CREATIVE SURVIVAL: WELLNESS BEYOND WORK

By: Jennifer Quarrie

Living to Work

We are modern.  Fast, sleek, streamlined.  We are edgy.  Steel?  Try titanium.  We are competitors.  Giving yesterday a run for its money, leaving last month knocked out cold.  We are machines.  Producing, churning, calculating in nanoseconds.  You can keep up, can’t you?  It’s sink or swim.  Run or die.  Sprint.  Faster.  FASTER.  Anyone who believes this is a marathon might as well leave now.

Sound familiar?  Pervasive modern messaging beaming through Western media is now permeating global culture.  If it hasn’t already taken over your company, don’t worry; it’s coming to a supervisor near you.  And if you’re not willing to work 24/7, there is a long line of folks waiting for your job who will. 

What does it feel like to move at the speed of terabytes per second?  Even the hardiest among us struggle to breathe when this much G-force bears down.  For most of us it’s an unending dance, trying to maintain some semblance of balance between the breakneck world pace and our own private needs.  When things begin to feel unstable we kick it into emergency gear to ensure things don’t spin out of control.  Problem solving at this point is pure triage.  There is no time to think.  Just stop the bleeding.  Re-stabilize and keep moving forward.  No time for retrospection to truly decipher what got us into that jam, we think we know and that’s good enough.  Just keep moving.  Health?  Sure, its steadily decreasing, but I’m fine for now.  I can take it.  Happiness?  No one has that anymore, why would I delude myself into expecting anything else?  Focus?  What did you say?  Oh, yeah, sure … just a minute …

Facing Karōshi  

Then from somewhere in the chaos comes silence.  The realization that makes your world upend.  Thudding so hard it knocks the wind out of you.  You find yourself alone amongst archaic digital devices, drained of battery, and a flurry of papers.  What happened?  No matter what it was that knocked you out of orbit, it’s a game-changer.  There really was a limit and you tumbled past.  It will be a long journey back. 

Yet after the shock passes, as you survey the damage and look at things anew, you feel that pang … you don’t want to go back to living that way.  Does that mean you’ve lost your edge?  Lost your guts?  The machine may continue to tell you that.  Yet you know that it means just the opposite – there is a difference between giving up and saying ‘that’s enough’ – this is a new level of courage.  Many others in your position limp back into the fray to take hit after hit.  But you’ve realized the truth.  The better you are, the better your work will be.  And while you’re at it, why not make your work YOUR work?  Why give up so much of your time pursuing someone else’s dreams?  You need to pursue your own purpose.  You need a change.  But what are the right changes?  And how might you make those changes in the face of so many others going another direction? 

Working to Live

Time to muster your courage and begin building a richer, more balanced life.  The first step?  Prepare for the journey by healing.  Wellness is a baseline from which all other functions come.  To pursue wellness is to pursue the foundation of self-actualization, upon which creativity and other human needs rely.  Without wellness, other pursuits quickly falter. 

The tough question becomes how to achieve wellness when old habits are entrenched, social convention directly opposes your personal needs and support is scarce.  If wellness were easy, we would certainly have achieved it by now.  The answer?  Creativity.

Kaizen

Wellness, like creativity, is highly personalized.  Just as there is no single sleep schedule or menu that fits everyone, each individual’s path toward understanding and utilizing their own creativity is also unique.  What is right for you may not be right for others.  This empowers you to customize your life to your personal needs with the ultimate understanding that when you are at your best you are able to contribute far more. 

Approaching wellness with a creative mindset helps convert the work of achieving wellness from a ‘should’ (meeting the expectations/ideals of others) to a ‘want’ (fulfilling your own fundamental needs).  Applying creativity tools and processes such as those in Creative Problem Solving (CPS) can be very effective at pinpointing the most critical challenges to personal wellness, as well as working towards more novel, personalized solutions.  On a larger scale, approaching wellness from a creative mindset of openness to novelty, ability to build on others’ solutions, willingness to defer judgment, mindfulness, and commitment to investing resources greatly improves the likelihood of uncovering an enjoyable and permanent set of changes.

