Disciplined Creativity' - A Merlin Lecture by Phil Rumbol

DISCIPLINED CREATIVITY

The Merlin Lecture - 8th October 2013

Phil Rumbol Founding Partner 101

VT – FLY ME TO THE MOON

 “Fly Me To The Moon”

 “Fly Me To The Moon”

 Poets often use many words To say a simple thing

It takes thought and time and rhyme To make a poem sing

With music & words I've been playing For you I've written a song

The Essence of Marketing Making brands ‘sing’

The Art of Marketing Evoke the brand in a memorable way

 “Fly Me To The Moon”

To make sure you know what I'm saying

I'll translate as I go along

Fly me to the moon

And let me play among the stars

Let me see what spring is like

On Jupiter and Mars

In other words

Hold my hand

In other words

Darling kiss me

The Stimulus Evoke the feeling in a memorable way

The Response Get people to ‘hold the brand’s hand’

“In Other Words”

“It takes thought and time and rhyme to to make a poem sing”

Creativity

THE MOST VALUABLE COMPANIES IN THE WORLD

Creatively and innovation-led companies

Everyone wants it, but most people don’t get it

Creativity

A bit about me

Creativity

How we think

Habits

 VT - The sort of work I’ve bought

Cadbury ‘Eyebrows’ ad

Stella Artois ‘Ice Skating Priests’ ad The Natural Confectionery Co. ‘Trumpets’ ad

Flake ‘ Dress’ ad  

‘Reassuringly Expensive’

+16% CAGR over 10 years

The Power of Creativity

‘Gorilla’, Wispa etc

-3% to +10%

“I come from a family of engineers” “That makes sense. You like to know how things work”

 “I come from a family of engineers”

“That makes sense. You like to know how things work”      

MY JOURNEY

Creativity

Analytical

Favourite ‘O’ Level

Art A Levels

Geog History Maths Degree

BA (Maths) Brand Manager

Analytical

Marketing Director Power of creativity

Founding Partner Creative company

“Imaginative processes with outcomes that are original and of value”

 Sir Ken Robinson

WHAT IS CREATIVITY?

WHAT IS CREATIVITY?

”We want artists to take the mundane materials of our lives , run it through their

imaginations and surprise us.”  

Twyla Tharp Choreographer

You remember a lot more than you think you do

Eg. Muscle memory

Sensual memory  

MEMORY

THE MAYA PRINCIPLE Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable

Taking things we know (often subconsciously) and making surprising

connections to create something original and valuable

CREATIVITY

CREATIVITY IS A FRAGILE THING

WE’RE HARD WIRED TO THINK IN A CERTAIN WAY

WESTERN PHILOSOPHY

EDUCATION SYSTEM

 BUSINESS THINKING

SCIENCE

“We reject all knowledge which is merely probable and judge only those things should be believed which are perfectly known and

about which there can be no doubts”

Rene Descartes  

CARTESIAN THINKING

RATIONALISM Reason and logic

EMPIRICISIM

Evidence

REDUCTIONISM

Break down to understand

THE FOUNDATIONS OF WESTERN THINKING

“That’s right”

“It’s critical”  

MASS EDUCATION

 PREPARE A WORKFORCE

LOCK DOWN CERTAINTY. CREATE EFFICIENCY

OUR EDUCATION SYSTYEM

MASS INDUSTRIALISATION

“Our education system was and still is primarily concerned with proving to us that we are efficient:

Learn it, remember it, demonstrate it”

Richard Gerver Ex Head Teacher and Author

“We go to school and we’re taught to paint pictures and write songs, and then we leave

school and no one wants to look at the pictures or listen to the songs”

Dr Mike Lynch Founder of Autonomy

“A company is birthed through a creative act.

It then hones and refines… through increasingly pervasive analytical thinking and enters a long phase in which the administration of the business dominates.”

