The Neuroscience of Creativity Keynote Talk Gaia Grant

Gaia Grant speaking to 500 CEOs on the Neuroscience of Creativit

The Innovation Race
Keynote Speak: The Neuroscience of Creativity
Gaia Grant

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Gaia Grant speaking to 500 CEOs on the Neuroscience of Creativity.

Gaia Grant- is the MD of Tirian, the co-author of "Who Killed Creativity?... And How Can We Get it Back", and the author of a number of books and resources, including A Patch of Paradise and The Rhythm of Life. Gaia has a BA, Dip Ed, BD (hons), Grad Dip Change Leadership, and MSc in Creative Thinking (International Centre for Studies in Creativity State University of NY). She is now completing an MPhil, leading into a PhD focusing on research into the role of culture change and transformation in innovation at Sydney University, where she is also a guest lecturer on innovation across cultures for the Business School. Gaia is a highly skilled speaker and facilitator carrying with her a wide range of tools that can be used to find solutions to the most difficult challenges.

(Clients include: Google, Visa Card, Salesforce, Baker & McKenzie, Deutsche Bank and many other MNCs)

The Neuroscience of Creativity Keynote Talk Gaia Grant
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The 7 Creative Killer Suspects Keynote Gaia Grant

A crime scene investigation is underway to investigate a death. This is not an average death, this is the death of creative thinking.

The Innovation Race
The 7 Creative Killer Suspects
Worktech-13 Melbourne
Gaia Grant

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Keynote talk excerpts Presented at Worktech-13 Melbourne by Gaia Grant, co-author of "Who Killed Creativity? and how can we get it back" (Wiley 2012).

A crime scene investigation is underway to investigate a death. This is not an average death, this is the death of creative thinking. It's time to identify and deal with the creativity killers. Through our surveys of thousands of workshop participants from a range of backgrounds and experiences over more than 20 years, we have narrowed down the list of suspects to 7 key profiles. By recognizing and managing these effectively, we believe it will be possible to revive and nurture creative thinking. Allow us to take a creative approach to interrogating these murder suspects:

Who Killed creativity? What weapons did they use, and where? Was it X.S. Stress in the Executive's Office with 'crushing coercion'? Or was it Beau Rock-Racy in the Accountant's office with 'noxious negativity'. Only when these can be identified in each specific organization, can the appropriate "rescuers" and "strategies" be implemented.

So often money and time is wasted on solutions that eventually make very little or no impact -- the major reason for this is that solutions are generated before the essence of the problem is understood.

In our research we have attempted, in a fun and creative way, to identify the killers and blockers of creativity in the organization and identify the solution processes that will get the desired results. If these creativity killers can be identified upfront then (and they will be different for every company and team), then leaders can start to proactively do something about it, rather than be passive victims.

The 7 Creative Killer Suspects Keynote Gaia Grant
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Navigating the Innovation Race Paradox- for Sustainable Innovation Keynote Pt 2

Andrew Grant presenting “The Innovation Race – Navigating the Paradox”

The Innovation Race
Keynote Speak: Navigating the Innovation Race Paradox for Sustainable Innovation
Andrew Grant

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Andrew Grant presenting “The Innovation Race - Navigating the Paradox”. To the Alumni of the Inaugural “Leading Innovation through Design Thinking” Program by SEAC and Stanford Center for Professional Development

Navigating the 4 key Innovation Paradoxes

The paradox theory of innovation is the very latest research on how to build sustainable innovation. For many years there has been an enduring belief that innovation is ignited by being open and taking risks. While this is partially true, Gaia Grant has discovered from her research with the University of Sydney Business School that much more is needed for sustainable innovation.

By identifying the key innovation paradoxes, it is possible to learn how to lead and manage innovation by navigating the process more productively and successfully. Balancing the two sides of a paradox, the interdependent ‘paradoxical pairings’, can create a powerful dynamic that fuels innovation more effectively over the long term. Failing to balance them effectively will inevitably lead to frustration and ineffectiveness. By avoiding the typical swing between one state or the other, the ‘polar positioning’ strategy revels how it is possible to avoid oscillation, compromising and sidelining important innovation factors.

