atw: Re: Creativity

At the GENERAL level there are two forms of creativity, adaptive vs innovative.

Adaptive allows for small changes to existing systems to allow for integration 
with context as that context 'ages' - and so maintain, in general, the 'status 
quo' of the context - 'little' changes are not stressful and easily taught to 
others.

Innovative is where a whole new 'paradigm' emerges that REPLACES the existing 
context. This is common in IT where people try to re-invent the wheel, to 
'start afresh' when faced with something that appears 'too hard', but could be 
resolved through adaptive creativity if the time is spent to think a bit more!

In the innovative realms, there is a focus on coming up with something 'better' 
but that can be illusion (or just ego) - there is also the focus here on 
refinement of skills such that the excuse to come up with something 
'innovative' is to open up the chance of learning new skillsets! ;-)

The realm of the innovative is, thus, more competitive, the realm of the 
adaptive more cooperative. The adaptive can be too approximate in precision but 
can serve all. The innovative can be extremely precise, TOO precise, such that 
the learning curve can be huge and one can paint oneself into a corner if the 
right choices re technology etc are not made.

If we take the innovative/adaptive dichotomy and apply it recursively we get a 
spectrum covering all of the states of innovation/adaptation where one can 
choose the 'best fit' for a context.

As far as rule-governed environments are concerned, they are in fact a product 
of a modernising economy where lack of trust elicits a need for controls. There 
is a LOT of creativity in these contexts (and so the need for controls) but it 
is often 'crap' - as any 2$ shop shows you (other than the rare 'gem' ;-))

Chris.

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