Creative Leadership

Presenter: Terry Flannery, Assistant VP, Uuniversity of Maryland

Creativity and integration defined

• Integration is a process of combining or accumulating. Integration in marketing refers to a strategy informed by multiple relevant pespectives, which is designed to reach multiple audiences, using multiple tactics to create message redundancy.
• Quote: “Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties” (Erich Fromm)
• Quote: “You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star” (Friedrich Nietzche)
• Quote: “Odd how the creative power at once brings the whole universe to order” (Virginia Woolf)

What kinds of leadership foster creativity and integration for brainstorming

• Democratic style fosters creativity and integration.
  • Emphasizes participation and delegation.
  • Identifies the problem or challenge, not the potential solutions.
  • Articulates any legitimate parameters.
  • Values originality as much as past experience.
  • Employs consensus for decisions, when appropriate.
  • Encourages project time frames that allow for brainstorming, consensus, integration.
  • Is open, trusting, and values expertise of others.
  • Rewards performance of groups, not just individuals.
• Autocratic style limits participation and controls results.
  • Micromanages or controls tasks.
  • Predisposes or prescribes outcomes.
  • Discourages innovation.
  • Values proven performance and past practice over original thinking.
  • Identifies possible solutions to problems when assigning scope of task.
  • Values leader’s experience based on trust.
  • Sets a time line for tasks that value action and implementation.
  • Reward staff primarily for individual contributions.
• Note: crisis communications may benefit more from autocratic styles.

Cultivating creativity for integrated outcomes

At the beginning…

• Create cross-functional teams. If possible, allow some experimentation in new roles. Seeing things from different perspectives created new understanding and expands ideas.
• Be clear about expectations. Review purpose and requirements.
• Set parameters at appropriate points.
• Allow/plan time in production schedules.

Next …

• Find an environment that release members form regular routines, encourages team interaction.
  • Limit interruptions.
  • Focus on purpose.
  • Encourage comfort (dress, refreshments, climate, etc.)

Use creativity exercises and refresh openness

• Use art supplies, games to warm up.
• When ideas slow down, try another exercise to generate fresh ideas.

Begin brainstorming

• No idea is a bad idea — no criticism.
• Avoid censoring selves.
• Take risks.
• Keep groups small. If overall group is large, break into smaller groups and process feedback in a larger group.

Don’t walk away from initial brainstorming with a plan for next steps

• Distribute responsibities.
• Take time to synthesize.
• Schedule next milestones for team to get together.

And, finally, outside the confines of a specific project, cultivate through on-going measures

• Minimize boundaries of professional training, budgets, office space.
• Reward (reasonable) risk and collaboration.
• Encourage outings, professional development opportunities, and recognition programs that inspire and reward