On May 26, enter the world of d.studio where students think and create using whiteboards, colourful Post-it notes, play dough and crayons all complemented by cutting edge technology. Experience the creative energy of this space and the potential it unleashes in everyone.

The kids can come up with their own business ideas and create their own “business plans” based on what they love the most, with guidance from d.studio lead, professor Moura Quayle.

Who knows? One day, you might be the proud parent of the next Warren Buffet.

Register HERE. Registration closes Tuesday, May 22.

This was Morten’s second session on the Creative Brain.  He summarized the key messages so far — priming, remove associations, inhibition, incubation and fixation.   This week focused on the Neurobiology of Creativity touching on neurotransmitters, arousal & hypnagogia, drugs, the brain areas involved, resting state and mind wandering, insight problem-solving and sleeping and dreaming.

Morten took us through the biology of the brain – the function of neurotransmitters, an overview of the research on what happens in the state of arousal or “being awake”.  It is complex.  We have four major systems originating in the brain stem — and when these systems are in action the receiving neural areas become sensitive and responsive to incoming signals.  Interesting work on the effects of marijauna — no correlation to increased creativity.

Morten’s PhD research uses neuro-imaging — to see what parts of the brain are active during what kinds of mental activity.  The take-home messages for this session are:

• Eat fewer sweets and more bananas.
• Always REM-sleep with a problem — but don’t forget that ‘chance favours only the prepared mind’.
• Don’t do drugs.
• Don’t get too aroused — and don’t work too long on the same problem.  Take a break, go for a run, take a shower, or power nap.

This session ended with the introduction of the business for this module:  Coloplast.  The problem assigned to the students is:  How can Coloplast grow its Chronic Care business?  More in Week 3.

Here are students at play.

Balder and Morten have arrived!  Hurrah.  The idea to invite two creative and talented PhD fellows from the Copenhagen Business School (CBS) to teach at Sauder emerged last spring during my 2month stay at CBS.  Balder Onarheim (a industrial designer on the left below) and Morten de Friis-Olivarius (a neuroscientist on the right below) seemed to me to be a wonderful combination to offer up to the Sauder MBAs interested in pursuing creative business thinking.  As a result, we have a class of 21 MBAs filled up the little d.studio.  Photo below of Balder wearing the yellow positive thinking hat and and Morten sporting the green creative thinking hat.

So began a 5-week adventure into creative business thinking.  Morten could only stay 2 weeks so the first two sessions focussed on the brain and creativity.  But before they launched into the brain, Balder gave a great introduction to the Nordic approach to life and design and creativity.  For example: the Scandinavian approaches to Participatory design include (1) deep commitments to democracy and democratization; (2) discussions of values in design and imagined futures; and (3) how conflict and contradictions are regarded as resources in design. (from Gregory, 2003)

Morten’s message is all about the creative brain:  the concept of creativity and how it is tested, basics on how the brain works, cognitive inhibition and fixation, and creativity and psycho-pathology.  He talked about the 4P model of creativity (Rhodes, 1961; Mooney, 1963) which has process, person, press and product intersecting.  Morten and Balder define creativity as something both “original” and “useful”.

Morten’s session went on to unfold various theories of creativity and research work that has unfolded over the past decades including Mednick’s “associative model” and the Remote Associates Test, e.g.  What word is related to these three words?  PAINT. DOLL. CAT.  Solution is “house”.  There is also an Alternative Uses Test.

One of the many interesting and useful points that Morten made was around the idea:  ”It’s when we forget, that we remember”.  The concept of incubation (remembering or good ideas can occur whenever inhibition decreases — and clearly inhibition is an automatic process in our brains to prevent info overload)  Which may explain why original and useful ideas are hard to come by when we are all overloaded by too much information.   Morten finished off the session with some discussion about creativity and psychopathology.

Stay tuned for Week 2.

