Creative Change
Why We Resist It . . . How We Can Embrace It
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“This book completely changed the way I think about creative innovation. . . . A must read” (Cal Newport, bestselling author of Deep Work).
Business leaders say they want creativity and need real innovation in order to thrive. But according to startling research from management professor Jennifer Mueller, these same leaders chronically reject creative solutions, even as they profess commitment to innovation.
Mueller’s research reveals that it’s not just CEOs but educators, parents, and other social trendsetters who struggle to accept new and creative ideas. Mueller parses the tough questions these findings raise. Do we all have an inherent prejudice against creative ideas? Can we learn to outsmart this bias?
Creative Change combines analysis of the latest research with practical guidance on how to shift your mindset, and offers a wealth of counterintuitive recommendations to help you embrace the creative ideas you want.
“If we all crave creativity so much, why do we reject new ideas so often? Jen Mueller’s smart new book unravels this puzzle.” —Daniel H. Pink, New York Times–bestselling author of When and Drive
“Mueller, an accomplished scholar in the management field, has developed a well-formulated argument for creativity. Her ideas and research need to be available to academics, business practitioners, and, really, everyone.” —Library Journal
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mueller, a management professor and author of the viral paper "The Bias Against Creativity," has spent nearly two decades studying the subject of creativity. Her conclusion is that our current dialogue on the topic urgently needs to change, as American workplaces and institutions remain generally resistant to creativity. She asserts that this tendency will lead to "uncreative destruction" a preference for the known even when new solutions are necessary. She seeks to provide insight into the origin of this "hidden barrier," putting forth the premise that people actually both love and hate creativity depending on the circumstances. The book outlines a four-step process for disrupting this dysfunctional mind-set in oneself, and it also provides strategies for getting others to break their habitual thinking. Elsewhere, Mueller looks at organizational structure and its role in stifling positive change. Of particular relevance is her chapter on the bias against innovative leadership. This enlightening book not only shows why people reject creativity but provides solutions on how to switch one's thinking and truly welcome it.
