The Myths of Creativity audiobook cover - The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas

The Myths of Creativity

The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas

David Burkus

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Creativity

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The Myths of Creativity
Debunking the 'Spark' & 'Lone Genius' Myths+
Debunking the 'Breed' & 'Suit' Myths+
The Neuroscience & Mechanics of Ideation+
The Power of Constraints & Process+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 6
What does the true story of Isaac Newton and the falling apple illustrate about the creative process?
  • A. True creativity relies on sudden, out-of-the-blue divine inspiration.
  • B. Innovative ideas usually emerge from collaboration and long-term effort.
  • C. Creative geniuses do not need to rely on the ideas or research of others.
  • D. Insight is the final and only necessary step in the creative process.
Question 2 of 6
How did psychologist Marvin Reznikoff’s study of twins challenge the 'breed myth' of creativity?
  • A. It showed that identical twins had a much higher similarity in creativity than fraternal twins.
  • B. It proved that creativity is exclusively passed down through specific genetic anomalies.
  • C. It demonstrated that the creative differences between identical and fraternal twins were the same.
  • D. It revealed that fraternal twins are naturally more creative due to having diverse genetic codes.
Question 3 of 6
According to the text, what is a highly effective way for organizations to foster a high degree of innovation?
  • A. Assigning strict deadlines to dedicated creative teams to increase pressure.
  • B. Adopting a top-down management style to tightly guide the creative process.
  • C. Isolating 'creatives' from 'suits' so they can focus entirely without distraction.
  • D. Utilizing a democratic structure that allows employees to work on preferred projects.
Question 4 of 6
Why is Thomas Edison often remembered as a 'lone genius' despite working with a large, diverse team?
  • A. His team believed emphasizing Edison's established brand and reputation would be advantageous for their work.
  • B. Edison legally barred his team members from putting their names on any of the patents.
  • C. He was the only person in the workshop capable of finalizing the physical prototypes.
  • D. Collaborative patents were highly regulated and generally discouraged during that era.
Question 5 of 6
What have neuroscientists discovered about the brains of exceptionally creative people?
  • A. They have a genetically larger overall brain size compared to average individuals.
  • B. They have more white matter, which helps connect different ideas and grows with use.
  • C. They possess an unusually high amount of gray matter specifically dedicated to memory storage.
  • D. Their brains are genetically structured to suppress unrelated thoughts to maintain extreme focus.
Question 6 of 6
How does the book suggest we should view constraints and restrictions when trying to innovate?
  • A. They should be avoided because total freedom is required for the best ideas to blossom.
  • B. They are only useful for administrative tasks, but actively harm the creative process.
  • C. They limit our potential by forcing us to rely on traditional, outdated brainstorming methods.
  • D. They are highly beneficial because restraining resources forces us to think outside the box.

The Myths of Creativity — Full Chapter Overview

The Myths of Creativity Summary & Overview

The Myths of Creativity debunks our common misconceptions of how creativity works. It provides practical insight and valuable advice on how to generate new ideas and let them flourish, and it gives real-world examples from history and recent well-known creatives.

Who Should Listen to The Myths of Creativity?

  • Anyone who would like to increase his or her creativity
  • Anyone running a business or organization

About the Author: David Burkus

David Burkus is assistant professor of management at the College of Business at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He specializes in the fields of creativity and innovation as well as in entrepreneurship and organizational behavior. He has written for Fast Company and Bloomberg Businessweek and given keynotes for Microsoft and Stryker.

 

© David Burkus: The Myths of Creativity copyright 2013, John Wiley & Sons Inc.  Used by permission of John Wiley & Sons Inc. and shall not be made available to any unauthorized third parties.

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