Creative Intelligence

by Bruce Nussbaum

The world is quickly changing in ways we find hard to comprehend. Successful methods of dealing with problems have become outmoded. To be successful, you can’t just be good. Youalso need to be creative.

In Creative Intelligence, innovation expert Bruce Nussbaum charts the making of a new literacy, Creative Intelligence, or CQ. From corporate CEOs trying to parse the confusing matrix of global business to K-12 teachers attempting to reach bored kids in increasingly wired classrooms, creativity is viewed as the antidote to uncertainty and complexity. Creative Intelligence embodies a bundle of specific literacies that increase our ability to navigate the unknown. It’s a skill-set that explorers have tacitly used for eons but which, only now, is explicitly revealing its secrets to us.

Nussbaum explores how people and organizations are learning to be more creative in work and in life, and investigates the ways in which individuals, corporations, and nations are boosting their CQ—and how that translates into their abilities to make new products and solve new problems. Creative Intelligence shows readers how to frame problems in new ways and devise solutions that are original by drawing insight from anthropology and culture rather than psychology and the brain. Smart and eye opening, it introduces us to the next evolutionary step and our future. Ultimately, Creative Intelligence will show readers how to boost their creative capacity, build creative confidence, and connect creativity with capitalism in a new form--Indie Capitalism--that could, and should, replace Finance Capitalism.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Design, Psychology, Leadership, Education, Self Help

351 pages, Hardcover

First published December 4, 2012

Reviews

[Ira Therebel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, this is the first book since I remember that I just decided to completely drop. I usually hate not finishing books. I went through books that I considered stupid, ignorant, insulting or badly written until the very end. Yet this one disgusted me so much that I can't force myself to finish it, I don't care what else it says and I don't want to know the opinion or advice of this author on anything.

Now this may be surprising, creative thinking is obviously not some controversial topic to provoke such emotions. Yes, but I guess how one presents them can be. I was fine reading the book until I got to page 100, and this was it to me.

This is in the chapter of Framing. Which discusses how changing what we see as right or the norm can lead to creativity. Which is a correct message (not an original one by any means, but absolutely right). This page was the subchapter talking about "knocking" which pretty much tells us how in our time we may "knock" to get our ideas accepted. And how with different cultures they have their own rituals that they us as a "knock" that one should accept as in showing that one respects their value and by that also make them see that you have some of your own in return.

As an example the author describes how he was in Philippines in a village and agreed to stay to eat. Now let me quote what happened:

"For lunch, they brought out a live monkey. The men, women and children around the big table laughed at my wide eyes and open mouth but insisted that it would be fine. One of the men took a small, sharp ax and removed the top of the monkey's skull. Another took a spoon, scoped out the monkey's brains, and offered it to the village guest, me.This was the "knock" to their community, and I could have refused. The monkey was screaming, the brains looked slimy, and all eyes were intently on me, so I was feeling a bit afraid (the Igorot have been fearsome warriors and headhunters two generations back). But I understood that eating the brains was my port of entry into Igorot acceptance, and so I did. The village exploded in laughter, embraced me as an honored guest, and sent a guide to show me parts of the mountains rarely seen by outsiders."

And this is where I am done. Re-framing one's view, accepting other cultures is all good, but there are and should be limits. This isn't even like accepting to eat a dog steak which is not a norm for us even though we (we as in a culture, not me included) have no issues with eating cows. This is going beyond killing animals or animal abuse, this is actual torture. I won't judge people of that village (even though I judge their ritual) because it takes a while before one starts empathizing with other living beings, but I absolutely judge someone who is not part of it and yet accepts it for some sort of acceptance. I am so happy for him he got to be embraced and even see some other parts of the mountains in return of participating in the torturing of the monkey that screamed while he was eating his slimy brains (interesting that the grossness of the brain seems to be on the same level of importance to him as the fact that a living animal was screaming while they were enjoying it's brains from it's open skull...). Hey, maybe he should also bring as a great acceptance example some high school kid that goes into the pressure of doing drugs so that he gets invited to better parties!

