Creative Process

Organizational dissonance

One of the greatest sources of tension for the creative person and also one of the key reasons for creative block is cognitive dissonance. It’s when we are unable to be honest with ourselves about our hopes, dreams, selfish ambitions, etc., and we allow guilt and fear to over-ride our natural creative intuition that we tend to lose site of our potential. What is true of the individual is very true of the organization. In fact, an organization is typically an extension of individual personality. If there is a sense within the organization that what is being said is not what is being lived out, there will be an inherent block of creativity. There will be fear and discord, and there will not be an ability to innovate in revolutionary ways. It is imperative that creative individuals and organizations do regular “self-examinations” to determine the level of dissonance in their life or organization. It is important to have a core set of values that drive every decision and bit of vision for the organization so that it can be clearly seen and there is no “black box phenomenon”. Nervous tension and fear take up so much psychic RAM that it leaves little room for creative ideation beyond what is necessary to survive. The body is inherently set up to survive, and it shuts down all systems in an emergency except for those that are necessary for survival. An organization and individuals within it will behave similarly. When there is a perceived “emergency”, or when someone feels subliminal tension due to cognitive dissonance or inconsistent behavior or systems, they will become inherently less productive because they are operating in “emergency mode”, always checking their behavior against that of the organization, unsure of what to aspire to, unsure of whether they are even valued or wanted. This is obviously a terribly destructive atmosphere for any organization and will lead to preservation of the status-quo.

Action steps to determine the level of CG in an org:

1. Can what your org is about be stated in one non-complex sentence? If not, it should be possible.

2. Do employees have regular ability to assess their own work? (Quality/Quantity and Personal Productivity) This is key to helping everyone feel that they have a voice in the organization

3. Are employees rewarded within the bandwidth of their area of giftedness, or are they promoted beyond their level of competency?

4. Is there a “black box” in your organization that everyone must react to, or are priorities clear and systems established to help everyone see clearly what the org priorities are? Blow up the black boxes and help everyone understand how decisions are made. Ensure that every area of the organization is less that two contact points away from the critical decision-making process. This means that any major, life-altering decision within the organization should be less that two contact points away from their supervisor.

The main benefit of “flat” organizations is not communication as much as it is the sense of connectedness with the employee’s own destiny.

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