To borrow a delightful phrase from Soren Hansen and Henning Sejer-Jakobsen, one of the chief benefits of change labs for social innovation is that they allow us to lift our change process –

“away from the swamp of everyday activities — routine, fear of failure, prejudice, bureaucracy and rules.”

Instead, change labs offer us environments that nurture and celebrate novel ideas, collaboration and experimentation.  Sound a bit fanciful, like life on Mars?  Well it is, sort of.

I just spent the last 24 hours in MaRS (yes - in MaRS, not on it) exploring the emerging world of change labs.  The MaRS Discovery District is a collection of entities in downtown Toronto that share facilities and a passion for innovation.  This morning, it was also the site of a “fishbowl” dialogue among 20 change lab and innovation leaders, who gathered to explore the potential of and challenges to developing change labs for social innovation.

Change labs have been bubbling up across the country in the last couple of years, and have demonstrated promise in tacking complex social problems.  Now, thanks in part to the work of several organizations like MaRs, SiG and the BC Advisory Council for Social Innovation, interest in labs has piqued – and no where is it higher than in the public service.  Offering public servants a chance to escape the “swamp” in which they’re mired to explore ways to co-create new solutions to social problems with a variety of partners has the same effect as offering a Winnipeger an all-inclusive trip to Mexico in February.  Their faces split with a grin and they launch out of their chairs like a ski jumper going for gold.

This is all great for us at the Sauder Studio, as it confirms that we’re on the right track with our work  - teaching business students design processes and tools for solving wicked problems, in an attempt to change the way they think (and ultimately act).  Recently, we’ve expanded our programs to include external organizations, such as the BC Ministry of Health.  Still, when the theme of design education surfaced in the fishbowl today, I was keen to discover how these change-makers saw organizations like ours fitting into the lab movement.  It turned out that, leading the development and adoption of effective lab methodologies emerged as an obvious role for us to play.  Specifically, the group articulated a need to help folks in other countries learn to start and run change labs.

“What a great opportunity for us!”, I thought.  As I pictured this growing network of change labs around the world lighting little lamps of innovation everywhere, I realized that, at a certain point, the lamps will reach critical mass, eventually bathing the whole planet with their glow.  And it dawned on me – that’s what we’re working for.  That is the time when change becomes the norm.

So yes, change labs can and will play a key role in shifting our culture of innovation, by teaching those who use them to think and act differently.  But we may wish to consider them as a transitional tactic only.  Why limit the development of knowledge and skills in fostering social innovation to those working  within the lab community? Shouldn’t our ultimate goal be to increase our innovation capacity across all sectors, all industries, all disciplines?

Rather than looking for ways to just vacation from the swamp in the lab, why not re-invent life in the swamp instead, and re-plant it with something other than weeds?  Why not use change labs as seeds to sow a new culture; use them to help everyone learn to lead change?  Why not create a culture of innovation that is pervasive and desirable, that is normal – not an anomaly?

Lofty? Sure.  But a girl can’t just sit around!

The way the 4 actions framework works is to compete on aspects that your competitor is ignoring. The idea with this framework is to simultaneously differentiate the product while also lowering costs.

The How-To

Determine what aspects competitors in the market focus on to create value.

Determine what your target market wants from the product.

Find ways to create value by eliminating unnecessary factors, raise factors that the consumer values, reduce factors that are less important and create new factors that the industry doesn’t offer.

Plot your new strategy canvas on a model similar to the one shown above.

Although a very simplified version, science and research has now given us insight into the brains of these happy people.  Shawn Achor, through his Ted talk “The Happy Secret to Better Work” [http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work.html] coins people like this under the term of those experiencing “Positive Psychology”.  As business students, we are taught the practical outcomes of happy employees: ““75% of job successes are predicted by your optimism levels, your social support, and your ability to challenges as an opportunity and not a threat.”  Simple stuff.  Ok, so, happy people make happy employees.  It doesn’t take Mr. Holmes to create that correlation.  But what is interesting lies in the types of cognitive process your brain employs when it is happy.

