Creative Mind-Set

Abstract

The focus on the craft skills of the discipline rather than a focus on any particular outcome from it is one way that the creative process is different from the approaches we teach in business schools. In this chapter I lay out the critical difference between the creative mind-set and how we teach people to think in business schools. At its heart is the question: “As a leader how will you approach the world, how will you understand what is happening and make choices of how to act?” For example, let’s suppose you are the president and founder of a small software consulting services company. You have been successfully providing programming services based on interfacing with the Windows operating system in a way that your customers find useful but technically difficult. However, Microsoft has recognized the customer need that you are filling, and in the next release of Windows the interface will become part of the operating system. Your niche will thus be eliminated. You have twenty-five programmers on staff and need a new strategic direction as you anticipate all of your current business drying up within six months. What do you do? How do you decide what strategic direction to pursue?¹