  

In essence, applying creative thinking fosters wellness, and in turn, a state of wellness promotes the strength and impact of personal creativity. 

Both creativity and wellness are cornerstones to self-actualization, fulfilling one’s potential and becoming the best possible version of one’s self.  Both creativity and wellness also act as optimizers to set you into more ideal conditions for success in other pursuits.

Whether work is overshadowing the finer aspects of life, or another form of imbalance currently drains your resources, wellness is achievable right now in small steps.  Using creativity, you can design a holistic approach to wellness that is manageable yet effective.  You are worth your time.  No one else will do it for you.  This isn’t a sprint.  And it doesn’t have to be a marathon.  Call it a hike in the woods or a frolic in the meadow - either way, don’t forget to stop and smell the roses.

* Karōshi is translated from Japanese as "death from overwork”

** Kaizen is translated from Japanese as “continuous improvement”

References:

Kashdan, T. B., & Ciarrochi, J. (Eds.). (2013). Mindfulness, acceptance, and positive psychology: The seven foundations of well-being. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

Puccio, G. J., Mance, M., & Murdock, M. C. (2011). Creative leadership: Skills that drive change (2nd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Rogers, C. (1961). On becoming a person: A therapist's view of psychotherapy. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

University of California Davis. (2015). What is wellness?  Retrieved from https://shcs.ucdavis.edu/wellness/#.VNjt4CmQaFI

Bio: Jennifer Quarrie is a dynamic innovation strategist and creativity expert with a visionary outlook and a knack for metacognition, facilitation and listening. With a BA in Cognitive Science from the University of Virginia and an MSc in Creative Studies from the International Center for Studies in Creativity (ICSC) at SUNY Buffalo State, she incorporates budding areas of mind and creativity research into all of her work. As a leader and speaker she inspires wellness, fosters transformation and emboldens self-actualization.

Enjoying the Exhale: Breathing in Creativity & Wellness

By: Jennifer Quarrie

“Breathe with unconditional breath the unconditional air.”  - Wendall Berry, Given

Life hangs on every breath we take; yet when was the last time you consciously thought about your breathing?  Within every activity you do, breathing plays a critical role - from speaking and exercise to sleeping and nutrition.  What is there to really think about?  The body takes care of breathing through some ancient autonomic system, so why use precious, limited thought resources on it when you could spend your energy on more important cognitive pursuits? 

Beyond the life-saving qualities of a good breathing habit, there is much more at work.  It turns out that breathing is foundational to overall wellness in ways we may not have previously understood.  Not only that, but deliberate, deep breathing also fosters creativity, decision making and other key cognitive and affective functions.  Simply put, improving your breathing is one of the single best practices you can develop to foster your health and creativity – and here is why.

 Body

“It is a common belief that we breathe with our lungs alone, but in point of fact, the work of breathing is done by the whole body.” ― Alexander Lowen, The Voice of the Body

•     Increased Oxygen - On the most basic level, deep breathing increases oxygen levels in the blood stream, helping to raise energy, cell survival and brain function, all of which support creativity.  The way we exhale is actually more critical to getting the oxygen we need and should generally last longer than the inhale.

•     Metabolism - Oxygen is fuel.  By taking in greater amounts, it charges your cells to function more effectively, improves digestion, and thus improves your metabolism.  Increased overall energy means more resources can be directed towards creative endeavors.

•     Sleep Quality - Deeper, healthful breathing while awake helps keep us alert and focused on important tasks.  During sleep it significantly improves sleep quality, extends dreaming brain states, supports neural connections, and facilitates the clean up of toxins in the brain, bringing clarity to waking cognition and creativity.

•     Relaxation & Stress Reduction - Deep breathing lowers cortisol levels, normalizes blood pressure and stabilizes body rhythms, all of which foster mental clarity, relax your body, and prime you for creative insight.

