Gaia Grant & Jason Gallate 
Who Killed Creativity? 
…And How Do We Get It Back?

The essential guide to building a culture of creativity and
innovation throughout an organization

Your help is needed to crack an unsolved crime: creative
thinking is critical for future fulfillment and survival, and yet
it is now declining at an alarming rate. In this original
mystery-style approach, you will have the opportunity to match your
knowledge against that of the latest brain researchers,
psychologists, and sociologists as you are taken on a humorous and
often startling journey to discover why creativity is dying an
untimely death. The ‘7 Rescue Strategies’ then provide proven
innovation solutions, from personal issues through to
organizational imperatives. Authors Andrew and Gaia Grant have
travelled the world for more than 25 years working with more than
20, 000 international keynote and workshop participants in more than
30 countries at all levels.

With a fascinating forensic approach, revealing carefully
researched facts and anecdotal insights, this is a compelling
modern tale. And there is a final twist that will leave you
wondering…. Can we really live happily ever after?

Table of Content

About the authors xi

Acknowledgements xiii

Introduction xv

PART I: Who killed creativity? 1

1 Investigating the crime scene 3

Is creative thinking that important? 5

Is creative death imminent? The vital statistics 7

Are you creative? 10

2 Who killed creativity, and with what weapons? 13

Stage 1: oppression 17

Murder profile 1: the Control Crew 17

Murder profile 2: the Fear Family 28

Stage 2: restriction 36

Murder profile 3: the Pressure Pack 36

Murder profile 4: the Insulation Clique 47

Stage 3: degeneration 58

Murder profile 5: the Apathy Clan 58

Stage 4: destruction 70

Murder profile 6: the Narrow-minded Mob 70

Murder profile 7: the Pessimism Posse 81

3 Where has creativity died? 89

Locating the crime hotspots – from the boss’s office to the
coffee shop 90

Any time, any place 102

4 Why save creativity? 105

Innovation is a necessity, not a luxury 107

Innovate, don’t amputate 109

PART II: … And how can we get it back? 115

5 The forensic lab report 117

Exercising the brain: stretch, but don’t snap 119

To what extent can creative thinking be taught? 122

The brain workout 124

Slowing down for the synaptic fire-up 127

Triggering the brain’s ‘on/off’ switch 129

New paths to superior thinking 130

6 How can creativity be saved? 131

Stage 1: liberation 135

Rescue strategy 1: cultivate curiosity 138

Rescue strategy 2: accept ambiguity 147

Stage 2: initiation 151

Rescue strategy 3: unleash your imagination 155

Rescue strategy 4: access all parts of the brain 163

Stage 3: motivation 168

Rescue strategy 5: reconstruct common concepts 172

Stage 4: transformation 177

Rescue strategy 6: explore different paths 180

Rescue strategy 7: embrace optimism 190

7 Where can creativity be revived? 195

Building innovation hothouses – revisiting the boss’s office and
the coffee shop 196

Bringing the bedroom to the boardroom 208

8 And they lived happily ever after … or did they?
213

Can the killers be redeemed … and are the rescuers squeaky
clean? 214

The yin and yang of creativity 216

Playing with fire and other disruptive innovations 219

Innovate or die – the commercial and social consequences of
regeneration 221

Change is inevitable, so scale the slopes constructively 223

Why the Mexico rubbish dump dwellers might just save the planet
226

9 The rescue plan in action 229

Disarming the killers 230

Coming the full circle: the complete Creative Thinking Life
Cycle Model 232

Implementing the seven creative thinking strategies – a case
study 233

Endnotes 243

Bibliography 261

More ways to get creative 275

Index 277

About the author

ANDREW GRANT and GAIA GRANT are the executive directors of international consultancy Tirian, and have travelled the world for over 25 years to explore creative thinking for positive change. The book includes insights from DR JASON GALLATE, an award-winning neuroscientist and specialist psychologist.