1. Creativity requires Creative Types While some theorists assert that there are creativity traits such as tolerance for ambiguity and intolerance to conformity, these assertions are countered by fact that traits are hard to identify and are not stable nor transferable across situations. Further, motivation is a critical factor. Additionally, creativity is a cognitive process and thus measurements like “she looks creative” are poor benchmarks. All research shows that everyone can produce novel, useful, varied, diverse ideas and looking for certain types to come up with them reduces total valuable output.

2. Money is best Motivator Material reward is a synergistic extrinsic motivator. That means that it is a factor that enhances intrinsic motivation but may not in itself cause maximum creative effort and output – there are at least six other motivators that are as valuable. Additionally, exact level of material reward very positively correlates to that received by peer groups.

First, some basic concepts.

a)We can measure creativity by observing number of ideas produced, their novelty and diversity and frequency of production. This allows us to gauge which of two methods indicated above, produces more output. Using it, we can say for example, whether a structured approach with incremental deadlines and goals yields more of a screenplay than a “do your best approach.” Graham Green, famous English writer, insisted that his success was due to writing, without fail, 500 words a day. Similar examples of incremental goal setting, experience of people who regularly have to generate ideas (e.g. creatives in advertising) and experimentation reveal that incremental deadlines do indeed help us complete that screenplay much faster.

b)Creative output versus applied creative output. Creative output is enhanced to some degree by unstructured and random thinking. This is essence of lateral thinking, where ideas are generated for i) sake of generating them, ii) without direction, iii) without evaluation, iv) using random stimuli to open up pathways and so forth. However, applied creativity results from i) use of frameworks that relate to problem and ii) critical thinking – reducing idea pool to feasible ideas. In effect there are three stages, first creative thinking which is a combination of lateral and logical idea generation and second, critical thinking.

c)Structures and formal processes trigger a problem finding and resolving attitude and induce goal state. This establishes boundaries, consistency, focuses creative energy and is a major source of motivation. It is commonly noted that people seem to be creative when constrained to some degree.

d)Prolific output. Structures such as incremental goals force output and lead to prolific production, which increases likelihood of quality. It can be declared with great certainty that quality positively correlates with quantity. The single best creative product appears at that point in career when creator is being most prolific.

e)Incubation. Incremental goals can be short and longer term. Short-term goals increase output. Longer terms goals allow problems to incubate at various cognitive levels and lead to richer insights.