So pardon me for not being as "open minded" (and luckily not "open brained"), but I have no interest in seeing further what a man who so matter of factually presents the accepting to participate in torturing of animals animals as a right way to accept other cultures so they accept you in return. I am better than that. I got his idea from the introduction and as a psychology and computer student I have heard it before. So I won't lose anything except maybe another disgusting paragraph.

* I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads (thank god, would have hated to pay towards its profit)

[Martha Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Every parent and teacher needs to read this! There's more to a person's intelligence, including chidren's, than memorization of useless information. Creative minds have brought us products from Apple, Tesla, Virgin.

When you encourage a person to continue to build on their strengths and interests, the possibilites are endless!

[Martyn Perks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts off well: we need more risk-taking and more open approach to creativity and innovation. But then too easily falls into a pseudo-emotional intelligence stick: he calls it creative intelligence. While not explicit, he does moves from Inidivual psychological explanations to group-think creativity that he centres around framing, scenario planning and thinking more imaginary. All good. But his deeper insight of how to deal with an unsettled world is to demand that we be more creative and at the same time, be more immersive on the local experience. Hence his prognosis is be creative but keep it small and manageable. Disappointing conclusion where ambition is replaced with a call for responsible design. I think we need more than that to make a truly big impact that designers are more than capable of.

[Histteach24 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book by a former member of an Odyssey of the Mind team I coached. He is now a graphic designer. Although the beginning of the book was not my taste and a bit dry, by the end I was inspired as an educator. I came up with a new mission statement for my classroom to emphasize creativity and innovation. I agreed with everything the author said- we need to promote more options for creativity in education and the workforce. But as always, will the bosses and lawmakers read this book in order to bring about the needed change? We need to stop cutting back funding that allows for creative development as the author says. And can we please allow teachers to be creative so they can promote innovation rather than forcing them to teach to a test that doesn't measure anything really at all?

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book doesn't really hone in on creative processes themselves but instead explores the circumstances that tend to favor creative breakthroughs, such as cultures of trust and opportunities for regular interactions with people outside your field. In that sense, it doesn't provide an enlightening and fascinating exploration of cognitive science; instead, it takes readers through a bunch of business journalism about innovative companies. It was readable and often enjoyable, but it wasn't the kind of exciting science writing that I hoped it would be.

[Adriane Devries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art transforms pain into gold. “That’s what creativity can do, create gold from straw, art from angst, and yes, household products from wishes for a better life; in that way, it’s a kind of alchemy." Unfortunately, companies often focus solely on efficiency and competition, only to see profits fall drastically. It’s a paradox based on the immeasurability of the most important aspect of business and problem-solving in general: creativity. Products and services that have the most lasting impact, and therefore profitability, are those which reflect both originality and utility. Understanding creativity, and how to best nurture it, should therefore be the new metric for sustainable economic growth.

Bruce Nussbaum’s Creative Intelligence maps out strategies for increasing CQ, both for individuals, groups, businesses and even nations. He proposes incorporating strategic creative play in workplaces and schools, as well as building group trust and the willingness to be wrong that is so crucial to innovation. If it’s true that entrepreneurs are the “central, disruptive energy sustaining economic growth,” then the spirit of creativity should be pursued relentlessly, even at the cost of pretty spreadsheets and short-term gains. Create, connect, inspire!

[Stef · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book very long winded and with very little new information or interesting ideas to be more creative. I quit after reading 90 pages as there was nothing in it for me

[Jezzeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 Competencies of Creative Intelligence: 1. Knowledge Mining (People who are routinely creative are skilled at connecting information from various sources in new and surprising ways by bringing together information from different fields or going back in time to discover forgotten ideas and practices they can use to meet new challenges). 2. Framing (People who understanding framing techniques and their frame of reference are better able to shift their perspectives depending on the situation, environment, and community they're interacting with. They are able to continually "check in" to see how their biases might be affecting the conversation or how their worldview might be limiting their ability to come up with more creative strategies. The concept of framing has its origins in anthropology and sociology and creative individuals excel when it comes to framing their world and interactions. Understanding how to frame and refame our beliefs about our organizations and entire industries is a powerful way to drive disruptive creativity). 3. Playing (Creativity can be found in many kinds of "playgrounds"--spaces where people are given permission to play games, make up new rules, discover different ways of winning. Playing games and learning how to design games effectively teaches people not only how to create new products and services, but also how to build their own complex social systems. Games are dynamic, interactive, and immersive and can have any number of solutions of conclusions). 4. Making (The revival of a "maker culture," combining open-source philosophy, new channels for distribution made possible by social media, and a shift to DIY has helped making become a critical component of innovation). 5. Pivoting (Allows for creative processes to go from inception to production. Pivoting requires charisma, a relationship with the community of people invested in your project. Most creative individuals see their work as a calling and that belief in their work gives them the energy to move forward and inspire others to join them in what becomes not just a business but a social movement).

