In the memorial event in his honour at the Edward de Bono Institute of the University of Malta, in May 2023, I offer a personal perspective, reflecting on creativity drawing on my own work, and Edward’s direct and indirect impact on it.
First, everyday creativity. My work on Everyday Creativity was influenced by the French philosopher Henri Bergson, and later by the american educationalist Ruth Richards, who coined the term everyday creativity.
For me, it offers new ways of understanding how anyone might try to be more creative in everyday life.
Professor Richards (no relation I’m sad to say) writes in The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity
Everyday creativity, as a construct, is not, as some think, confined to the trivia of life. This is an important misunderstanding. It concerns almost anything to which one brings originality, any time creation occurs in an everyday context, including major projects. Nor are eminent and exceptional creators excluded. Everyday creativity can be seen as the ground from which (a later and) more publicly celebrated accomplishment can grow. In fact, many an important invention, equation, or painting that has changed culture started with a fleeting image or wild idea on an everyday walk or hike
Bergson’s ideas are of an earlier vintage. He had become one of the first celebrity philosophers of the nineteenth century, modern times. It was the book Creative Evolution (CE) which brought Bergsen international fame. It reached numerous editions in the decade after its publication in 1907. Following the appearance of this book, Bergson's popularity increased enormously, not only in academic circles but among the general reading public. In New York it was reported that people flocking to one of his appearances caused one of the first traffic jams along fifth avenue.
Turning to another influence in my work I pleased to be able to honour Edward de Bono.
Edward de Bono, is perhaps the most influential communicator on the nature of creative thinking in recent times. His fame came early through his book Lateral Thinking, first published in 1970. It was to accompany him through his long and distinguished life, perhaps eventually defining him through its impact around the world.
It was some years later before I met Edward for the first time. In 1970, I had begun to develop interest in his ideas while working as a scientist inside a research laboratory in what was known as the New Products and Development Group.
A few years later I joined another R&D group at Manchester Business School to take forward understanding about ways of stimulating creativity. I took with me with my copy of Lateral Thinking.
At the Manchester Business School, interest in stimulating creativity was fostered through our electives within the MBA programme. Research was supported by graduate and doctoral students some whom went on to distinguished careers in academic and industry. For the purposes of this presentation, I’ll focus on the incorporation of techniques including lateral thinking into our work.
With my colleague and partner Susan Moger, we became part of a graduate programme, particularly through the journal we founded, Creativity and Innovation Network.
Only in preparing for this presentation I rediscovered the shared origins from our leadership invitations such as ‘wouldn’t it be wonderful if’ to think the impossibl
