RESTORING
EXECUTIVE CREATIVITY
Gerald Haman is
convinced: Creativity and innovation are the keys to success in business. And,
at the headquarters of his
People who attend sessions at Mr. Haman's "Thinkubator" enter a loft
environment that sets the traditional concept of a work space on its head.
Baskets of toys, giant bean-bag chairs and a library of books on subjects like
meditation and becoming an optimist fill the room.
"Tests show that by the age of 40, most adults are about 2% as creative as
they were at age 5," says Mr. Haman, whose client roster includes Chrysler
Corp., Lucent Technologies Inc., Valvoline Oil Co. and Peoples Energy Corp.
"Education, which teaches us to memorize, follow the rules, think
logically and get serious, may be one of the reasons. But you can be taught how
to rediscover your creativity."
And that's what Mr. Haman, who refers to himself as a "creatician,"
has set out to do, with a mix of tools, toys and games, art supplies and a dash
of the latest research in psychology and meditation techniques.
In the 1980s, corporate training sessions focused on leadership and
team-building. Today, employees at all levels are being taught how to improve
their creative and innovative thinking skills. According to Training Magazine,
48% of
Recognizing the need for creative thinking -- but perhaps lacking all the tools
to foster it -- many managers fall back on the age-old "brainstorming
session," sometimes with unsatisfying results.
"In typical brainstorming sessions, you get about a 5% return on the
mish-mash of ideas," says Gary Vlk, a partner at One Smooth Stone in
But turning "brainstormed" ideas into valuable or profitable
solutions is the next step. Mr. Haman says that's where innovation training
comes in.
"Innovation training is at the core of improving profitability and
employee satisfaction," he says.
So, he's developed hands-on tools to teach clients the fundamentals of
innovation. Among them is his KnowBrainer, a deck of cards containing key terms
that executive teams can use to spark ideas, such as "investigate
needs," "evaluate solutions" and "activate plans."
Mr. Haman emphasizes the need to visualize what other people need and want -- a
'90s spin on the old "the customer is always right" maxim. With that
in mind, a recent client, Cole Creative Group, worked with Mr. Haman and the KnowBrainer
on a plan for pitching its product.
"Our mind-set was that we had a great product and great promotion, so why
wouldn't our customer want us?" says President Chris Cole. "But
Gerald helped us put ourselves in the customer's shoes and think about her
needs first."
By JANICE ROSENBERG - April 06, 1998 – Reprinted with permission