[Troy Wilkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

While an thought-provoking and empowering book for those of us seeking to produce art, new gadgets, or promote those around us who already do, this book muddles its focus between how one is creative and how society at large can be more creative.

Nussbaum's five competencies eventually become story after story of companies and individuals who succeed in creating something special, but rarely does Nussbaum shift from story to application, to a more detailed idea of how the reader can be more creative.

While I appreciate the eventual larger scope, societal push for creativity, the beginning offers a smaller serving of how one can become more creative... only to be lost as Nussbaum zooms out.

Good, engaging, but loses its spark and sacrifices its more intimate premise for a larger idea of what society should become.

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

in the category of self-help/motivation for creative entrepreneurs or just professionals hoping for the next big idea, this book was grounded in examples--from individuals to brands and corporations taking creative action and succeeding. The author explains how the action was born, what was going on at the time with competitors or with the market.

Some of the corporate examples left me depressed--I'm never going to be the next Apple, whether on my own or as an employee--but I read the library copy and then bought a copy for myself with intention to re-read with highlighter in hand. I never do that, so...take from that what you will!

[Anh Hoang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuốn sách này nên dành cho những ai đang làm công việc kinh doanh mà lại muốn sự "an toàn" đọc để "risk-taking". Cũng như những cuốn sách viết về các mẩu chuyện kinh doanh và sáng tạo khác, cuốn sách bắt đầu từ việc ý tưởng táo bạo rồi đi đến hành động và thành công. Kiểu sách truyền cảm hứng như thế này đang ko hợp với mình lắm ở hiện tại, mình cần best practices

[Miles Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on the importance of fostering creativity within oneself and organizations. The book spawned many ideas relevant to my work and writing. Highly recommended.

Quote from the book: “Children and adults...should learn that playing and discovering are often better techniques than trying to get it right.”

[Paul Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

You've heard of IQ and maybe even EQ (emotional intelligence), but have you heard of CQ (creative intelligence)? Mr. Nussbaum expounds CQ and claims that it will be a key driver of economic growth and an important factor in individual success in the 21st century.

[Chris Webber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It is a unique and interesting new approach to a clearly evolving intelligence in our world of technology. Like emotional intelligence, creative intelligence (CQ) helps us identify strengths and assets in others.

[Danilo Bortoli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Com um otimismo insuportável típico do início da década passada, portando a fé na economia de compartilhamento. Talvez eu esteja sendo duro demais, mas esse é o preço a se pagar quando se apega muito na noção da criatividade casada com o desenvolvimento tecnológico.

[Melise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been on my TBR list for 5 years. I wish I would have read it 5 years ago.

The content here was interesting, but the sense of optimism and potential that he sees in the tech industry has taken such a turn since this was written, that it is difficult to read some of it.

[Charles McCaffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I especially liked the section on the economics of creativity.

[Norman Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to skim through for advice on product development.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. After reading this book I decided that create, connect and inspire would be my personal ethos.

[Erin Mae Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought-provoking read

[Nina Pavlichko · Rating 1 out of 5]

I get tired of hearing stories about Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg. Let’s find new creative people out there, particularly women who need to be in the spotlight.

[Synexe · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE MAIN IDEA

The changing nature of the global economy in the 21st century means that older ways of looking at problems – using the same old frames of references – will no longer work. Nussbaum argues that there is a need for people to utilize their Creative Intelligence (CQ) to reframe the problems that confront us as an open-ended exploration.

In this new approach, the solutions we come up with for the problems that confront us will always be partial and never completely finished. But, given that uncertainty is part and parcel of the modern world, this approach may be a better way to work with that uncertainty.