 Roger Martin – The Design of Business

THE EVOLUTION OF BUSINESS

TTHE RISE OF THE CORPORATION AND ‘BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION’

Exploration Exploitation

Organisational Focus The invention of business The administration of business

Overriding Goal Dynamically moving from the current knowledge stage to the next

Systematically honing and refining within the current knowledge stage

Driving Forces Intuition, feeling, hypotheses about the future, originality

Analysis, reasoning, data from the past, mastery

Future Orientation Long-term Short-term

Risk and Reward High risk, uncertain, but potentially high reward

Minimal risk, predictable but smaller returns

WESTERN

PHILOSOPHY

Logic Evidence

Reduction

EDUCATION  

Learn Remember

Demonstrate

BUSINESS

Administration Refine and hone through analysis

WE’RE HARD WIRED TO BE ‘CRITICAL EVALUATION MACHINES’

CREATIVE BAD HABITS

EXCESSIVE RELIANCE ON SYSTEMS

Micromanagement  

MICROMANAGEMENT

TOO MUCH DISPASSIONATE LOGIC

Crea.ve  Bad  Habit  No.4  

 Too  much  reduc.on  and  

‘extreme  close  up’    

TOO MUCH REDUCTION AND E.C.U.

THE ESSENCE OF MARKETING

Making brand’s more interesting and relevant

Make them ‘sing’

THE ART OF MARKETING

Words, music etc that evoke the brand in a memorable way        

“We need to be more creative”

EXCESSIVE RELIANCE ON SYSTEMS

MICROMANAGEMENT

TOO MUCH DISPASSIONATE LOGIC

TOO MUCH REDUCTION AND EXTREME CLOSE UP

So what do we need to do differently?

A ‘New’ Paradigm for Knowledge

”In contrast to the mechanistic Cartesian view of the world, the world view emerging from

modern physics can be characterised by words like organic, holistic and ecological.”

Fritjof Capra – 1982

A ‘New’ Paradigm for Knowledge

“””The universe is no longer seen as a machine, made up of a multitude of objects, but has to be

pictured as one indivisible, dynamic whole whose parts are essentially interrelated.”

Fritjof Capra - 1982

There’s a long list of things that Cartesian Thinking can’t fully explain

Physics Economics

Ecology Sociology

Psychology Etc

A ‘New’ Paradigm for Scientific Thinking

From only… •  Machine-like systems

•  Mechanistic •  Reason and logic

•  Predictive

•  Deductive      

Plus… •  Living Organism •  Holistic

•  Instinct and intuition •  Deterministic

•  Abductive  

So What? Things aren’t as ‘certain’ as we think they are

Logic, reduction, deduction and proof aren’t the

only way to understand something

…but we’ve been ‘hard wired’ to think they are.

“The 21st Century is the era when the pace of change has finally overtaken our ability to control it.”

Richard Gerver

A change in our business thinking…

From

Seeking full understanding and

certainty in a static or slowly evolving world

To

Endless curiosity, exploration and

experimentation in an ever changing world

Signposts to re-wire our thinking

The Current Paradigm

Cartesian Thinking Efficiency driven Education

Business Administration

‘Bad habits’ for

creativity

A ‘New’ Paradigm

Holistic Thinking Exploration driven Education

Business Invention

‘Good habits’ for creativity

Intuition

The art of knowing without reasoning

“Everything we need to ‘make something out of nothing’ already resides within us in our experience, memories, taste, judgment,

critical demeanour, humanity, purpose and humour.”

Twyla Tharp

1. More Biography,

less Zoology

Recognise Your Creative DNA

2. Recognise Your Creative DNA

Recognise Your Creative DNA

MY CREATIVE DNA

Bruce Springsteen ‘Storytellers’ VT

 3.  Listen  to  the  song  before  you  

read  the  lyrics  

 3. Listen to the song before you read the lyrics

Engage your imagination

Generosity and Joy

Advertising that’s as enjoyable to consume as the chocolate

THE BRIEF

How many of you would have bought it?

What do you think you would have said to the agency?

VT – Cadbury ‘Gorilla’ ad

4. Explore before judging

“Vague but interesting”

5. Make a leap

“I often wonder whether we all have luck; it is just a question of being able to

recognise the moment and then having the courage or vision to seize it.”