•     Immune Function - Breathing is the best way to change the pH of your body toward an alkaline state that helps prevent large-scale disease.  By expelling carbon dioxide from your lungs and breaking down salts, breathing is one of the most affective ways to eliminate extra harmful acids.  Every exhale removes toxins from your body, just one of the many reasons yogis consider breathing a path to purification.

Mind

“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.”  ― Thích Nhất Hạnh, The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation

•     Focus - Breathing is the primary mode of mental focus in meditation.  By calming the body, breathing can increase the ability to focus attention, which is critical to successful problem solving and ideation.

•     Awareness - Deliberate, deep breathing can also take focus a step further and assist the mind in expanding your awareness of yourself and your surroundings.  Developing this new consciousness helps you take in new stimuli, clarify needs, and highlight priorities, all critical to creative thinking and problem solving.

•     Managing Emotions - Our emotional states may be partially predicated on our proactive breathing patterns.  Breathing is more shallow when anxious or depressed.  Deeper breathing promotes positive emotional states and a greater sense of calm, both of which empower creative thinking through finding the value in ideas and focusing energy toward problem solving.

•     Motivation - Increased energy from deep breathing directly impacts motivation levels.  Motivation is considered one of the only commonalities across all eminent creators.

 Connection

“I am never alone wherever I am. The air itself supplies me with a century of love. When I breathe in, I am breathing in the laughter, tears, victories, passions, thoughts, memories, existence, joys, moments, and the hues of the sunlight on many tones of skin; I am breathing in the same air that was exhaled by many before me. The air that bore them life. And so how can I ever say that I am alone?” ― C. JoyBell C.

Taking in the World - Breathing is a very physical way of connecting with both our environment and others in it.  As Alexander Lowen says, “we live in an ocean of air,” and so to breath deeply we immerse ourselves in our environment.  Taking this mindful vantage point prompts us to immerse ourselves more deeply in our surroundings in other ways as well: noticing things we normally overlook, taking in more information, and making new connections that prompt creative ideas. 

Social Connection - Given that our emotions build on our breathing patterns, deliberate deep breathing may increase how positively we experience social interactions, therein leading to a more positive and less anxious mental state.  An affirmative mindset is crucial to the ability to build on ideas and find creative solutions to problems.  The social aspect of our environment is also especially stimulating and can serve as a wellspring for novel connections. Further, an increase in positive experiences may lead to an increase of social interaction over time, therein increasing personal longevity and lifespan.

Breath of Fresh air

Breathing pervades every moment of every day and is an incredibly healthful habit to consciously develop.  Likewise, creativity is omnipresent throughout each day, and actively fostering the creative mindset expands the quality of each experience.  Weaving these two deliberate practices together promotes personal wellness on a grander scale.  The bottom line, in both breathing and creativity, is to stay out of the shallow end - there is benefit to getting in deep. 

And the next time you find yourself waiting for inspiration?  Don’t hold your breath.

References:

Broad, W. J. (2012). The science of yoga: The risks and the rewards. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Gates, R., & Kenison, K. (2010). Meditations from the mat: Daily reflections on the path of yoga. New York, NY: Anchor.

Grof, S., & Grof, C. (2010). Holotropic breathwork: A new approach to self-exploration and therapy. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.

Robin, M. (2010). Wellness on a shoestring: Seven habits for a healthy life. Unity Village, MO: Unity House.

Ross, S., & Rosewood, O. (2003). Happy yoga: 7 Reasons why there's nothing to worry about. New York, NY: Regan Books.

Bio: Jennifer Quarrie is a dynamic innovation strategist and creativity expert with a visionary outlook and a knack for metacognition, facilitation and listening.  With a BA in Cognitive Science from the University of Virginia and an MSc in Creative Studies from the International Center for Studies in Creativity (ICSC) at SUNY Buffalo State, she incorporates budding areas of mind and creativity research into all of her work.  As a leader and speaker she inspires wellness, fosters transformation and emboldens self-actualization.

