Metaphors are a terrific source for creative thinking. I'll be adding some of my favorites here on a regular basis. So check back often
The "Trim Tab" Metaphor
Here is a quote from one of the most creative persons I've ever known - Buckminster (Bucky) Fuller.
Something hit me very hard once, thinking about what one little man could
do. Think of the Queen Elizabeth again: The whole ship goes by and then
comes the rudder. And there's a tiny thing on the edge of the rudder called
a trim tab. It's a miniature rudder. Just moving that little trim tab
builds a low pressure that pulls the rudder around. It takes almost no
effort at all. so I said that the individual can be a trim tab. Society
thinks it's going right by you, that it's left you altogether. But if
you're doing dynamic things mentally, the fact is that you can just put
your foot out like that and the whole ship of state is going to turn
around. So I said, ""Call me Trim Tab."
How might the idea of a trim tab inspire your creative thoughts?
The "Trim Tab" Metaphor
Here is a quote from one of the most creative persons I've ever known - Buckminster (Bucky) Fuller.
Something hit me very hard once, thinking about what one little man could
do. Think of the Queen Elizabeth again: The whole ship goes by and then
comes the rudder. And there's a tiny thing on the edge of the rudder called
a trim tab. It's a miniature rudder. Just moving that little trim tab
builds a low pressure that pulls the rudder around. It takes almost no
effort at all. so I said that the individual can be a trim tab. Society
thinks it's going right by you, that it's left you altogether. But if
you're doing dynamic things mentally, the fact is that you can just put
your foot out like that and the whole ship of state is going to turn
around. So I said, ""Call me Trim Tab."
How might the idea of a trim tab inspire your creative thoughts?
Organizational Cholesterol; The Cardio-Thorasic System Metaphor for Organizational Innovation
The body gives us some great metaphors for organizational behavior. Every organ and system within a body provides the potential for a great dialogue about organizations. They need to be held together by skeletal systems, they need to be nourished, they must grow and reproduce, they need to learn, and their life systems need to be sustained. A real life experience introduced me to the cardio-thorasic system and I found that this system has a tremendous number of commonalties to the process of pumping life into organizations. The heart, lungs, arteries, and veins work constantly to provide life to the body. Oxygenated blood is pumped by the heart through the arteries to the entire body and provides nourishment to cells. It is returned to the lungs to pick up more oxygen and then back to the heart to start the cycle over again. Pretty simple, huh? It is when everything is working right. What is the organizational equivalent of the heart, the arteries, the lungs, the oxygen, and the cells? Organizations also need to have life sustaining knowledge and creative ideas pumped through their bodies if they are to survive and prosper. So why not just emulate the way the cardio-thorasic system works and create its organizational equivalent?
In my book, Organizational Mental Floss, there is a full exploit of this metaphor for organizational innovation. i hoped I've tempted you some to go buy it!
The body gives us some great metaphors for organizational behavior. Every organ and system within a body provides the potential for a great dialogue about organizations. They need to be held together by skeletal systems, they need to be nourished, they must grow and reproduce, they need to learn, and their life systems need to be sustained. A real life experience introduced me to the cardio-thorasic system and I found that this system has a tremendous number of commonalties to the process of pumping life into organizations. The heart, lungs, arteries, and veins work constantly to provide life to the body. Oxygenated blood is pumped by the heart through the arteries to the entire body and provides nourishment to cells. It is returned to the lungs to pick up more oxygen and then back to the heart to start the cycle over again. Pretty simple, huh? It is when everything is working right. What is the organizational equivalent of the heart, the arteries, the lungs, the oxygen, and the cells? Organizations also need to have life sustaining knowledge and creative ideas pumped through their bodies if they are to survive and prosper. So why not just emulate the way the cardio-thorasic system works and create its organizational equivalent?
In my book, Organizational Mental Floss, there is a full exploit of this metaphor for organizational innovation. i hoped I've tempted you some to go buy it!
