Making the Team: A Guide for Managers

Chapter 8. Creativity: Mastering Strategies for High Performance

A large group of microbiology laboratories were studied over a period of time. Each laboratory was staffed with trained scientists, and the goal of each lab was to make new discoveries. Over time, some labs distinguished themselves in terms of having more breakthrough discoveries. The laboratories that were more successful in terms of developing new ideas—as measured by the number of new patents, and so on—did not have a larger staff, nor were its scientists better paid or smarter. The key differences between the highly creative laboratories and the other labs were threefold: Diversity in staff member training and experience; paying attention to inconsistencies and failures; and ...