The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas

Written by David Burkus

Narrated by Stephen Bowlby

There is a mythology around creativity a hazy system of beliefs developed to try to understand what many believe to be incomprehensible. Because of this mythology, many businesspeople view creativity and innovation as vague and inaccessible, assuming that creativity happens through a largely transcendent process of inspiration to which only a select few are granted access. Fortunately for all of us who need to be more creative or lead our organizations through a creativity process, this is simply not the case, and The Myths of Creativity shows how anyone can drop the faulty conventional wisdom of creativity, understand the actual research behind how the creative process works, and ultimately generate impressive creative results. Each chapter of The Myths of Creativity debunks one erroneous assumption about the creative process: Chapter 1: The Sacred Myth: Creativity is not a distant inspiration given to a select few, but comes from within Chapter 2: The Breed Myth: Creativity is not a trait that only certain individuals hold and pass along Chapter 3: The Eureka Myth: Creative insight is not the sudden spark romanticized by stories of Newtons Apple or Archimedes bathtub, but involves a slow hunch Chapter 4: The Originality Myth: Most creative ideas are not unique or original, but are usually new combinations of older ideas. Chapter 5: The Expert Myth: Highly trained experts in a particular domain are sometimes incapable of generating creative insight. Instead, outsiders can provide the fresh perspective needed to creatively solve complex problems. Chapter 6: The Incentive Myth: Traditional incentives like bonuses, awards or other carrots provide little influence on creativity Chapter 7: The Lone Creator Myth: Most innovation is the product of a group of individuals and not any one person. Chapter 8: The Brainstorming Myth: Creativity requires more than merely the rapid generation of ideas. Chapter 9: The Cohesive Myth: Cohesive cultures and feel good environments can hinder innovation. Chapter 10: The Constraints Myth: While the traditional view of creativity is out-of-the-box or no limits, constraints can actually help enhance creativity in individuals and teams. Chapter 11: The Mousetrap Myth: Creative ideas and innovations dont experience immediate celebration like the proverbial better mousetrap. Instead, they often experience backlash as a first reaction. Chapter 12: The Moral Myth: Enhancing creativity is not always good. The chapters are filled with fresh case studies from Burkuss dissertation research. The Myths of Creativity is essential reading for anyone who feels like creativity is a struggle. It demystifies the creative process, debunks myths that may be holding back your creative juices, and ultimately will result in more and better ideas for you and your team.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ascent Audio
• Release date: Oct 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781663702456

David Burkus

David Burkus is associate professor of leadership and innovation at Oral Roberts University where he was recently named one of the nation’s Top 40 Under 40 Professors Who Inspire. He’s the author of four books and has delivered keynote speeches and workshops for Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft and Google. Since 2017, he’s been ranked as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50. He lives outside of Tulsa with his wife and their two boys.

Reviews for The Myths of Creativity

[figre · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Debunking myths about creativity is like shooting fish in a barrel. There are so many of them and they are so patently false. However, some are a little more subtle and often not recognized. In this book, David Burkus addresses the obvious, the subtle, and many in between. The Eureka Myth, The Expert Myth, The Incentive Myth, The Mousetrap Myth – just a few of the myths he takes on (and, what a coincidence, some of the book’s chapters.) So, the first value of this book is that it brings together the most egregious and creativity-stopping of those myths all in one place.

Now discussing the myths and how they are incorrect would make for a perfectly fine book. However, Burkus has gone a step further – a step many authors overlook – and included some of the actual research showing these myths are patently false. Burkus brings these studies into the conversation in a way that proves his point while being eminently understandable. Anyone who has seen the way such research is normally shared knows how quickly the conclusions can get bogged down in in the details and statistics. And many authors have a hard time pulling the relevant information form the academic babble without sacrificing understanding, validity, or both. But Burkus’ approach supports the point that he is trying to prove while providing background that shows sufficient research was completed.

Of course, anyone can find research to support almost anything nowadays. But the information Burkus provides is convincing and researchable.

In most instances, Burkus has also provided real-world stories that are intended to support the “mythiness” of the belief. At times, there is a bit of a stretch between the story and the myth it is meant to debunk. And, of course, it is even easier to find stories that support an author’s thesis than it is to find research to back it. But whether the stories match perfectly or not, and whether they are the exception rather than the rule, doesn’t matter. Burkus has found good stories that support the need for and application of creativity. (I’m not sure I’ll ever look at guns on boats the same way. I just never thought about how hard it is to aim on a rolling ship.)

One of my success criteria for a book of this type is the “dog-eared” quotient. In other words, was it a book where I made a lot of notes and dog-eared a lot of pages. (Someday I’m going to have to actually establish a scale.) This one ranked very high. There were numerous instances where I was able to glean specific information that I will be using to move my creativity forward, as well as include as a part of presentations and training in the area.

This is a good book for anyone looking to help instill creativity within his or her department/business unit/organization/any entity not included in this list. It will help you keep from going down some false paths. And it may provide you inspiration for new ideas on how to get some or even more creativity going.

[susanbeamon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this book for the 12 Books group at Goodreads, which is business reading and discuss group. This is definitely a discussion book, not a how to book, like many business books are. I found it very interesting, a combination of history and research in creative thinking. It reminded me of some things that I had learned before, and told me more stories about our human past. Creativity is not what we believe it is. It is not a singular achievement, but a group activity that takes a great deal of work. The things that we believe about the creative process get in the way of success.