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Who Killed Creativity?: ...And How Do We Get It Back?

Who Killed Creativity?: ...And How Do We Get It Back?

by Jason Gallate, Gaia Grant, Andrew Grant
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Release Date: June 2012
ISBN: 9781118232552
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Book Description

The essential guide to building a culture of creativity and innovation throughout an organization

Your help is needed to crack an unsolved crime: creative thinking is critical for future fulfillment and survival, and yet it is now declining at an alarming rate. In this original mystery-style approach, you will have the opportunity to match your knowledge against that of the latest brain researchers, psychologists, and sociologists as you are taken on a humorous and often startling journey to discover why creativity is dying an untimely death. The '7 Rescue Strategies' then provide proven innovation solutions, from personal issues through to organizational imperatives. Authors Andrew and Gaia Grant have travelled the world for more than 25 years working with more than 20,000 international keynote and workshop participants in more than 30 countries at all levels.

With a fascinating forensic approach, revealing carefully researched facts and anecdotal insights, this is a compelling modern tale. And there is a final twist that will leave you wondering.... Can we really live happily ever after?

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Table of Contents
  3. Title Page
  4. Foreword
  5. Part I: Who killed creativity?
    1. Chapter 1: Investigating the crime scene
      1. Is creative thinking that important?
      2. Is creative death imminent? The vital statistics
      3. Are you creative?
    2. Chapter 2: Who killed creativity, and with what weapons?
      1. Stage 1: oppression - the use of control and fear to limit open thinking
      2. Stage 2: restriction - the use of pressure and insulation to restrict ideas
      3. Stage 3: degeneration - inhibition of growth driven by apathy
      4. Stage 4: destruction - destructive narrow-mindedness and pessimism
    3. Chapter 3: Where has creativity died?
      1. Locating the crime hotspots - from the boss's office to the coffee shop
      2. Any time, any place
    4. Chapter 4: Why save creativity?
      1. Innovation is a necessity, not a luxury
      2. Innovate, don't amputate
  6. Part II: … And how can we get it back?
    1. Chapter 5: The forensic lab report
      1. Exercising the brain: stretch, but don't snap
      2. To what extent can creative thinking be taught?
      3. The brain workout
      4. Slowing down for the synaptic fire-up
      5. Triggering the brain's ‘on/off' switch
      6. New paths to superior thinking
    2. Chapter 6: How can creativity be saved?
      1. Stage 1: liberation - the freedom and courage to step out and think freely
      2. Stage 2: initiation - the independence and openness to let go and grow
      3. Stage 3: motivation - the passion to drive transformation
      4. Stage 4: transformation - the flexibility and positivity to make real changes
    3. Chapter 7: Where can creativity be revived?
      1. Building innovation hothouses - revisiting the boss's office and the coffee shop
      2. Bringing the bedroom to the boardroom
    4. Chapter 8: And they lived happily ever after … or did they?
      1. Can the killers be redeemed … and are the rescuers squeaky clean?
      2. The yin and yang of creativity
      3. Playing with fire and other disruptive innovations
      4. Innovate or die - the commercial and social consequences of regeneration
      5. Change is inevitable, so scale the slopes constructively
      6. Why the Mexico rubbish dump dwellers might just save the planet
    5. Chapter 9: The rescue plan in action
      1. Disarming the killers
      2. Coming the full circle: the complete Creative Thinking Life Cycle ModelTM