make connections
5. Take risks
6. Seize up a chance or opportunity

Tell us your story…We’d like to hear from you on what you’ve learned about how you’ve developed creativity to address the future needs of your company and role. Email me or use the comment section below to share more in the comments section on our Top Tips page. Others may learn from your story and what you share.