The Creativity at Work Blog

Highlights from the American Creativity Association Conference in Singapore

I was invited to speak at the ACA conference which took place the last week in February in Singapore. 200 people attended from 33+ countries, making this a truly international meeting. I love being part of conferences in far off lands, because it is an opportunity to meet new people and experience other cultures in ways that would not be possible when traveling as a tourist.

The theme of the conference was cross-cultural creativity. What is cross-cultural creativity all about? I don’t have a definitive answer, but in my experience, when people value creativity, they tend to have certain attributes which foster camaraderie: having a sense of humour, being open-minded, being an active listener, and being curious. We were united by a shared passion for creativity and cultural differences added extra spice for great conversation.

Meetings like this are examples of what Thomas L. Friedman, author of the World is Flat calls Globalization 3.0 — individuals and small groups globalizing.

Many of us were asking: where do I/we fit into the global competition and opportunities presented by the creative economy, and how can I/we collaborate with others globally? Delegates from China, Africa, India, and Malaysia are as zealous about creativity and innovation as Americans. The secret is out, creativity is the key to escaping from commodity hell.

I chose to speak about two cultures in particular: Art and Business, and how the arts can be used to strategically to cultivate leadership, creativity and innovation in organizations. I have been working with people from different cultures for many years — Canada after all is a multi-cultural society, and I have found that art provides a universal language which unites and engages people in all their diversity. When we connect with each other through imagery, metaphor, and imagination, we create a common ground from which to communicate and collaborate.

One of the highlights of the conference of me, was the keynote delivered by Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, CEO / President of The LEGO Group. He said the purpose of Lego is to help children become creative in an extremely logical fashion. Did you know all ten thousand pieces of Lego fit together and that they manufacture approximately 20 billion bricks per year? That?s 600 pieces per second!

Knudstorp’s innovation process began with a question ?How do we think about the future? Leaders must ask ?How do we adapt the enterprise?? Continued here

Tony Buzan, the UK-based inventor of Mind Maps, presented some of the latest on memory and the brain in his keynote.

When you train your memory and train your imagination, there is a remarkable increase in concentration, study skills and creativity, while at the same time raising your IQ.

He asked us to write down the nine planets that orbit our Solar System in sequential order from the sun. Most people in the audience got the answer wrong. He then gave us a visual mnemonic to help us remember the sequence.

Ulises Pabon an innovation consultant based in Puerto Rico, gave a presentation on the science of creativity in which he asked, “What is the common algorithm, what is the connection between creativity, intuition and logical thinking?”

Gestalt theory helps us find this connection by looking at the whole of something, as well as its parts. Lascaux cave paintings were more than paintings, they were also a language that conveys a concept. We have progressed from communicating through pictures, to pictographic symbols to alphabets. Pictographs represent concepts, while symbols represent sounds. We can approach problems with more depth and breadth if we integrate the two, and explore overlapping patterns of interpretation.

Kirpal Singh, creativity guru , SMU prof, and our ACA conference chair, noted “There are religious outlooks, beliefs and attitudes which block creativity. All religious leaders, including Jesus and Buddha, have stepped out of societal norms and been reviled for doing so. Creative furvour is similar to religion. As leaders, We need to create rapture instead of rupture.”

Pavan Choudary, CEO of Vygon (India) observes that “In the world of power, there are broadly two kinds of people: the Viles for whom only ends matter and the Naives for whom means are as important as the ends. The path of goodness coupled with creativity and wisdom is the only way to an enduring victory.” Choudary shared wisdom from his book When You Are Sinking Become a Submarine.

Bernard Harrison an outspoken Singaporean best known for designing the Singapore Night Safari gave a highly visual and provocative presentation on cross-cultural creativity. His images juxtaposed Eastern and Western cultures/values, and the most striking for me were two images of men taking a shower. One showed a man under a showerhead, and the other showed a man under a peeing camel.

Harrison posed questions echoed by other Singaporean presenters: Can Singapore foster a creative society? Does it even want to be creative? I find that question, and the debate it engenders fascinating. I personally believe creativity is as much our birthright as sunshine and water.

He blames the educational system for squeezing creativity out of its children through rote learning, the purpose being to produce model civil servants, or good factory workers who can follow instructions (I was educated the same way in Canada). He also drew a distinction between creativity and innovation:

The fundamental difference is that innovative people shift paradigms while creative people create new paradigms.

Harrison also discussed measurements for creativity and innovation based on Michael Porter?s Innovation Capacity Index (Singapore does well in that index), Richard Florida?s Global Creative-Class Index, and the Nobel prize index (Singapore is not on either list).

For further reading check out Harrison’s article Can Singapore become a create society?

My own Whole-Brain Thinking workshops in Singapore, are filled with managers from major government organisations, so from what I have experienced, Singapore recognises the need to take innovation to the next level in value creation through creativity

Visit The American Creativity Association Website for details about membership and next years conference which takes place in Seattle.

Globalization 3.0 in Action

Ralph Kerle, CEO of the Creative Leadership Forum, and I have crossed paths at various international conferences over the years, and last month we co-presented an Artful Leader Master class to a group of CEOs, entrepreneurs and artists in Sydney Australia. It was loads of fun designing and delivering the workshop and we got great feedback from participants:

The Artful Leader Master Class has reminded me of the importance of not just talking about creativity, but practicing it on a regular basis. I know for me, it will be in the ongoing application of these techniques that the true value is discovered.
– Senior Consultant, Events Tasmania

A mind opening exploration of how to promote creativity and the value of artistic approaches in everyday business
– General Manager, Tourism Australia

There was a real richness to all the activities in this master class. My eyes answered questions, my hands created curiosity, I had a wonderful in-depth conversation with no words while the day just went too quickly. As well as having a day to work out my own creative skills, I left with a box of tools that will help me inspire creativity in many others. Thank you.
– CEO, Magnolia Learning

If you would like a master class to develop creative leadership skills in your organisation please contact me.

In the meantime,

Happy creating,
Linda Naiman

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