This fast-paced global adventure reveals how different cultures and companies around the world have effectively managed the key Preservation / Exploration innovation paradox, along with the 4 contributing sub-paradoxes. This keynote provides a fascinating insight into strategic innovation for all contemporary organization leaders. And is part of a larger session that can lead into the a workshop / simulation and longer term intervention.

Navigating the Innovation Race Paradox- for Sustainable Innovation Keynote Pt 2
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Are you Innovation Ready? The Paradox Research Keynote Pt2

Ambidextrous innovation leaders will need to know how to recognize and effectively navigate competing demands to stay ahead

The Innovation Race
Keynote: Are you Innovation Ready? Pt2
Gaia Grant Hargraves Institute

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Are you Innovation Ready? It has become clear from the research that leaders of the future will be required to develop ambidextrous responses to deal with complexity and rapid change at all levels.

It has become clear from the research that leaders of the future will be required to develop ambidextrous responses to deal with complexity and rapid change at all levels. That is, they will need to know how to recognize and effectively navigate competing demands to stay ahead. Despite the critical importance of managing innovation tensions, this research shows that leaders are often ill-prepared for identifying and dealing with them. Leaders are better resourced to respond to paradoxes once the specific tensions have been identified and addressed. Ambidextrous leadership involves identifying tensions that create polarization, and finding solutions that might help to deal with the tensions simultaneously. The initial finding of the research program was that identifying ambidextrous orientations can provide valuable feedback and help to build a culture for leading innovation.

Are you Innovation Ready? The Paradox Research Keynote Pt2
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Andrew Grant Keynote: CSI The Pressure Pack

Andrew Grant Keynote talk at Worktech / Unwired (Singapore). Who Killed Creativity? The Pressure Pack.

The Innovation Race
Keynote Speak: CSI The Pressure Pack
Andrew Grant

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Andrew Grant Keynote talk at Worktech / Unwired (Singapore). Who Killed Creativity? The Pressure Pack. See how stress, multitasking and pressure can block creative thinking

Creative Scene Investigation CSI - Murder Profile 3: The Pressure Pack

Those fitting this profile are driven by unrealistic expectations. With the faster pace of life and greatly increased communication speeds, the 'pressure' profile is apparent in every part of society. This seductive assassin dispatches its victims by exercising a stranglehold on real or perceived expectations. The first sign that the killer is at work is stress, as revealed by a broad range of potentially deadly physical and psychological symptoms. The vicelike grip on its victims often panics and paralyses them, sapping their energy and denying them the time to save themselves through creative strategies, so that they eventually asphyxiate. Associated personality disorders are histrionic, borderline personality and addictive. The preferred weapon is strangling stress.

Andrew Grant Keynote: CSI The Pressure Pack
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Are you Innovation Ready? The Paradox Research Keynote Pt1

Leaders of the future required to develop ambidextrous responses to deal with complexity and rapid change at all levels

The Innovation Race
Keynote Speak: Are you Innovation Ready?
Gaia Grant Hargraves Institute

Audio Player. Press the play button above to hear the audio podcast.

It has become clear from the research that leaders of the future will be required to develop ambidextrous responses to deal with complexity and rapid change at all levels.

That is, they will need to know how to recognise and effectively navigate competing demands to stay ahead. Despite the critical importance of managing innovation tensions, this research shows that leaders are often ill-prepared for identifying and dealing with them. Leaders are better resourced to respond to paradoxes once the specific tensions have been identified and addressed. Ambidextrous leadership involves identifying tensions that create polarisation, and finding solutions that might help to deal with the tensions simultaneously. The initial finding of the research program was that identifying ambidextrous orientations can provide valuable feedback and help to build a culture for leading innovation.

