The Creative Revolution

This is the place of the open mind, the outside of the box. This is the place of the better future.

[stanfordgsb]

Professor Jennifer Aaker discusses how connections to colleagues, friends, and even strangers influence happiness.

[thebuildblog]

The notion that ‘content is king’ on the internet platform is kind of silly, really. This solely because the internet is an information delivery platform — i.e., it’s here to distribute content. Of course, given this, content would be a critical element.

That’s like saying that magazines are key...

[thecreativerevolution-blog]

This is a wonderful note about the internet. Click the link above for the full article.

[stanfordgsb]

[thinkvr]

Social marketing is ahead of the curve while social HR and social supply chain are behind. (via The Latest Social Business Adoption Data)

[creativemornings]

“The unfortunate thing about being a very curious person, is that doing one thing is not enough. You need diversity.”

James Burke, User Experience, Information Architect at Choke Point Project speaking at CreativeMornings/Amsterdam(*watch the talk)

[thinkvr]

Excerpts from Jon Husband blog on Enterprise Collaborative:

A primary tool in designing work and structure is job evaluation. The methods used today were created in the mid-1950’s and haven’t changed much since then. Their core assumptions are directly derived from, and have helped embed,…

Click the link above for a larger summary.

[nycedc]

This Friday, December 7th from 12 - 1 PM, I’ll break some new ground and hold the first of what promises to be regular Office Hours. But since we’re all about tech, I’m going to do it online—Virtual Office Hours—using Google Hangouts. Register here.

We can talk about Fundraising,...

[thecreativerevolution-blog]

Click the link above for more text.

[thecreativerevolution-blog]

Click on the title for the link.

Obviously, Google has a much larger bank account to dip into than that of most businesses, especially small to medium sized businesses (1-50 employees). However, most of the principles behind these tactics are incredibly applicable in any office scenario. 

Giving employees more autonomy, more time for lunch, and even creating less of a tiered environment; these are all tactics that are starting to be adopted by larger companies, with incredible success.

[thecreativerevolution-blog]

Creative Author: Daniel Pink

The author of the book The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel H. Pink writes about the importance of engagement in the workplace, and emphasizes that autonomy is the key to success for employees. Autonomy is defined as the right and freedom of the employee to make their own decisions regarding their work. This allows for what he calls "flow" or an increased fluidity of the individual employee and the organization as a whole.

“While complying can be an effective strategy for physical survival, it's a lousy one for personal fulfillment. Living a satisfying life requires more than simply meeting the demands of those in control. Yet in our offices and our classrooms we have way too much compliance and way too little engagement. The former might get you through the day, but only the latter will get you through the night.” 

“One source of frustration in the workplace is the frequent mismatch between what people must do and what people can do. When what they must do exceeds their capabilities, the result is anxiety. When what they must do falls short of their capabilities, the result is boredom. But when the match is just right, the results can be glorious. This is the essence of flow.” 

“in flow, the relationship between what a person had to do and what he could do was perfect. The challenge wasn't too easy. Nor was it too difficult. It was a notch or two beyond his current abilities, which stretched the body and mind in a way that made the effort itself the most delicious reward. That balance produced a degree of focus and satisfaction that easily surpassed other, more quotidian, experiences. In flow, people lived so deeply in the moment, and felt so utterly in control, that their sense of time, place, and even self melted away. They were autonomous, of course. But more than that, they were engaged.” 

All quotes by Daniel H. Pink

[thecreativerevolution-blog]

The Beginning

Welcome to the Revolution of Creativity.

I've heard a thousand times the age-old phrase, "We learn best from our mistakes." We learn what not to do, and refine our process of thinking, of acting, to meet the same challenge head-on with a different approach. Before we become forward thinkers, we can look back at our nation's successes, our world's advancements. Every positive change has been achieved by one creative thought at a time, and the battle these thinkers fought before it became a reality. 

Many self-help enthusiasts repeat the concept of the Law of Attraction. If you want something badly enough, you'll find yourself working towards that goal, and that much closer to obtaining it. If you want something, you will have it. I want the world to change. I don't want my name on a headline, but I will work to have one more person smile as they walk to work, finally excited to go to a job that is changing to meet the needs of the future. I will work to see a family share a laugh with new neighbors in a village that is returning to a close-knit community the likes of which we haven't seen in fifty years. 

I've never written before about what I want. We shy from it as a culture. We can point at those that have too much, and those that have too little. We don't realize that with creativity, teamwork, and good nature we can seize what we want while simultaneously benefiting everyone around us.

This blog is about our potential as one race to reign in our creativity. It is to work together on a better future in production, representation, and analysis of the workplace, society, and culture. I want to make this blog a focal point for this channeled creativity. Send me your ideas, your inventions, every dream and innovation. Send me complaints about your job, send me the questions that keep you up at night. Send me the stories of your unique solution to an everyday problem, send me the whispers that you know could change the world.

This is the place of the open mind, the outside of the box. This is the place of the better future.