Richard Gerver

Luck

“Did you know the Gorilla ad was presented to someone else

before you saw it?”

Challenging your hard wiring

1.  More Biography less Zoology

2.  Recognise and feed your Creative DNA

3.  Listen to the song before you read the lyrics 4.  Explore before judging

5.  Make a leap

“Yeah, but what about the rest of the organisation?”

BUILD A CREATIVE ECOSYSTEM

1. People not

systems

1.  Focus

2.  Preparedness

3.  Conviction

4.  Perseverance

5.  Creativity

Sybervision - Learning Technology Company 10 Traits of Great People

6.  Curiosity

7.  Resilience

8.  Risk Taking

9.  Independence

10.  A sense of higher purpose

2. Transformational Leadership

2. Transformational Leadership

Transactional Leadership •  Rewards effort & recognises

accomplishments

•  Watches and searches for deviations & takes corrective action

•  Intervenes only if standards are not met

•  Abdicates responsibilities, avoids making decisions

A Different Leadership Model

Transactional Leadership •  Rewards effort & recognises

accomplishments

•  Watches and searches for deviations & takes corrective action

•  Intervenes only if standards are not met

•  Abdicates responsibilities, avoids making decisions

A Different Leadership Model

Transformational Leadership •  Provides vision and a sense of mission,

instills pride, gains respect and trust

•  Communicates high expectations, uses symbols to focus efforts

•  Promotes intelligence and careful problem solving

•  Gives personal attention, treats each employee individually, coaches, advises.

NO COMMITTEES!

3. Soul

 ”…the ones that work out what they uniquely can

give to the world – not just growth or money, but their excellence, their respect for others, or their ability to

to make people happy. Some call those things a soul.”

Charles Handy

The companies that survive the longest…

4. Invention not Administration

“The most successful businesses of years to come will balance

analytical mastery and intuitive originality in a dynamic

interplay called design thinking”

5. An ‘A’ in Failure

5. An ‘A’ in Failure

“They say that the great entrepreneurs fail and fail again , but never give up, and always learn. …they’re not waiting for someone else to come

along and provide the answers. They realised the course of their lives would be created by their

own decisions, and actions.”

Richard Gerver

An ‘A’ in Failure

My biggest mistake

VT – The Flake ad that never was….

5. An ‘A’ in Failure

5. An ‘A’ in Failure

People not systems Transformational Leadership

Soul Invention An ‘A’ in Failure

People not systems Transformational Leadership

Soul Invention An ‘A’ in Failure

More Biography less Zoology

Your Creative DNA

Listen to the song

Explore before judging Make a leap

Disciplined Creativity

Everyone wants it, but most don’t get it

Fighting against years of Cartesian ‘hard wiring’

Creative bad habits

A new, more holistic, way of thinking

Creative good habits

People not systems Transformational Leadership

Soul Invention An ‘A’ in Failure

More Biography less Zoology

Your Creative DNA

Listen to the song

Explore before judging Make a leap

WE’RE HARD WIRED TO THINK IN A CERTAIN WAY

WESTERN PHILOSOPHY

EDUCATION SYSTEM

!BUSINESS THINKING

SCIENCE

!!

Disciplined Creativity

More ‘Fly Me To The Moon’

(and less ‘In Other Words’)

Thank You

References ‘The Turning Point’ – Fritjof Capra http://www.amazon.co.uk/Turning-Point-Science-Society-Culture/dp/0553345729/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381308328&sr=1-1&keywords=the+turning+point,+fritjof+capra

‘Change’ – Richard Gerver http://www.amazon.co.uk/Change-Learn-Love-Lead/dp/067092234X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381308455&sr=1-1&keywords=change,+richard+gerver

‘The Creative Habit’ – Twyla Tharp http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Habit-Learn-Use-Life/dp/0743235274/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381308517&sr=1-1&keywords=The+creative+habit,+twyla+tharp

‘The Design of Business’ – Roger Martin http://www.amazon.co.uk/Design-Business-Thinking-Competitive-Advantage/dp/1422177807/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381308578&sr=1-1&keywords=The+design+of+business,+roger+martin