In my opinion, creativity is a growing, changing, living
thing that can thrive if nurtured and fade if caged, even within a single
individual. It varies in natural
intensity but can be cultivated in anyone with the right stimuli. Furthermore, from person to person I have
noticed that the sensitivity of creativity and the mediums it comes through
best vary intensely.
As former military, I spent my time in very rigid,
structured, creativity crushing organizations…or so it seems at first
glance. The Marine Corps culture is one
of cookie cutter precision making sure that all parts are identical and operate
in a similar fashion to reduce unpredictability in performance. This is on the outside though. Internally, the Corps has constant issues of
too many problems, not enough solutions, and even less resources to address those
problems with. Thus enters most of the creativity. Just as necessity is the mother of invention,
scarcity and urgency foster immense creativity within the ranks.
A common idea among Marines is the empowering “get it done”
idea. It could cleaning an armory,
storming a hill, fixing a truck, or getting a hold of much needed equipment,
but once assigned a task, Marines tend to attach their pride and reputations to
the outcome. Just as well, at lower
leadership levels and above, management tends to have more individuals or teams
to manage than seems plausible so they will constantly provide a task a say “I
don’t care, get it done!” Without fail,
this type of leadership usually yields two things. First, the Marines look
around like “did that really just happen?”
Second, without fail, creative results emerge. As compared to the micro-management style of
leadership most would expect from the military, I find that this style tends to
lead to more creative results because first, it is open ended with little guidance
providing only an end point and no path.
Second, the natural leadership style among Marines communicates a sense
of urgency with results tied to the doer’s reputation. This could cause a problem, but a good “jarhead”
should remain calm under stress so the “no pressure” mantra should ring true.
Third, Marines tend to come from all walks of life and also tend to have less
formal education than their counterpart service members, as well as most in the
civilian world. I believe this lack of
education enhances creativity because the projects are usually performed by
teams of very different socio-economic backgrounds. Additionally, the mental
frameworks applied to problem solving tend to be widely varied and acquired
through practical application which, in my opinion, breeds less streamlined and
conformist problem solving approaches.
So, I assume the reader is asking, “So, how do these weird creatures
tend to be creative?” Aside from creatively
finding new ways to get into trouble, creativity most often comes through due
to a lack of resources. I witnessed
individuals fixing Hummers with duct tape, fabricating makeshift air
conditioning systems to try and block out some of the Sahara style heat,
creating makeshift living quarters to remind themselves more of home, and
making “improvised upgrades” to weapons to ensure reliability in unreliable
conditions, and somehow creatively managing to find food even in the oddest of
circumstances.
Now that the factors should that encourage creativity in such
an organization have been detailed,I think it would be worthwhile to point out
the traits I have observed that stifle creativity. First, obviously, would be micro-management
and detailing a specific path to a solution.
People will never improve on a process if they are forced down a
specific road, a specific way, time after time.
Eventually, the creative mindset and observational powers that spark
creativity wear away as they settle into the routine of following the path in
front of them. Secondly, if the person
is sensitive to pressure or high stress situations. If the individual tends to “vapor lock”, or locks
up and loses the ability to function when with the overwhelming feeling of
stress, the leader involved must remove the idea of stress. This could also be a removing a perceived threat
of repercussions to encourage a fully free, open thought process resulting in
creativity.
From my experience inside and outside of the military, I’ve
come to view creativity as a muscle. At
times it is stronger for me, and other times it is weaker, but this all depends
on how often I’ve attempted to push my creative limits. For my initial period in the Marines I felt
stifled and robotic, but this was likely intended. As I reached what we called the “Fleet Marine
Force” preparing to deploy to the Middle East, our problem sets expanded far
beyond the institutional knowledge of our sub-organizations at the lower
levels, our experience levels, and our resources. Additionally knowing that we would be
operating in an unknown environment under ambiguous conditions forced to adapt
a creative, problem solving mindset on an institutional level, though this was
more of a necessity induced initiative from the bottom up.\
The times that I felt most creative are the times that I have been able to mentally transcend my surroundings and reach a high level of emotional
and mental detachment. This has allowed
me to freely explore ideas without regard to constraints. Granted this state will not always prove
fruitful, I have achieved my insights in it.
On the other hand, the times I felt most stifled have been when I
remained within the situation, mentally speaking, or remained emotionally attached
when there was a possibility of negative emotions due to pressure, stress, or
any sentiment hindering a positive mood.
One thing I believe expands creative abilities and creative
thinking are frameworks. Frameworks of
applying knowledge or thought to analyze or perceive a situation
differently. In a simple form, this has
come from telling a person a situation I’m analyzing, the data I know to be
fact, my sentiments, and then ask their perspective. By understanding how they view the situation
and how they specifically analyze the situation I absorb a new possible
perspective, a new angle to view a situation from, and a new way to framework for
creative analysis. On another level are
the tools we have learned in class. My favorite thus far, in terms of business,
has been the canvas, though I believe the principles can be applied to other
projects. The canvas allows us to take
the knowledge we have on an entity and the facts surrounding it, put all of the
information on a level plane, and assess it as objectively as possible with equal
weight. The end result is that connections
that were previously overshadowed by the bold points of the situation en up receiving
our full attention, sparking new ideas, and ultimately creativity occurs. This framework enables a different perspective
and has convinced me that creativity, or at least developing a creative
perspective, can be taught. Creativity
is a skill. Like any other skill, it is
a talent for some and a point of weakness for others, but it can be developed
in all.