Achor said the following, “If you can raise someone’s level of positivity in the present, then their brain experiences what we now call the happiness advantage – which is your brain at positive, performs significantly better than your brain at negative, neutral, or stressed.  Your intelligence rises, your creativity raises, your energy levels rise. In fact what we found is that every single business outcome improves.”

Did you hear that?  Creativity rises.  Creativity rises.  Remember what we learnt about barriers?  Creativity is stifled by barriers.  Barriers of time, restrictions on resources, an over-hearing black hat, etc.  But there are psychological barriers as well.  Barriers of low self-esteem, negativity, and stress, just to name a few.  Happy brains open up the creative potential within people.  Neurologists have proven it, psychologists have proven it, sociologists have proven it.  So why aren’t we listening?

Like the opening paragraph, we think that happy people are weird.  WE DO!  Believe me – we do.  Consider the graph which was shown in the Ted talk.  It was nonsensical – there was no data involved.  But the message was clear.  We wanted to remove the outlier.  We wanted to remove the weirdo.  Consider an average business lecture.  Why do we always remove the outliers?  Yes, Coca-Cola’s exceptional business strategy cannot be easily replicated in every industry or with every company.  But why not study their exceptional success?  Why out-rule them as an outlier?  Why think of them as a one-off?  Why view them as weird?

If we get past our passion of mediocrity, we are free to explore the endless possibilities of our own potential.  Potential for happiness.  Potential for creativity.  If we consciously take our lives in our own hands, and commit to being happy as much as possible we eliminate the barriers that stand between us and our creative potential.  Creativity is a science.  It is locked within the cognitive potential of our brains.  But, slowly, we are researching and learning the keys which are required to unlock this creative potential.

So I challenge you, as I have challenged myself, to use this key.  Start with the happiness key.  Try, just try, to view the world through rose coloured glasses.  Or yellow ones, or rainbow ones – which ever suits your fancy.  Try random acts of kindness.  Try raising your own dopamine level both consciously and subconsciously.  Try bouncing while walking.  Try oozing rainbows.

Try smiling more.

Try laughing more.

Try seeing more.

Try being happy.  Today.  Tomorrow.  Next week.  This minute.  While you’re sleeping.

And once you’ve tried – try to inspire others to do the same.

A little treat, from my heart to yours.  I hope you smile:

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgovv8jWETM]

Here is a visual representation I made of the Ted Talk.

Ideation

dStudio gave me the opportunity to be in a class full of 25+ other likeminded students.  Students who were hunger to break out of the regular “project-mold”.  Students who were eager to tap into their creative minds.  Students who were willing to suggest crazy ideas.  Students who understood my need for creative thinking.

I will always remember the lesson of the colored hats.  The theory behind these hats are based on research and fact, in fact, the concept of the hats are applied by many organizations in our business community.  The concept of the hats are simple:  there are six hats.  Each hat represents a different cognitive approach to a problem or discussion.  Switching hats can change the direction of the discussion.  And ensuring that you take time wearing all of the hats is important.

Simple stuff, eh?  Not quite.  What was most impactful to me about these hats are the insights I made while wearing the hats.  I am grateful that I got the opportunity to experience this at a young age.  The following are a few insights I had that have changed my approach to design in the future:

1. You cannot wear multiple hats at once.  “Come on – we live in an age of multitasking!  Of course you can”.  False.  You can only wear one hat at a time.  The power of the hats lies when you fully embrace the thinking direction of the hat.  For example, the black hat (judgment).  Be judgmental!  Question the process!  Question the feasibility!  Question the effectiveness!  Question the value proposition!  Question everything!  There is nothing wrong with fully surrendering to the black hat – or any hat for that matter.  In fact, committing whole heartedly to one hat at a time leads to a more holistic and fulfilling discussion.
2. You are inherently drawn to certain hats.  Consider the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator.  We all have a unique MBTI.  We all have a unique personality.  We are all attracted to certain things and instinctually are drawn to others.  Same concept applies with the hats.  Some of us are immediately attracted to the blue hat, or the red hat, etc.  Understanding which hat you’re attracted you allows you to develop your efficiency at using this particular hat.  Also, understanding which hat you are not attracted you to allows you to do two things: 1) purposely put on that hat to develop those skills and 2) in a team based setting delegate that hat to someone to ensure that that piece is convered.
3. Each hat is as valuable as the next.  The black hat is no more valuable than the yellow hat.  And the green hat is no more valuable than the white hat.  All of the hats have a distinct purpose and using these hats collectively and purposefully allows each hat to the be mutually beneficial to the next hat.

