Friday, September 24, 2010

Attach the Candle to the Wall?

Suppose you were given the task of attaching a candle to the wall so that, when lit, no wax would drip on the floor. Your materials are a picture of a candle, a box of tacks, and a matchbook. In today's economy, it feels like we are often asked to do the impossible with limited resources. Creative solutions are king in today's competitive market place and those who bring great creativity to the table often win.

William Maddux of INSEAD, an international business school, and Adam D. Galinsky of Northwestern University ran five studies to gauge how well people solve "insight creativity tasks". Based on the candle problem outlined, for the participants who had lived abroad, 60 percent came up with the creative solution (using the empty box, tacked to the wall, as a candle holder), as compared with 42 percent of those who hadn't lived abroad. Their study suggest experiencing another culture may make you more creative.

"These effects likely have to do with acquiring what is called reflected knowledge- understanding how you look from another culture's point of view- as well as how much you internalize that view. Reflected knowledge allows you to see things as an outsider", according to Frank Bures, a writer for Esquire.

Seeing possibilities, questioning mental models, connecting things that don't appear to connect are one of the key foundations of creativity. We could all book a trip to an exotic new location to open our minds and reflective knowledge pool but I'm afraid most employers wouldn't see this as a reimbursable education venture. So, how do we provide provide opportunities for our leaders to see things differently? I would be interested in your point of view.