HOW TO MANAGE CREATIVE PEOPLE
Creativity and innovation in business have been hot topics inrecent years. Ever since Peters and Waterman's In Search of Excellencedefined excellent companies as those that are "continuously innovative," it seems as though innovation has become the latest management buzzword. The In Search of Excellence authors maintained that "innovative companiesare especially adroit at continually responding to change of any sort intheir environments." Since most companies are faced with rapidly changing environmentsin today's business world, innovation, which is the result of creativethinking, is imperative. Over one-half of the Fortune 500 companies haveadopted some sort program in creative thinking or problem solving in thelast several years. Few businesses have a more rapidly changing environment than themedia industries do. Thus, few business need innovation and creativepeople more. This need requires brings up three questions: 1) How do youtell the difference between people that are creative and those that merelythink they are, 2) how do you manage creative people, and 3) in what typeof jobs will creative people be most effective.
How to Recognize Creative People
The first question is particularly important in media because thebusiness tends to attract scores of people who want to express themselvesor to act "creative." However, there is a big difference between wantingto be thought of as creative and actually being creative. Creativity canbe measured, and true creativity fulfills at least three conditions:
1. It involves a response or an idea that is novel or least statisticallyinfrequent and must be adaptive to, or of, reality.
2. It must solve a problem, fit a situation, or accomplish some recognizable goal. 3. It must involve sustaining the original insight, an evaluation andelaboration of it, and a developing of it to the full.
Creativity from this point of view is a process extended in timeand characterized by originality, adaptiveness, and realization. Theseconditions are the one's reported in Wolfle's book, The Discovery ofTalent, which reports on a six-year study conducted at the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley, on creativity. Applying this definition to media industry context, it suggeststhat simply being new or different is not enough, an idea must also have apractical, problem-solving application. Too often newspeople, discjockeys, program directors, news directors, or sales managers want to try something just because it is new and different (creative, they think), but if it does not help accomplish the goals of an organization or solve a practical,reality-based problem, an idea is not only not creative, it is virtuallyuseless. There is no virtue in being different; the only virtue an ideahas is in being useful--in solving a problem. In fact, many people equate being different with being creative. Many people get in the media business because they have strong needs to berecognized, to be loved, to gain approval, and to be noticed, and theyoften attempt to satisfy these needs by trying to be different. Butdifferent does not necessarily mean creative. In a book titled Characteristics of the Creative Individual,Raudsepp writes that truly creative people are intensely career orientedand devote enormous amounts of energy to their work. They pay particularattention to the intrinsic satisfactions in their work (they view theirwork as an end in itself)--they look for interesting, stimulating,challenging, and creative projects. They need a variety of problems,professional and organizational recognition of their achievements (soundfamiliar--"my boss doesn't appreciate me"), ascending degreesof responsibilities and steady advancement and self-realization. They donot look for easy, comfortable situations, but want to utilize theirtalents, aptitudes and interests to the fullest. Truly creative people tend to have the following characteristics:
1. They are self-confident, often to the point of arrogance (as opposed to many people who get in the broadcasting and cable business seeking love and approval to bolster a low self-image).2. They are enthusiastic.3. They are optimistic.4. They can examine things impartially and objectively.5. They are constructively discontented.6. They are dynamic.7. They have diverse interests.8. They are honest with themselves.9. They are not self-satisfied and complacent.10. They are not afraid to ask questions that show ignorance.11. They are not afraid of making a mistake and are risk takers.12. They do not seek approval from others or society.13. They will not compromise on those things they hold dear.14. They engage in hobbies which require concentration and exercise of problem-solving abilities.15. They strive for perfection.16. They have an uncommon capacity for self-instruction.17. They are flexible and can tolerate a high degree of ambiguity.18. They are highly motivated.19. They are uncommonly persistent.20. They have an unusual ability to concentrate.21. They constantly expand knowledge.22. They dislike being bossed or policed.23. They are intensely absorbed in their work.24. They have above-average intelligence.
The last point is interesting. Research has shown that in order tobe creative a person has to have above-average intelligence, somewhere inthe neighborhood of an IQ over 125 or 130, but after that threshold ofintelligence has been reached, there is no correlation between highercreativity and higher intelligence. In other words, a person withabove-average intelligence can be as creative as a genius. Furthermore, the creative process involves the following elements:1. Gaining a great deal of fundamental knowledge2. A period of incubation in which this large store of knowledge ferments in the brain3. An uncommonly large amount of time spent in analysis4. An absorption in details
Creative activity typically comes in spurts and streaks and israrely, if ever, continuous, and dry spells do not mean the creativejuices have dried up--they are just resting and incubating. Creativity issubject to personal, internal blocking mechanisms that can be overcome attimes by discussion and verbalization. Finally, creativity is grounded inexpertise. In the book by Ettema and Whitney, Individuals in Mass MediaOrganizations: Creativity and Constraints, well-known television producerQuinn Martin is quoted as saying that producing successful entertainmentis "75% craft and 25% creativity...you need to know the rules before youcan break them."