Book Review: The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder

A book review by: Jennifer Quarrie

Buffalo State College

Vitamin N for Creativi-T:

Applying The Nature Principle to Creativity

How have you experienced nature in the last few days? If you’re like me, perhaps you sandwiched a quick run between the morning routine and hours of errands? Spent a few minutes watering the houseplants or lawn? Possibly something as decadent as sitting on the front porch for a few minutes, of course sorting through mail or thumbing through a magazine (ever productive!). We know this degree of outdoor time isn’t ideal, but is it really so important to hang with the mosquitos or risk a sunburn? Well, as it turns out, time with nature is extremely important for everything from your physical health and emotional wellness to your social investment and ability to focus. What’s more, most of the ways in which nature helps humans to thrive are also key elements to fostering creativity. 

While Richard Louv may have written his non-fiction book, The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder, to share his conception of the role of nature in the lives of humans, he may not have realized that he also helped collect foundational research on ideal physical climates that foster creativity. There currently exists a critical gap in creativity research in the area of climate. The majority of creative climate research has been in the field of organizational climate aimed at enabling individuals to thrive creatively within varied social and institutional constraints; however, very little attention has been paid toward the impact of physical environment on creative work. That said, it is commonly accepted that we generally feel happier and more productive when snagging a window office or going outside in the middle of the workday. Many people report getting their best ideas when they are on a walk, exercising outdoors or on vacation in a natural setting. Anecdotally, we also know that some of the most creative people in history specifically relied on nature to enable their work, and some of our modern creativity tools, such as excursions outdoors, leverage time in nature to step back from a problem, introduce numerous unassociated stimuli and put our minds into a more receptive and open state.

Inspired by memories of a childhood growing up in nature and concerned by modern children’s predominantly indoor and increasingly digital lives, Louv coined the term nature-deficit disorder to mean “an atrophied awareness, a diminished ability to find meaning in the life that surrounds us, whatever form it takes.” He published Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder in 2008 to raise awareness around the growing distance between children and their most stimulating environment. 

Much like creativity, reconnecting with nature requires expanding awareness, gathering information and stimuli, realizing core values and priorities, placing oneself in new contexts, and letting go of assumptions. At its core, Louv’s nature principle asserts that “a reconnection to the natural world is fundamental to human health, well-being, spirit and survival.” He believes that the mind/body/nature connection, also called Vitamin N (for nature), will not only enhance physical and mental health but will also help lead to a more “high-performance human [who] will conserve and create natural habitat,” and with it, new economic potential. Louv embraces technology and its benefits but recommends using nature to balance it, thus increasing “our intelligence, creative thinking, and productivity, giving birth to the hybrid mind.” This holistic approach mirrors some of the primary tenants of creativity - inclusion of disparate elements, finding new ways elements may combine, and consciously building our future through awareness and deliberate work - that will leverage human/nature capital to “enrich and redefine community to include all living things.”

Fostering Creativity
I found Louv’s research incredibly inspiring at both a human and intellectual level. Something resonates deeply when discussing our innate draw to nature - it makes sense intuitively. Yet the science is strong as well. While the majority of the research can only be categorized as correlative rather than causal, the link between time in nature and varied aspects of wellness is undeniable. At minimum, nature is a force multiplier in the greater equation of thriving. The potential for further research to examine these strong correlations between nature and wellness, as well as the specific relationship between nature and creativity, is alluring. While the book is more of a research volume than a story, Louv shares the information in a very fluid and digestible way. Numerous studies cited throughout The Nature Principle apply, but these primary themes embody the core of how nature may directly foster creativity:

