LOOKING INTO 2017 – Authenticity

As we look forward into 2017 we ask our Directors and selection of associates to comment on the year ahead.

Authenticity will be the key work in creativity for 2017, as the unsettled world of commerce looks for new ways to create a solid environment for people and products. Creativity is one of the purest ways to explore and express authenticity. Uncertainty is an opportunity to step sideways, review, experiment, redraft. Dig for gold. We predict a rise in organisations seeking ways to empower employees to create powerful and sustainable solutions for development and growth.
Top tips:

  • Explore and be curious – develop a ‘what if?’ approach. Challenges are often framed as ‘How do we?’ While this leads to solutions, it can also frame thinking within familiar patterns, with the risk of familiar answers.
  • Don’t settle for the first answer. Time and resources constrain us to rush to quick solutions. These are not necessarily the optimum solutions.
  • Engineer as many chance meetings between your people as possible. Creativity thrives on collaboration, particularly between disciplines.
  • Prepare to be rigorous and resilient. Innovation may arise from a ‘Eureka’ moment, but chances are it is the result of years of thinking, research and piloting solutions.
  • Be open minded and flexible. Be willing to let go of ‘being right,’ if just for 15 minutes a day!

 

Dr Mark Hollyoake