How to Manage Creative People
To manage creative people, the most important thing to keep inmind is that they are happiest when they get little or no supervision. They like to be independent and autonomous. Creative people intenselydislike doing routine, low-grade chores and paperwork. They work best inan atmosphere of freedom--freedom to experiment and to make mistakes. Thus, a favorable environment and the proper style of supervision areabsolutely critical to creative people's success. It is impossible toseparate creative people from the environment in which they operate. Formanagers to mold an environment that is maximally conducive to creativity,they must be extremely careful about giving criticism. Criticism must be in the form of feedback that a creative personviews as attempt to help, to teach, and not in the form of anythingapproaching personal criticism. Criticism must be done in an encouragingmanner. Amabile in The Social Psychology of Creativity writes that"Criticism and imparting feelings of failure will destroycreativity--avoiding them are the keys to fostering creativity." Theauthor states that the "...work environments most conducive to thefulfillment of creative potential may include a high level of workerresponsibility for initiating new activities, a low level of interferencefrom administrative superiors, and a high stability in employment." Thus, there are several don'ts in dealing with truly creativeemployees: Don't interfere, don't criticize (give specific feedback),don't compare them to others, and don't threaten them with the loss oftheir jobs (either love and support them to the hilt or fire them--there'svirtually no room in between). It means in the case of creative people who have a great deal ofadministrative work to do, that it is probably best to give them anassistant to help and to keep them away from routinized, repetitive work. Avoiding the cost of an assistant is usually penny wise and pound foolishwith truly creative employees. Managers who successfully deal with creative employees tend toshow the following characteristics: 1. They respect individual differences.2. They understand the creative process.3. They have professional knowledge (expertise).4. They know how to communicate sympathetically with creative people.5. They give credit and recognition.6. They take calculated risks.7. They provide inspiration in the form of support and encouragement of ideas.8. They bolster self-confidence.9. They are flexible and have flexible organizations. 10. They welcome and encourage constructive nonconformity, individuality, and diversity.11. They involve creative people in the planning and decision-making process at the earliest possible moment.12. They allow creative people to try their pet projects and ideas without fear of criticism.
Nurturing Creative People In a June 1994 Fortune article, titled "How To Nurture CreativeSparks," author Alan Farnham gives several rules for nurturing creativepeople:
1. Accommodate: Creative people tend to be high maintenance. Managers mustkeep their doors open and let creative people have access to them. Creative people usually need constant stroking. So stroke. Also, creativepeople cannot choose when they create--ideas come to them at odd times. Accommodate to their schedules. Never, never, never punish failure. Managers must learn to celebrate failures as learning experiences forcreatives.
2. Stimulate: Management must find ways to stimulate creativethinking: trips or green and purple offices if creatives want them. Creatives must be encouraged to gaze out the window. They do not alwayshave to be doing something.
3. Recognize and reward--the right way:"Since creative people tend to be self-starters, giving them greaterautonomy can be a powerful reward," writes Farnham. The worst type ofincentive is for a manager to try to hog credit. Creatives want to beknown for their work and ideas--that is where they get their powerfulintrinsic rewards. Creatives care about what their peers think, so peerrecognition is vitally important. Managers should enter the output oftheir creative people in awards. Money, an extrinsic reward, is notespecially valued by creatives.
4. Direct (lightly) and give feedback:Creative people need deadlines, otherwise they will stay in an explorationmode too long. On the other hand, they hate specific directions. They needfeedback on how they are progressing, but do not like to get feedback frommanagers. If they can see research, talk to audience members, or hear fromtheir peers, they take feedback better than from managers, who they feeltry to control them.
5. Protect them: Managers have to protect creativepeople from dullards who do not understand the creative process. Managersalso have to protect creatives from restrictive, corporate-mandatedpaperwork and rules.
Placing Creative People in Jobs Creative people are best suited for jobs where they can grow,learn, accomplish goals, avoid personal criticism and comparison, workindependently and autonomously, and in which there is little or norepetitive, routinized work. In other words, if your employees arerequired to follow rules in an exact manner or if you allow little or noleeway in making decisions, then do not hire truly creative people--you'lldestroy their motivation. On the other hand, if you need new ideas and anew approach, hire creative people and give them plenty of leeway andsupport.
Summary If there were one word that summarizes what creative employeesneed from a manager, it would be encouragement. When feedback isnecessary, it must be put in a context of "here's some suggestions on howyou can do it even better," not in a context of "here's what you didwrong." Two other concepts that are vitally important to remember indealing with creative people are participation and autonomy--let themparticipate in decisions and then give them autonomy on how to carry outtheir assignments. And, finally, remember that your entire approach shouldbe to make these rare, invaluable creative people feel like winners tobuild their confidence. How do you treat associates that are not truly creative? Generally, the same way you treat creative people. If you treat everyoneas though they were creative, and if you expect everyone to be creative,you might find that they will become, in the best case, truly creativeand, in the worst case, at least happier. Plus, you'll be astonished asthe number of good ideas that bubble up.