• Increasing memory and attention, increasing the likelihood of striving for quantity in ideation and pushing past obvious solutions
• Enhancing physical well-being (through exposure to sunlight, microbes, etc.), thus ensuring we have the resources to solve problems
• Nurturing social bonds, therein increasing chances for collaboration, exposure to diverse mindsets, inclusive and generous behavior, empathic listening and deferral of judgment
• Increasing psychological well-being, and thus people’s willingness to solve problems and implement solutions
• Prompting flow while embedded in ecological time vice mechanical time and connected to greater biorhythms
• Honing our senses, possibly leading to increased awareness, information collection and emotional intelligence
• Lending perspective when faced with challenges, reminding us that everything is constantly changing, many problems are smaller than we think compared to the larger world and thus may seem more solvable, nature finds a way and so can we, and that we are part of something greater than ourselves

While The Nature Principle is not dedicated to creativity, it holds important implications for the field and provides a vast set of starting points for further research specific to creativity through neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, medicine, design, art and architecture. It also brings the reader to a new point of awareness about the benefits that come from time in nature and creating that which we love and find most fulfilling - why are we watching Treehouse Masters when we could climb a tree or build our own castle in the clouds?

References:

Louv, R. (2012). The nature principle: Human restoration and the end of nature-deficit disorder. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

About the Jennifer Quarrie:  

Jennifer Quarrie is an innovation strategy and change leadership expert for Booz, Allen & Hamilton, where she also leads strategic communication initiatives, facilitates entrepreneur/startup partnerships, and pioneers crowdsourcing approaches.  She combines her expertise in creativity and background in cognitive neuroscience to teach metacognitive courses including creative problem solving, critical thinking, cognitive bias, interdisciplinary thinking, mindset and leadership development.  Ms. Quarrie holds a graduate certificate in Creativity and Change Leadership from the International Center for Studies in Creativity at SUNY Buffalo State and is a current candidate for a Masters of Science in Creativity Studies.  Her creativity focus areas include wellness, physical climate, empathic listening, neuroscience, consciousness, intuition, inspiration and quantum mechanics.

The Nature Principle on Amazon

**Looking for more books on creativity? Visit the ICSC Amazon Bookstore. 

Kinesthetic Creativity

A Master's Project By: Adela Vangelisti

Graduate Student

International Center for Studies in Creativity

Buffalo State College

I don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t experience great joy expressing myself through movement. There was (and still is) nothing in the world I would rather do than dance. Throughout the years dance gave me a voice, and ballet shaped my character. Unfortunately, not all individuals are given the opportunity to be movers. Even though movement is as natural to humans as breathing, passivity starts early in schools. We are taught to sit still and in silence for long periods of time. By the time we reach adulthood and enter the workforce, we have almost forgotten our sense of embodiment. This lack of movement is counter-productive, not only to learning but to the development of creativity as well.

I entered into the Master’s program at the International Center for the Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State College searching for a way to enrich my self-expression beyond what I developed inside the ballet studio. I was looking to incorporate my creativity into a bigger picture. By the end of the program I became a creativity nurturer as well as a creativity doer.

Creativity, as it turns out, is not just for the artistic, it lives and thrives among people of all métiers. Body movement is also an innate human trait that operates at a pre-linguistic level; it is a type of visceral intelligence capable of advancing our creativity. Understanding through movement unleashes the unlimited creativity of our senses. Furthermore, creativity is, by definition, physical and pragmatic, because it utilizes thinking in a unique way that closely resembles action.

During my time in the program I was introduced to the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process. I was exhilarated to learn that there was a systematic way to capture and nurture our innate creativity. Furthermore, there was no reason why we couldn’t achieve brilliance on a regular basis following the four stages and guidelines of this process. However, the connection between movement and CPS came to fruition later as I began to explore this project.

At each stage of the process there is a variety of tools that facilitates our understanding. For instance, during brainstorming in the Ideation stage images are utilized to motivate connections and engage our visual sense. We are also encouraged to take guided mental excursions engaging our auditory sense. However, there is no tool that involves our proprioception sense and kinesthetic learning style. Thus, connecting my movement experience with CPS was the next logical step. For my Master’s Project, I designed a tool to recapture the joy and playfulness of movement. Furthermore, the tool seeks to improve kinesthetic intelligence and build a bridge between movement and creativity.