INTERESTING TIDBIT

A university professor and former assistant managing editor at Business Week the author taught third-grade science in the Philippines as a Peace Corps volunteer.

WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW

Creativity is not just an individual practice, but is something heavily dependent on context. This context can be created in organizations. To do this, you need to create the space for people to build their competencies in five areas:

• Knowledge Mining
• Framing
• Playing
• Making
• Pivoting

The key issue that makes creativity so important as a value in the current world is that “…creativity [is] a practice that actually harnesses uncertainty.” By helping create an enabling space for creativity in your organization you can help your organization more readily navigate the uncertainty which appears to be implicit in the new world order. And, at base, that seems to be at the very least a pre-requisite for success.

THE GENERAL OVERVIEW

This is a well-written book that moves at a good pace, and has a wealth of interesting and useful examples interspersed throughout. In some respects the topic of the book itself isn’t new. In fact, the book builds on an idea that a number of people have been pursuing over the last few years – this being that creativity is the underpinning of the new, emergent economy in the 21st century. Building on this, Nussbaum expands this idea in later parts of the book, to help explain the rise of what he calls ‘Indie Capitalism’. He sees creativity as the basis of a new economic order in the 21st century.

All in all, the book is a wonderful introduction to current work and thinking on creativity and presents a really interesting and useful framework to harness creativity in your own work and that of your staff and colleagues.

Definitely worth a read!

[S.P. Moss · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an important book. It's one of those books that you may find on the business shelf, but it has implications for the individual, for business, for the economy and for society and humankind as a whole.

Bruce Nussbaum's book is easy to read, but not simplistic. It covers and draws inspiration from a wide range of disciplines, from anthropology and psychology to education as well as design and business. The bulk of the book is devoted to what Nussbaum terms the "5 competencies of Creative Intelligence" which he defines as Knowledge Mining, Framing, Playing, Making and Pivoting. In discussing all of these, he brings a wealth of super examples as well as how-to tips. I like the inclusion of the "back end" competencies Making and Pivoting, as creativity doesn't end with ideas!

I also found the section on the Economic Value of Creativity in which Nussbaum describes the new economic system of Indie Capitalism inspiring. I think I cheered aloud at least once! This system values chance and human unpredictability rather than reducing to what can be measured as in the efficiency of markets system.

I have a couple of very minor criticisms. Firstly, I found there were rather too many clichés of the "see them as challenges, not problems" type, as well as the repetition of the "we don't think of ourselves as creative" line. Well, some of us do! The examples in the book have, inevitably, a US bias.

In addition, I had a technical issue with the Kindle version. I was surprised that the book finished at around the 60% mark and there then followed a huge number of notes. There seems to be no reference to these notes in the text as you go along, as there would be in a paper book.

Overall, this is a book that is well worth reading, and I'll be referring back to it. I particularly like the dispelling of the "lone genius" myth and the focus on the social conditions that lead to creativity. Nussbaum knits together a number of disparate trends, from gaming and crowd-funding, the renaissance of making and the return to local production in a readable and thought-provoking book.

[Kevin Browne]

You've heard of IQ and maybe even EQ (emotional intelligence), but have you heard of CQ? Bruce Nussbaum argues that creative intelligence will be a key driver of economic growth and an important factor in individual success in the 21st century.

In some respects his book joins a chorus of others making similar arguments. There was Dan Pink's Who New Mind and Seth Godin's The Icarus Deception to name just two. Both argued for the importance of creativity in the work world. Nussbaum's book provides us with some concrete competencies that creative intelligence encompasses.

Many of these will not be surprising including continuing to learn, playing, and making. But, for me anyway, hearing these arguments from different sources in different ways helps reinforce the point.
In addition to discussing the creative competencies, Nussbaum makes six other important points in the book:

Creativity is the source of economic value.
Uncertainty is the state of social and economic life.
The entrepreneur drives economic growth.
Capitalism is a social movement.
Social networks are the basic building blocks of the economy.
Creative destruction is the key to innovation-led economic growth.

We are seeing the importance of these points in many places. Creative destruction is at work in education and medicine. Uncertainty is still high after the Great Recession. It is partly this uncertainty which is inspiring more and more people to focus on creativity as the source of economic value and is inspiring more and more people to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset.

