The document discusses the importance of creativity and right-brain skills in the 21st century workplace. It argues that logical, linear left-brain skills are no longer sufficient for success. Creativity, empathy, big-picture thinking and other right-brain abilities are now most important. Forces like abundance, globalization, and automation mean that routine work is being outsourced or automated, while non-routine conceptual work requiring creativity will increase.

1. [email_address] The Importance of Creativity in the 21 st Century Workplace

2. [email_address] The Importance of Creativity in the 21 st Century Workplace Logical Linear Sequential Analytical Reality/fact based Artistic Creative Empathic Imaginative Big picture thinking Left Brain Right Brain

4. The Stroop Test left brain--right brain conflict In most people, the left brain takes control, choosing logic, reasoning and details over imagination, holistic thinking and artistic talent.

5. Creativity “ Creativity is the ability to come up with original ideas that have value.” -- Sir Ken Robinson

6. Being creative can be a way of thinking, a way of viewing the world. Being creative or artistic doesn’t always mean you should know how to draw or paint or play an instrument. And it’s a misconception to think only artists and painters can be creative.

7. Being creative is not about going crazy. It’s about being in control of what you are doing. And getting that balance right is very important.

8. Not scared of making mistakes.

9. Experiments show that most children rank highly creative before entering school. Only 10 percent of these same children will rank highly creative by age 7. By the time they become adults, most kids have lost their capacity to be creative. Age Creativity 5 10 15 20 Less More

10. Creativity Every public education system in the world places a higher value on left brain skills such as mathematics and logic than they do on using our imagination. Our school systems are based on measurement and standardized testing. Unfortunately, some of the most brilliant things that people achieve are not quantifiable in those terms.

11. Logical Linear Sequential Analytical Reality/fact based Artistic Creative Empathic Imaginative Big picture thinking Right Brain Left Brain Certain forces in the economy today which are changing things -- putting a premium on a very different set of abilities, a very different approach to business, to life itself. And these forces are causing a gradual tilt from left brain to right brain sensibilities. The left brain abilities, the logical, sequential, analytical abilities were the ones that used to matter the most. But today they are no longer sufficient. And the abilities of the right hemisphere, creativity, artistry, empathy, inventiveness, big picture thinking; these abilities are now the first among equals. These abilities are the ones that matter most today.

12. ABUNDANCE ASIA AUTOMATION

13. Since 1974, there has been a 65% increase in American residential place per capita . But in spite of that, a whole industry has emerged to house their extra stuff. Self storage is a $17 billion a year industry .

14. There are a couple of ways in which Abundance is tilting the scales from left to right.

15. Not just a product, but an experience!

16. DESIGN = UTILITY SIGNIFICANCE + In a world of abundance, even common, mundane, utilitarian household products can become objects of desire, IF they are well-designed products that transcend functionality and appeal to us on an emotional level.

17. American per capita GDP over the last 60 years has tripled but happiness is flat. And this abundance gap explains why people are waking up to ideas like how to live a purpose driven life, how to find meaning in what you do for a living, 10 million Americans are meditating, 15 million Americans doing yoga, self realization, self actualization, Oprah is a cultural phenomenon. This is going on at an unprecedented scale with all these people looking for a larger meaning, etc. who are suddenly starting to feel a void in their lives that can be filled only by using their right brains sensibilities – meaning, purpose, and significance That's the other way abundance is tilting the scales, putting a higher value on right brain sensibilities. 1950 More Less 1975 2010 Prosperity Satisfaction Abundance Gap

18. ABUNDANCE ASIA AUTOMATION

19. 150 2010 0 The Great Indian Outsourcing Story ROUTINE WORK Any work that can be reduced to a script, a spec sheet, to a formula, to a set of rules, a series of steps to produce a right answer.

20. ABUNDANCE ASIA AUTOMATION

21. Automation In the last century when machines replaced human muscle. In this century, software is replacing the human brain . But which part of the brain can software replace? Not the artistic, empathic right side, but the logical linear, rule based, left side. Logical Linear Sequential Analytical Reality/fact based Artistic Creative Empathic Imaginative Big picture thinking Left Brain Right Brain

25. Agriculture Age (farmers) Industrial Age (factory workers) Information Age (knowledge workers) Conceptual Age (creators, empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers) In the Conceptual Age, in addition to our left-brain directed reasoning powers, we will need to master some essential right-brain directed aptitudes: Meaning Design Story Symphony Empathy Play

26. Not just function, but also Design Design is the antidote to commodification. Design has become a fundamental business literacy.

27. "I don’t think anybody thinks we're not in the design business. We want to design the purchasing experience. We want to design the communication experience, and the user experience. I mean it's all design." -- AG Lafley Former CEO, Procter and Gamble "What we've got at GM now is a general comprehension that you can't run this business by the left, intellectual, analytical side of the brain. You have to have a lot of right side, creative input. We are in the arts and entertainment business , and we're putting a huge emphasis on world-class design." -- Robert Lutz Vice Chairman, Product Development Chief General Motors

28. Not just argument, but also Story "Statistics tell -- stories sell!"

29. Not just focus, but also Symphony See the big Picture Detect Patterns Combine different things/ideas to make new ones

30. Not just focus, but also Symphony

31. Not just focus, but also Symphony Richard Branson Founder of Virgin Enterprises John T Chambers CEO of Cisco Systems Henry Ford Founder of Ford Motors Ingvar Kamprad Founder of IKEA William Hewlett Co Founder of Hewlett-Packard Ted Turner Founder of CNN

32. Not just logic, but also Empathy Standing in somebody else's shoes Feeling with their hearts Seeing with their eyes It makes the world a better place 

33. Not just seriousness, but also Play We need to bring in a sense of humor, laughter, spirit of playfulness to our lives and our work.

34. Not just accumulation, but also Meaning

35. Which of these do I stifle? Which of these am I good at? Which of these would I like to learn more about? Conduct a project brainstorming session with your team that’s divided into six parts: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning. Reviewing the 6 right brain aptitudes … Meaning Design Story Symphony Empathy Play ASK Try

36. Further reading … “ A Whole New Mind : Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future” by Daniel H. Pink Sir Ken Robinson says “Schools kill creativity” (Ted Talk)