Those of us who seek – and study – human creativity are besieged with overused tropes. “Think outside the box” and “color outside the lines” are right up there with words like “disruption” in the cliché Hall of Fame. But I recently stumbled on a Japanese word that made my Corporate Lingo Bingo card fall straight to the floor: Datsuzoku.

The term denotes a break from the norm, a respite from routine. It involves exploring new approaches as opposed to complying with the old ones. Here’s a beautifu...