How organizations shape imagination

Most conversations about creativity tend to focus on individuals. We talk about creative talent. Creative confidence, creative techniques, brainstorming methods, innovation workshops… The underlying assumption is usually the same: If we want more creative outcomes, we need more creative people.

After reading The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge, I'm not so sure.

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Are we starved for ideas?

I've been in a number of meetings about the future. Visioning sessions, innovation workshops, blue-sky brainstorming…the kind of meetings where someone eventually says: "Let's assume there are no constraints."

Which is usually how you know there are quite a few constraints.

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Why UX Innovation Never Actually Sticks

There’s a moment where I know an “innovative” project isn’t going to make it.

The work is thoughtful. Ambitious. Sometimes even a little uncomfortable—in a good way. It pushes on how things currently work. It asks users (and the system) to do something different. It feels like innovation.

And then someone asks:

“So… when can we deliver this?”

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