9 laws of creativity — How to inspire a creative organisational culture

1. Conformity is opposite to creativeness

The level of conformity in an organisation is in inverse to its creative ability.

Controlling a creative person is difficult. Often its impossible. Creative minds violate convention and tradition without thinking. Creative people often dress strangely or work odd hours.

Creative people can’t turn themselves on or off.

Creative people protest and challenge. Its part of how they work.

Organisations that value creativity must develop tolerance for this unconventional behaviour.

Managers must learn to tolerate and channel this behaviour.

Originations must cherish “non-conformity”. If not creative people will leave. Conformity kills creativity.

“Creativity flourishes in environments that are the antithesis of most corporate environments” Sally Bibb.

Solution: If you can’t change the culture to accept creatives at your business. Set up an innovation lab.

Example: Xerox PARC. Xerox was a conformist organisation. But Xerox PARC was incredibly creative. Steve Jobs took their greatest ideas in 1979. Apple took the idea of the graphical…