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Managing Creative People: Lessons in Leadership for the Ideas Economy
A clash between the ideology of growth and the growth of ideas, between control and creativity, between measurement and the immeasurable, between predictability and the fickle muses of inspiration in engulfing our boardrooms. In this scathing swipe at the institutionalised idiocy that is stifling creativity just at the time the world needs it most Gordon Torr draws from the leading lights of creativity research to demolish the myths that surround the generation of ideas in the modern organisation. The curse of the brainstorm, the commoditisation of creative talent, the deskilling of the imagination, the startling inadequacies of management theory – these and the many other horrors of idea-assassination that run rampant in creative sector companies are dissected and disembowelled in this hilarious expose of the drama that unfolds every time a new idea slides across the boardroom table. This book sets out to address the black hole that surrounds the management of creative people, debunking many myths of creativity, and outlining a revolutionary approach to the pressing issue of creative productivity in the contemporary creative sector company. A handbook of tools, techniques, methods and practical ideas whose USP is a framework for thinking about efficient creative management – how to extract value from creative time. Gordon Torr presents a logical argument that puts in place the building blocks of the author’s knowledge and experience towards the final architecture. “ We need them as never before. And we know that they’re somehow different. Yet the productive management of creative people is an almost totally neglected science. I doubt if there’s a single industry that wouldn’t gain immediate advantage from Gordon Torr’s scrupulous and enlightening detective work .”
- Jeremy Bullmore
- Jeremy Bullmore
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 3, 2010
Points out that creativity and problem solving are different things.
Rips into all those that would care to democratise creativity.
Rips into all those that would care to democratise creativity.
June 10, 2024
As Gordon Torr shares, creativity is a driving force of modern economies and of civilization. While productivity remains important, only innovation can give a company or a society a let up on the other. Unfortunately, few people are highly creative – a trait that requires both talent and nurturing. Managing talent in a way that leads to productive results is its own challenge with its own nuance. Torr shares some thoughts that can advance good ideas into reality.
Torr’s demographics should be noted: He’s in industry, he’s a Brit, and he’s from an advertising background. I work in academics (medical research), I’m an American, and I work in technology. Thus, managing creativity looks very different for us. Nonetheless, I found a few suggestions that I could take from this book.
He compares managing creatives to the job that patrons did for creatives centuries ago. They covered the cost of living, commissioned open but directed work, and then rewarded noteworthy results. By doing so, they nurtured a promising person’s creativity. He also highlights that such people deserve recognition on their own right because without them, the creative genius would not be expressed.
To be honest, the first half of the book did not hit my sweet spot. Torr discusses the virtues of creative people – a topic I do not need convincing of. He then describes how people need to accommodate creatives’ personal foibles, like a self-interested nature or social oddity. While I’m always a fan of more tolerance, I’m likewise concerned that creatives don’t become rude and ill-mannered, too. Torr needs more balance and moderation on that point. I’m concerned that this book, like society at large, can become a bit of “us vs. them.”
Overall, this book provides an interesting read about the position of creatives in the business world. In the sciences in universities, I feel that many of these concerns are thankfully better managed that Torr describes. I appreciate his attention to the need for creatives to drive organizations and society along. I wish more people would collaborate with creatives – and more creatives would collaborate with business – so that we can advance society together.
Torr’s demographics should be noted: He’s in industry, he’s a Brit, and he’s from an advertising background. I work in academics (medical research), I’m an American, and I work in technology. Thus, managing creativity looks very different for us. Nonetheless, I found a few suggestions that I could take from this book.
He compares managing creatives to the job that patrons did for creatives centuries ago. They covered the cost of living, commissioned open but directed work, and then rewarded noteworthy results. By doing so, they nurtured a promising person’s creativity. He also highlights that such people deserve recognition on their own right because without them, the creative genius would not be expressed.
To be honest, the first half of the book did not hit my sweet spot. Torr discusses the virtues of creative people – a topic I do not need convincing of. He then describes how people need to accommodate creatives’ personal foibles, like a self-interested nature or social oddity. While I’m always a fan of more tolerance, I’m likewise concerned that creatives don’t become rude and ill-mannered, too. Torr needs more balance and moderation on that point. I’m concerned that this book, like society at large, can become a bit of “us vs. them.”
Overall, this book provides an interesting read about the position of creatives in the business world. In the sciences in universities, I feel that many of these concerns are thankfully better managed that Torr describes. I appreciate his attention to the need for creatives to drive organizations and society along. I wish more people would collaborate with creatives – and more creatives would collaborate with business – so that we can advance society together.
May 26, 2014
Really loved this book. Not much to say other than that. I would have been happy to see the first section grow into a whole expansive study on creativity.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews