Can you optimize for creativity?

What if you could follow some simple principles to increase creativity and innovation?

When Disney bought Pixar in 2006, they were hoping to import some of Pixar’s magic into the 100 year old behemoth of animation. Their work was cut out for them. 

At the time, Disney’s culture was one of error-avoidance. Feedback on films in progress — called “notes” — plays a core role in film development. Unfortunately, it was provided by three separate supervising parties and came as a checklist of (often contradictory) mandated changes to make. Directors didn’t have control over their creative baby. To top it off, an oversight group existed with the sole purpose of pouring over production reports to make sure films progressed on schedule and on budget. This did wonders for staff morale.

Pixar brought changes. The checklist of “notes” was replaced with Pixar’s “Braintrust” system: a team of creatives giving uncensored feedback, often in the form of issues they see, without necessarily suggesting specific changes. Creative control is retained by the project’s Director. Similarly, the oversight group was dismantled. It was made clear that teams would be responsible for tracking their own schedules.

“The oversight group had been put in place without anyone asking a fundamental question: How do we enable our people to solve problems? Instead, they asked: How do we prevent our people from screwing up? That approach never encourages a creative response. My rule of thumb is that any time we impose limits or procedures, we should ask how they will aid in enabling people to respond creatively. If the answer is that they won’t, then the proposals are ill suited to the task at hand.” –Creativity, Inc

This seems like something that can be optimized for. Take any process or system and ask: Does this prevent our people from seeing new problems and coming up with creative solutions without approval from superiors? If it does, scrap it.

The urge for increased control seems to grow as a process, or organization, becomes more established. There’s more at stake. Something worked before, so let’s keep it. There are clear actions that we can take to increase innovation within an organization. The cost is giving up some amount of efficiency, and some degree of control. All with no guarantee of long-term payoff. Creativity is scary.