Managers Must Do More To Encourage Creativity, Says De Bono

Management expert Edward de Bono of http://www.thinkingmanagers.com says managers should do more to encourage their staff to be creative and, in fact, make it an expectation.

(PRWEB) October 2, 2005 -- Lateral thinking expert Edward de Bono, joint author of Letter to Thinking Managers and its sister website http://www.thinkingmanagers.com, says everyone should seek to be creative in the workplace, even though creativity is full of risks and uncertainties.

In the latest issue of Letter to Thinking Managers, a monthly newsletter written by De Bono and fellow management expert Robert Heller offering insight and advice on business leadership and innovation, De Bono says managers should do more to encourage their staff to be creative and, in fact, make it an expectation.

De Bono explains the thinking of those who are deterred from coming up with new ideas: "If things are going well, who needs creativity? If things are going badly, then there is no time for the uncertainties of creativity.

"If you set out to be creative - and even if you use the powerful tools of lateral thinking - you cannot be sure of a result."

However, those who have used creativity effectively in the past are usually more willing to look for new ideas. "Confidence is a key factor in creative effort," explains De Bono.

He adds: "Those who have succeeded in having creative ideas in the past are much more willing to make a creative effort. They know from experience that new ideas are possible. They have experienced the joy and achievement of having a new idea."

But De Bono stresses that managers must do more to encourage creative efforts in their business.

"How do you build up confidence if school does not encourage creativity, and the workplace does not expect it?" he asks.

De Bono suggests: "To get creativity into an organisation you must make it an 'expectation. At the end of every meeting, the chairperson must allocate the last fifteen minutes to 'anyone who is exploring a new idea. If no one has anything to say, they are told they are not doing their job.

"A creative 'Hit List' of areas which need new thinking should be produced and made visible to everyone. Executives are then expected to work on items from this list - either as individuals or as assigned teams."

In conclusion, De Bono says: "The effort to have ideas is key. If new ideas are an expectation, then people will make an effort to have new ideas."

For more on De Bono and Heller, visit http://www.thinkingmanagers.com.

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