The Inescapable Paradox of Managing Creativity

This article discusses the ongoing forces when trying to manage innovation, which it describes as “harnessing” vs “unleashing” (this is similar to the Double Diamond approach in design).

It identifies 6 axes which you can consider when determining which mode you are leaning towards:

• Individual vs team identity
• Confrontation vs support
• Performance vs development
• Structure vs improvisation
• Patience vs urgency
• Top down vs bottom up leadership

These can only ever be managed - they cannot be “solved”. A sense of community needs to be developed to ensure the team survive the back and forth of innovation.

It finally argues you do not want to control destiny - but instead manage these paradoxes.

This article is not quite A rank as it glosses over some very important details that need further explanation - e.g. you could write a whole book about individual vs team identity, the pros and cons, and what happens if you lean too much one way or the other.