Jazz as a Metaphor for Organizational Creativity
I love jazz. The more I hear it, the more I love it. It has to be the greatest American art form – period. And it’s also a terrific metaphor for creativity in organizations. Years ago when I was involved in developing the Creativity and Innovation Workshops at Kodak I built in a module about jazz and creativity. Since then a number of books have discussed this theme (among them are Max DuPree’s Leadership Jazz and John Kao’s Jamming). At this point I think I could write a book about jazz and creativity but right now I just want to focus on the similarities between great jazz musicians and highly creative/innovative people in the workplace.
Great jazz musicians are able to do three things very well. They are great technicians with their instruments and are able to perform terrific solos that bring the house down. They can also perform as a perfect team player when the band is performing as a whole. The third thing they do well (and this is very important to creativity) is to provide excellent background support to others soloists. For creativity and innovation to flourish in an organization you need master technicians who are passionate and great at what they do and who can provide solos when necessary. You also need creative team players and, most importantly, creative supporting players for the other master technicians. The most creative organizations are the ones that call upon their players to perform all three functions. Team players need to show off their individual talents and receive applause every now and then or they just get lost in the team crowd. They also need time to provide strong support in helping other associates to bring out their individual talent.
I have been a jazz affectionato for as long as I can remember and have used this as a metaphor for teaching creativity for years. It was great when John Kao came out with his book, Jamming, which uses the analogy of jazz quite effectively to build an argument for the need for more creativity in business.
Great jazz takes full advantages of jazz musicians as individual players and as team players. Great musicians have a chance to highlight their skills in solos but, somewhere along the line, the piece always gets back into the orchestral groove. The individuals have been able to let their individual creativity shine and the band has been able to let its collective ability shine. Occasionally, a jazz piece will get chaotic and go off into space only to come back to a powerful groove, or ending. Doesn’t this sound like the behavior in creative organizations?
Someday when you get a few extra minutes put on a good Miles Davis, Dave Bruebeck, or Dizzy Gillespie piece and let the music draw you a picture of the creative process in your own life and work.
I love jazz. The more I hear it, the more I love it. It has to be the greatest American art form – period. And it’s also a terrific metaphor for creativity in organizations. Years ago when I was involved in developing the Creativity and Innovation Workshops at Kodak I built in a module about jazz and creativity. Since then a number of books have discussed this theme (among them are Max DuPree’s Leadership Jazz and John Kao’s Jamming). At this point I think I could write a book about jazz and creativity but right now I just want to focus on the similarities between great jazz musicians and highly creative/innovative people in the workplace.
Great jazz musicians are able to do three things very well. They are great technicians with their instruments and are able to perform terrific solos that bring the house down. They can also perform as a perfect team player when the band is performing as a whole. The third thing they do well (and this is very important to creativity) is to provide excellent background support to others soloists. For creativity and innovation to flourish in an organization you need master technicians who are passionate and great at what they do and who can provide solos when necessary. You also need creative team players and, most importantly, creative supporting players for the other master technicians. The most creative organizations are the ones that call upon their players to perform all three functions. Team players need to show off their individual talents and receive applause every now and then or they just get lost in the team crowd. They also need time to provide strong support in helping other associates to bring out their individual talent.
I have been a jazz affectionato for as long as I can remember and have used this as a metaphor for teaching creativity for years. It was great when John Kao came out with his book, Jamming, which uses the analogy of jazz quite effectively to build an argument for the need for more creativity in business.
Great jazz takes full advantages of jazz musicians as individual players and as team players. Great musicians have a chance to highlight their skills in solos but, somewhere along the line, the piece always gets back into the orchestral groove. The individuals have been able to let their individual creativity shine and the band has been able to let its collective ability shine. Occasionally, a jazz piece will get chaotic and go off into space only to come back to a powerful groove, or ending. Doesn’t this sound like the behavior in creative organizations?
Someday when you get a few extra minutes put on a good Miles Davis, Dave Bruebeck, or Dizzy Gillespie piece and let the music draw you a picture of the creative process in your own life and work.