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 Group GeniusThe Creative Power of Collaborationby Keith Sawyer Jun 4, 2007
DescriptionCreativity has long been thought to be an individual gift, best pursued alone; schools, organizations, and whole industries are built on this idea. But what if the most common beliefs about how creativity works are wrong? In this authoritative and fascinating new book, Keith Sawyer, a psychologist at Washington University, tears down some of the most popular myths about creativity and erects new principles in their place. He reveals that creativity is always collaborative-even when you’re alone. (That “eureka” moment in the bathtub couldn’t have come to Archimedes if he hadn’t spent so many hours arguing and comparing notes with his fellow mathematicians and philosophers.) Sawyer draws on compelling stories of inventions and innovations: the inventors of the ATM, the mountain bike, and open source operating systems, among others, to demonstrate the freewheeling ways of true innovation. He shares the results of his own acclaimed research on jazz groups, theater ensembles, and conversation analysis, to show us how to be more creative in collaborative group settings, how to change organizational dynamics for the better, and how to tap into our own reserves of creativity. ReviewsJudiciously wielding exercises and dozens of examples, Sawyer (Explaining Creativity) helps the reader think and function in and out of groups.
...this is a solid recipe for ‘unexpected innovation.’ In this book about how it feels when groups perform well, Professor Sawyer gives us a fascinating account of human experience at its best.
I can't stop thinking and talking about GROUP GENIUS. It's filled with insightful nuggets—from improvisational theater to the advent of Monopoly to Impressionist painting to the invention of the mountain bike—about teams and the creative process. Whether shedding new light on brainstorming or exploring the subtleties of language, Sawyer made me see creativity in a whole new way. Selling TerritoryWorld |
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