Throughout the investigation for the project I combined academic research on embodiment, metaphors, gestures, movement languages, ballroom dancing patterns, and children games. I conceptualized, laid out; prototyped, experimented, and evaluated a set of facilitator’s direction cards and participants mats, videotaping the final effort. Following are a few samples, to read the project in its entirety go to http://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/creativeprojects/ and to watch my video go to http://youtu.be/0vSoegpp5ZI!

Drawing upon research and my own experience, I suggested in my project that the body has a mind of its own and that movement is one of human beings’ most vital and adaptive traits. Understanding how the brain, body, and senses work together, we can establish and strengthen our neural connections and nurture them to perform better. In addition, I proposed that creativity is a form of problem solving that differs from traditional analytic thinking, and, thus, it benefits greatly from innovative tools that are multimodal.

My hope is that my Master Project helps to clarify aspects about the often-misunderstood art of dance, shatters the myth that learning through movement is childish, awkward, and unnecessary, and brings awareness about the least understood sense (sixth/kinesthetic) to a wider audience.

Read the entire Master’s project paper in the ICSC Digital Commons. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A recent graduate from the M.S. program, in creativity and change leadership at the International Center for Creative Studies at Buffalo State College, Adela is a native of México City and a former ballerina and fashion editor. Adela’s diversified background provides her with a unique understanding of the issues impacting corporate as well as educational organizations in the 21st century. She is certified as a Strategic Play LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY™, Creative Problem Solving (CPS), Neuro Design Engineer, as well as Technology of Participation facilitator. She is fluent in Spanish.

Quick and Nimble: Lessons From Leading CEOs on How to Create a Culture of Innovation

A book review by: Courtney Zwart

Buffalo State College

BOOK REVIEW OF ADAM BRYANT's Quick & NiMBLE

Introduction and Link to Creativity

Do you wish that you could pick the brains of leading CEOs on how to create a culture of innovation within your organization?  If so, then journalist Adam Bryant’s non-fiction book, “Quick and Nimble:  Lessons From Leading CEOs on How to Create a Culture of Innovation” is just the resource you are looking for.  If the name Adam Bryant sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the author of the New York Times’ weekly feature, “The Corner Office,” which provides highlights from discussions with today’s leaders about both leadership and management.

Drawing from discussions with more than 200 CEOs occurring between March 2009 and May 2013, Bryant distills their insights regarding essential ingredients of an effective corporate culture as well as leadership strategies for cultivating and sustaining innovation in organizations.  A journalist, not scholarly researcher, Bryant’s book represents a qualitative approach to identifying and understanding these ingredients.  

With this book, Bryant dives headfirst into one of the primary influences on creativity – the environment in which creativity operates.  Grounded in actual experiences – stories by CEOs – his book provides “practical tips and insights that would be useful and relevant for any organization” trying to build a culture of innovation and drive growth.  This work is an excellent complement to studies and assessments of optimal environments for creativity by researchers such a Teresa Amabile and Goran Ekvall.

Overview

The book is organized into two parts.  Part I, “Setting the Foundation,” delves into the necessary elements of an effective culture.  Part II, “Taking Leadership to the Next Level,” offers leadership strategies (that build on this foundation) to cultivate and embed innovation.

Elements detailed in Part I range from the high-level to the tactical.  The first, and perhaps most important chapter in the book, explores why culture matters: “A successful culture is like a greenhouse where people and ideas can flourish—where everybody in the organization, regardless of rank or role, feels encouraged to speak frankly and openly and is rewarded for sharing ideas about new products, more efficient processes, and better ways to serve customers.”  The last chapter in Part I discusses a much more tactical element, the hazards of e-mail, and offers that email “does nothing to build the connective links among people that foster a sense of teamwork, and you need teamwork to innovate.” 

Other chapters in Part I explore elements related to the importance of a simple plan (no more than three measurable goals), values and their adherence (enforce them with a zero-tolerance policy), culture of respect, trust within the team and timely and instructive feedback.  The latter is especially critical as Bryant advises, “these conversations can uncork energy that is otherwise bottled up because people are reluctant to say what’s really on their minds.”

Leadership strategies detailed in Part II offer ways that organizations can build on the foundation established in Part I.  These include strategies related to communication, management, learning and fun.  Communication-related strategies include elements such as consistent (and frequent – there is no such thing as over-communication) communication of the organization’s vision and goals by the leader and encouragement of feedback, in all directions, to surface problems.  Management-related strategies include management training (especially on emotional intelligence), how to run a smarter meeting (hint:  it lies in having an agenda and being clear about decision makers) and actions to be taken to break down silos within organizations.  “Learning” is a key strategy, as, Bryant articulates, “creating an environment of continuing education” will help retain the brightest employees.  Finally, pursuing strategies that promote playfulness are critical, Bryant advises us, because “there’s nothing like some good, honest fun and a few shared laughs to bring people together and provide some glue for the team.”  Strategies on this topic offered by CEOs include pajama days and Disco Friday (breaks during which people dance in the hall).

Reaction and Ideas

What Bryant has assembled is a highly instructive treasure trove of elements that leaders have incorporated into their organizations to help cultivate and sustain creativity and innovation.  And, he has done so in an engaging way – the stories told by CEOs are powerful and detail live application of strategies.  However, every organization is different, so the readers should take caution not to try to apply strategies outright, but to customize them for their organizations.

The book reinforces my belief and experience that the environment, especially the psychological environment in which the creative operates, is one of the biggest drivers of both creativity and innovation.  It also echoes my thinking about the critical role leaders play in deliberately cultivating and sustaining supportive environments, especially as it relates to establishing trust and respect and working as one team.  In my professional life, I have seen the negative impact on creativity and innovation that occurs when these elements are absent and, going forward, I will champion their prioritization.

Where the book falls short of expectations for me is in the lack of connection of these strategies to actual business results related to creativity and innovation.  As a follow on, or follow up, it would be great to see Bryant elicit and summarize measurable impacts of these strategies.  Additionally, Bryant doesn’t provide commentary on key environmental dimensions known to positively impact creativity and innovation in organizations, such as diverse work teams and having autonomy over how one completes one’s work.  It is widely accepted that we learn through story and it would be valuable to include CEO tales on these dimensions.  If Adam Bryant is listening, perhaps this just provided him fodder for a sequel to this important and timely book.

References

Amabile, T. M., Conti, R., Coon, H., Lazenby, J., & Herron, M. (1996). Assessing the work

environment for creativity. The Academy of Management Journal, 39(5), 1154-1184.

Bryant, A. (2014). Quick and nimble: Lessons from leading CEOs on how to create a culture of innovation. New York, NY:  Times Books.

Ekvall, G. (1996). Organizational climate for creativity and innovation. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5(1), 105-123.

About Courtney Zwart:

A seasoned innovator with a passion for creativity, Courtney has spent most of her career creating, developing and implementing novel solutions to business problems.  She has held senior level positions in innovation and new product development at both J.P. Morgan Chase and Citibank and currently consults with individuals and organizations on applying creative problem solving processes to business challenges and goals.

Courtney has facilitated creative problem solving sessions, and delivered workshops on deliberate creativity, at Fortune 500 companies including Citibank, HSBC, CVS Caremark Corporation and Loews Corporation. She also instructs on creativity at colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system.

She received an MBA in Marketing from Vanderbilt University and a BA from the University of Virginia. She holds certificates in Design Thinking from both the Darden School of Business and the Creative Problem Solving Institute.  She also holds a Master of Science degree in Creativity, Creative Problem Solving and Change Leadership from the internationally recognized Center for Studies in Creativity at SUNY Buffalo State.  She can be reached at

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/courtney-zwart/2/320/767

Quick and Nimble on Amazon

**Looking for more books on creativity? Visit the ICSC Amazon Bookstore.