The colored hats experience was truly a rewarding experience.  It gave me the opportunity to realize which hat I’m most drawn too.  Which hat makes me feel uncomfortable.  Which hat I like others to wear because I’m no good at giving it justice.  And most importantly, the value of having all six hats present during discussion.

Thank you for introducing us to this design life thinking process.  It won’t be a lesson which will be forgotten anytime soon!

So now it’s your turn – go colour your thinking process!  Go colour your world – with hats!

There is, of course, no hard and fast rule.  “Eat carrots will help me be creative” or “a 3.47 mile run will make me more creative in the evening” simply does not work.  There is no formula.  What there is, however, is a basic correlation between some actions and a higher level of thinking.  Some actions eliminate the cognitive barriers we face such as “this won’t work”, “I’m not qualified”, “no one will listen”.  And it is in this removal of barriers were the magic of creativity lies.  Remove the barriers, free the mind, BAM – you’ve created the secret sauce to help fuel creativity.

My secret sauce is music.  My favorite Ted speaker is Mr. Robert Gupta.  Gupta received his undergraduate degree in Pre-Medical science and later went to pursue a Masters in Music at Yale University.  His Ted talk “Music is medicine, music is sanity” [http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/robert_gupta.html] is brilliant.  Gupta creates a strong correlation between music and creativity, “This was the very reason why we made music: we take something that exists within all of us at our very fundamental core, our emotions, and through our artistic lens, through our creativity, we’re able to shape those emotions into reality”.

Again – music exists at our fundamental core.  It does, doesn’t it?

Consider this.  Take a moment to listen to one of my favorite classical pieces (with a modern twist): O Fortuna Carmina [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpx4YqMkrfc&list=UUmKurapML4BF9Bjtj4RbvXw&index=12&feature=plcp].  If you did – you noticed that the musician had the audacity to write “Thumbs up if your heart is still racing!” after the final crescendo in the piece.  Brilliant, eh?  Most listeners, myself included, would not have noticed the emotional power the song had on us.  The musicians note brought us back to consciousness to bring awareness to our beating heart.  Hence, the power of music.

“Music changes us” – Robert Gupta.  Music changes you, music changes me.  Music has a profound influence on my life.  It grabs my emotions and pulls me into my subconscious.  I lose control of what I feel, the stresses that bog me down, and just take a moment to breathe.  Most importantly, it removes the barriers.  It removes the fundamental barrier standing between me and my creativity.  Does it work every time?  Of course not. But understanding that music is my “creative secret sauce” allows me to seek the potential of being creative more often.

This is all good to know.  But it real treat lies within the implementation of this.  If I know what helps fuel my creative juices – why don’t I listen to music more often?  Perhaps it is because of all of the excuses.  “I don’t have time right now”, “I forgot my iPod”, etc.  The list goes on.  To hell with the list!

“If it is important to you, you will find a way.  If not, you’ll find an excuse”- Anonymous.   Is being creative important to me?  Is been authentic important to me?  Is listening to music to help catalyze the unleashing of my creative potential important to me?  If any of the above questions have been answered yes, which in my case all of them have been answered yes, then yes – I will find a way.

This piece has never failed to inspire me – please enjoy: (http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/robert_gupta_and_joshua_roman_duet_on_passacaglia.html)