The Creative Paradox - Overcoming Uncertainty

Why do people want to reject a creative idea?  You can see it happening in meetings when a solution that is just too novel is suggested.  People disengage with the process – it’s not for them. 

I read an interesting research paper about creativity.  The research concerned a paradox of creativity.  Generally, people think ‘creative solutions’ are a good thing.  Unfortunately, dealing with the consequences of novel, or creative solutions sometimes makes people uneasy and tense.  This is because a novel solution introduces uncertainty – it may not work.  The consequence of this is that people are quite happy to reject the novel solution, even though the wildly improbable idea could be a real winner – they don’t want to be associated with something that sounds like a silly idea. 

The initial idea about looking for a creative solution is logical.  If you have tried all the logical ideas, a creative one might just come up trumps.  The trouble is, people often prefer to avoid uncertainty because of the risk it may entail.  The uncertainty triggers an emotional response which overrules our logic.  

How can we overcome this?  It is our reaction to the feelings of uncertainty that is the problem; we need a different way to react. 

There is a way to do it, it’s called Improv.  Put simply, Improv is a group of people performing an unscripted play. They make it up as they go, nothing is certain, they have no idea how the play will develop.  Somebody suggests a character, then somebody else speaks to him, every line of the play is improvised.  The key point is that it is not possible to fail; anything that any participant says simply develops the plot. 

This way, uncertainty is driving the creativity instead of killing it.

Try it, (its also good for getting people to work together) or get in touch if you need some help. 


There are a few rules:-    http://www.improvwiz.com/rules-of-improv/