book review # 27 InGenius , A Crash Course on Creativity

Book review # 27 InGenius

“Incredible” was the only word I can think of after closing this book down hours ago. I’m glad that I can now put an early nomination for book of the year 2013 becuase this book is extraordinary. 

I will even give the score now, it’s definitely a 10/10

why? 

Well, let’s say that it’s a kind of book that make you come up with game-changing idea while you turning through pages. Not many books can do this. This is how my book looks like while I'm reading it. The best way to explore the book, in my opinion, is the write, fold, highlight and take notes which is exactly what I'm doing. 

I was able to figure out the new evaluation method that not only will keep my team energized at all time but also will make them have a better experience while working as well. Just to summarize on what I come up with, it’s bi-monthly process with a combination of evaluation and gamification. I hope it will a new plant form to revive creativity and energy in my firm. Frankly, I am so confident that it will. 

Anyway, let’s me tell you a little bit about the author, Tina Seelig, who teaches at Stanford D School. Her famous “crash course on creativity” course is available online which you can apply at stanford.edu. It’s help people in various background to be able to articulate their expertise and finding new ways to solve old problems.

It is such a good book that I think everyone should definitely have one copy for themselves. It energizes you to think far and beyond. As I said not many book can do that. 

The book starts off with concept on frame of reference where most of the time we unintentionally see the world from our usual perspective. And how can we move beyond that and finding new frame to see from different angle. Also, to avoid the trap assuming that the way we do things is the one right way. 

Move further along to how connecting things that seems unconnected is important. The book demonstrate on how it  expands your capability of imagination. Then, it elaborate on some tools to find new idea which this book particularly emphasize on brainstorming therefore you will have detail suggestions for efficient brainstorming session. Personally I found this chapter very useful. Again, the idea (with some slight modification of your company’s culture) can be implemented immediately. 

Next chapter stimulate the importance of observation and how acute observation is a key skill for gaining valuable knowledge about the world around you. The practice of capturing the observations and registered it in your mind is also talked about. Simply stated, focus observation is a powerful way to get the valuable information about the world around us. Armed with that, doors of possibilities are open. 

Then the book gives us the most interesting issues of all time which is the working space and how its influence people in it. Space is one of the key factors in all habitats, along with rules, rewards, constraints which are needed to be carefully laid out. It’s important to notice that space dramatically affects team dynamic and creativity. Most of us never imagined how important it is and how it changes our behavior. The space told a powerful story and each of us are living in it. 

Further, the book touches the most annoying issue in workplace of all time. The “evaluation” and “motivation” process. You will on how “rules”, “carrot and sticks” ,“reward” and “encouragement” played under the masked concept of gamification. This chapter is personally mind blowing for me. I do love the last paragraph of this chapter which is 

“If you want your organization to push beyond obvious answer, then you need to understand that all of life is a game, and you should craft the rules that reward ingenious solutions to both short-term and long-term goals.”

There are issues about teamwork and the power of speed, experimental habit and other issues related to that. 

The book concludes with a very powerful take away, you will have to read the whole book to be able to comprehend it. 

As I said, go get one copy of this book now! the sooner the better. You won’t regret it, I promise. 

Cheers 

Tab