The LIFT Blog

by Monica Worline

Last week I attended the European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS) Conference in Barcelona. What a great city, and a great conference. The theme was Passion for creativity and innovation: Energizing the study of organizations and organizing. What I found most inspiring, and what I find myself thinking about most upon my return, did not occur at the conference itself, however, but in my visit to Fundacio Joan Miro, the museum dedicated to work by the Spanish painter.

The Smile of a Tear, Miro

The current exhibit explores Miro’s longtime friendship with French poet Jacques Dupin, who wrote a critically appreciative biography of Miro. According to the exhibit, Miro himself felt that Dupin’s writing captured the essence of what he was attempting to express in his painting. The walk through the exhibit was like a window into the essence of a creative friendship. For me it was also a  reminder of how being in dialogue with ideas and people outside of our usual domain can nourish our creativity.

Creativity and Networks

The fact that having and making use of connections with others outside of one’s organization enhances creativity is well-established in research like that of my colleague Jill Perry-Smith, whose research on networks and creativity shows that external ties to others are useful to enhance creativity inside the organization (see an overview here). [1] 

Research in the psychology of creativity also supports the idea that linking to people and ideas outside of one’s usual domain provides fresh input for the development of the work. [2] So while we may have a romantic view of a painter-like Miro-as an isolated figure working away in his garrett, the reality of a creative life is made of forging links between one’s passion, like painting, and others with different passions, like poetry. When we enter into relationships with those whose passion complements ours, we open the way for creativity to bloom.

Development Through Critical Appreciation

According to the Fundacio Miro exhibit, the friendship between Dupin and Miro sprang from Dupin’s writing about Miro’s paining but continued to develop as the two engaged in critical appreciation of each other’s work. To explore this idea of critical appreciation further, I read one of Dupin’s essay on Miro’s work, entitled The Birth of Signs. In that essay, Dupin points to the heart of Miro’s project as an artist. Critical appreication provides a way for one person to give words to the essence of what another person is trying to express. I imagine that being on the receiving end of this critical appreciation for Miro was an instance of feeling deeply recognized and known. Dupin gives language to what was likely, for Miro, an invisible process of growth and development. It sounds like this:

The idea–an idea that is at once very simple and very mysterious–was to extract from each form the sign latent within it, to unshackle the sign from the matrix of realistic representation, to strip it bare, to give it room to breathe. Miro produced numerous studies of details, elaborating the metamorphosis of cactus plants and locust trees, of rabbits and insects, of frogs and dogs. He worked calmly, and his letters from those months reveal a joyous tension, a certainty that he was moving in the right direction. Step by step, he took possession of his imaginative territory, knowing full well how much was at stake. [3]

In this comment, Dupin reveals his deep appreciation for Miro’s imaginative process, even as he acknowledges the mystery of Miro’s fundamental ideas about expression. Dupin is open to receiving that mystery. His writing offers to us, and most probably to Miro himself, insight into the mystery by articulating its power and promise.

Jonathan Feinstein,  who teaches at the Yale School of Management, writes about the nature of creative development. In his 2006 book by that title [3], he points to the importance of openness as central to the development of creativity. This openness combines with intrinsic motivation to stimulate development. Dupin’s comments on Miro’s work show us a potent  combination of knowledge and openness that stimulated the development of both men’s creative work.

Three Ideas for Fostering Creativity 

Perhaps it is time to ask yourself, what have you done lately to link to domains outside of your usual work? And are you experiencing critical appreciation? How can you stimulate your capacity to give and receive that combination of knoweldge and openness that would truly bolster your creative development? Here are three ways to think about fostering creativity through your networks and through your capacity for critical appreciation.

1. Looking for Inspiration Outside Your Usual Network of Colleagues

Are you regularly connecting with people outside of your industry or field in ways that would nourish new ideas? You might try joining an industry group in an affiliated field or attending professional development events that bring together new people in your field. Miro knew and socialized with artists of his time, becoming well known as a mentor for young people entering the field of painting. These relationships with other artists and with young painters fuels his life-long creative energy. Building and maintaining your ties to people who are within your field but outside your organization is crucial for enhancing your creativity inside your firm.

2. Building Relationships Outside Your Usual Domain

Another way to foster your creativity is to meet people outside of your usual work domain. You might try joining a book club or finding a discussion group related to ideas that interest you. If you choose an area of intrinsic interest, you will be motivated to attend and you will find it easier to meet new people. Remember, intrinsic interest drives creativity and fosters the development of ideas. Devote regular periods of energy to something outside your usual work domain that attracts you. Miro didn’t cultivate an interest in poetry in order to change his painting, he was truly interested in poetic expression. But his intrinsic interest in poetry fueled his relationships with people like Dupin and ultimately contributed to the creative leaps in his work.

3. Offering and Receiving Critical Appreciation

People in organizations often talk about “feedback,” but rarely do we conceptualize feedback as critical appreciation. There is no reason, however, that you can’t make your comments on a colleague’s report an occassion for critical appreciation. All you need to do is think about the spirit Jacques Dupin brough to his writing about Miro, and bring that same spirit to your comments on others’ work. Tie your knowledge to an openness to see the big picture of what your colleague is trying to accomplish. Articulating your view of the work as it relates to your knowledge of the field, along with an appreciative eye for the larger purpose of the work, will almost certainly help others see in new ways.

As you offer this gift of critical appreciation, you will activate reciprocity from your colleagues. When you build your capacity for critical appreication, you become much more  likely to receive critical appreciation in return. Here’s to developing a world of critical appreciation that builds creativity for all of our benefit.

References

[1] Perry-Smith, J., & Shalley, C. (2003) The social side of creativity: A static and dynamic network persepective. Academy of Management Review, 29(1), 89-105.

[2] Amabile, T. (date). Creativity in Context. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

[3] Quote from Dupin, J. (2009). Joan Miro.Barcelona, Spain: Ediciones Poligrafa. Quoted from English translation, page 7.

[4] Feinstein, J. (2006). The Nature of Creative Development. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 11th, 2009 at 1:51 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.