To succeed in this new economic model you have to be willing to face uncertainty, take some risks, be creative and social, and be able to adapt to continuously changing circumstances. Building your creative competencies can help in all of these respects.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a good addition to the genre around creativity. Nussbaum highlights the importance of culture and 5 competencies for success in creativity. The book is broken down along the 5 competencies (Knowledge mining, Framing, Playing, Making and Pivoting). I thought the chapters on the first three competencies were good and the last two (Making and Pivoting) less valuable. In the last chapter, Nussbaum calls for a new economy based on creativity. There is some radical proposals in there starting with the tenet that the "Efficient Market Hypothesis" has bitten the dust. I agree with him that too many corporations have focused too much attention on efficiency and cost cutting at the expense of creativity building. Given the importance of culture, it is no wonder that so many companies struggle with innovation when they spend the majority of time setting up process and metrics and efficiency vs. the culture of trust, collaboration, and play that will ultimately help deliver creative ideas and products. Two last comments that stuck with me - His dictum that brainstorming techniques to generate new ideas doesn't work and it's been PROVEN. That's the first time I had heard that particular verdict. Also, I like the term "donut knowledge" for the ability to see what isn't there....very helpful in dreaming of the future.

[Mary-Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruce Nussbaum’s background as an editor at Business Week and an instructor at Parsons The New School for Design provide him with a unique perspective. Creative Intelligence progresses nicely from descriptions of what creativity is to how it develops and can be reinforced or discouraged. His utilization of stories of people with familiar names or drawn from familiar places eases us into not only his topic but also his point of view on the importance of creativity as well as its prevalence. As he discusses the competencies of creative intelligence, we get glimpses of our own use of each of them; and he encourages that. The wrap up section of the book is about the economic value of creativity and how the current economic theories have left us bereft and diminished our economic return as well as been the base of the recession. Though the topic may lend itself to boredom, Nussbaum keeps the pace lively enough to make the book enjoyable.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the point here that companies only focused on the bottom line will not be innovative or creative and that folks with an entrepreneurial spirit and ability to innovate with new technology will create new industry. Nussbaum says creativity hinges on 5 attributes: Knowledge Mining, Framing, Playing, Making and Pivoting. He also makes the point that teams who know and trust one another are the ones most likely to be free enough with one another to innovate. I found it interesting that he focused a lot on the approach Generation Y has taken to starting new industries in comparison to Boomers...yet no mention of Generation X. He has an entire chapter on maker culture and the local movement and the hope that these 2 shifts in American culture will bring manufacturing, even on a small scale, back to the US. Super interesting.

[Derrick Trimble · Rating 4 out of 5]

While preparing to write my review/summary, I did something I rarely do--read the reviews of others. Not really what I'd call a mistake, just revealing. There are ample books on the subjects of creativity an innovation on the market. Any person who has even slightly dipped their toes into the search for understanding creativity, innovation, or the applications thereof will quickly spot the standard names and principles from other authors across the board. On the other hand, if the reader is only now delving into the positive aspects of creativity and it's applications, then Nussbaum's book is a great starting point.

The only nagging question for me as I devoured the pages was "who specifically is he writing to?"

[Demetria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruce Nussbaum’s book Creative Intelligence: Harnessing the Power to Create, Connect and Inspire is a great read, especially for those in creative fields or those who have in interest in delving into a creative field. Similar to Malcolm Gladwell’s engaging books about how things work in the world, in this book Nussbaum offers up the hows and whys to questions related to creativity, business practices and the economy. Very interesting stuff. I can’t stress enough how much of a good read this was.

For my entire review visit this link: http://loveisdope.wordpress.com/2013/...

[Kbord · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book discusses how to breathe innovation back into individuals, and corporate America. It talks a lot about "local" movements, do-it-yourself (DIY), and entrepreneurialism.

It expands the definition of creativity beyond the arts into engineering and other skills, and how those skills can be recognized and used in today's fast-paced, ever-changing job market.

It also talks about why and how big corporations have stagnated or are stagnating, and how incorrect assumptions about markets for the past three decades have negatively impacted the nation.

I found it an interesting and fascinating read. I also think this book makes a lot of sense.