Dr. Edward De Bono on Creativity

— Far too many people believe that creativity is just being different. True creativity must deliver real value.
— Technology itself will not provide new ideas. It is better used to achieve or deliver a designed value.
— All valuable creative ideas are logical in hindsight (with an unfortunate Catch 22 – that it is therefore not seen as being creative).
— There is no substitute for business competence, efficiency and cost control. But business also has to deliver real value.
— There are two main uses for creativity. First to do what you are doing in a better way. Second to do better things.
— If you are inhibited it is difficult to be creative. But making you uninhibited does not itself make you creative.
— It is not enough to have innovation as an intention. You need to do something about it.
— There is a need to allocate time to creative thinking. And a need for formal creative training.
— New ideas should receive formal recognition, even if they are never used. Having your ideas recognised is extremely motivating.
— Allocate space, responsibility and clear expectations for creative thinking, in the same way you would for other business processes).
— If clear objectives are not set, new ideas are a risk.
— Establish channels for ideas to flow through the organisation. That way, once ideas are created, they can be judged on their merits, rather than being lost in they system.
— Humour is by far the most significant behaviour of the brain, revealing the fact that our brain patterns are not symmetric (the route from A to B is not necessarily the same as the route from B to A).
— Set out a creative hit list which lays out the areas which new thinking needs to target.
— Every organisation should have a “concept department”.