The accompanying white paper is based on Gaia's research with the Discipline of Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Sydney Business School. She has interviewed around 70 Heads of Innovation globally along with conducting year-long immersion case studies, and she has analysed over 1000 survey responses.

Are you Innovation Ready? The Paradox Research Keynote Pt1
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The Mobile & the Monk The Innovation Race Paradox Keynote Pt 1

A paradox all organisations are facing: A) Growth and B) Sustainability

The Innovation Race
SEAC and Stanford Center for Professional Development Keynote Speak
Andrew Grant

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The Monk & the Mobile represents a paradox all organisations are facing: A) Growth AND B) Sustainability

The need to EXPLORE outwards push boundaries, to innovate (race ahead). But this EXPLORATION needs to be balanced with the need to PRESERVE buy exploiting only what we already have. This tension either fuels innovation in organisations, or tears them apart.

The Mobile & the Monk introduces the paradox theory of innovation by looking at a story from Bhutan. A unique country trying different & bold approach to sustainable innovation. Many years ago the king introduced a new measurement in contrast to our GDP (Gross domestic product) called GNH (Gross National Happiness). They were determined to find a measurement that had meaning beyond (unsustainable) economic growth. They wanted to try a new way of measuring sustainable innovation & happiness. This is not a gimmick, nor a smooth PR exercise or simply a nice idea. “GNH is an aspiration, a set of guiding principles through which we are navigating our path towards a sustainable and equitable society” Bhutan has worked hard to maintain tradition in the face of modernisation, but they know they need both to survive.

The GNH is a genuine mission statement/values/vision that all people know and live by. Bhutan's GNH has 4 pillars, 1) Economic social growth, & 2) Integrity in leadership: EXPLORATION 3) Cultural preservation & 4) Environment conservation: PRESERVATION

Paradox Theory is about identifying potential paradoxes (exploration & exploitation /preservation) behind tensions that arise in complex situations in order to understand and effectively deal with the ambiguities.

It's not a choice of choosing: either one option / or the other, it’s a matter of choosing BOTH. One side and the other simultaneously: a choice of AND . The dynamic tension of the paradox theory applied to sustainable innovation is about balancing both sides in a way that fuels successful innovation. This known as The Innovation Paradoxical Pairings. (Gaia Grant is a researcher at Sydney University Business School, on the Paradox Theory. She is looking at how this can be applied to sustainable innovation. Gaia has delivered several academic papers on this and along with her partner Andrew Grant they have coauthored “The Innovation Race”. Andrew also presented this topic at the APEC CEO Summit (Vietnam) to the APRU forum. The Mobile & the Monk forms part of a larger keynote talk and workshop based on “The Innovation Race.”

The Mobile & the Monk presented by Andrew Grant to the Alumni of the Inaugural “Leading Innovation through Design Thinking” Program by SEAC and Stanford Center for Professional Development.

The Mobile & the Monk The Innovation Race Paradox Keynote Pt 1
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Podcast: Who Killed Creativity? and How Can We Get it Back? (TEDx Hong Kong)

The Innovation Race
TEDx Hong Kong
Andrew Grant

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Everyone is talking about the need to “breakthrough” with innovative new ideas, so what is holding us back? CEOs say it’s the #1 leadership competency needed for the future – and it is a stronger predictor of life success than IQ. Yet CQ (Creative Quotient) testing shows that creative thinking has been on the decline worldwide over the last generation. Individuals also lose the ability to think creatively over their lifespan – with a dramatic drop from children who score as geniuses on creative thinking tests, to adults who lose that capability. Why does this happen and what can be done about it? An interesting case is woven to reveal the brain’s inherent neurological gaps and demonstrate the subtle but powerful art of the sort of creative thinking that dares to be different and leads to breakthrough innovations.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community and converted to Podcast format.

Podcast: Who Killed Creativity? and How Can We Get it Back? (TEDx Hong Kong)
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