Gordon Torr 
Managing Creative People 
Lessons in Leadership for the Ideas Economy

A clash between the ideology of growth and the growth of ideas,
between control and creativity, between measurement and the
immeasurable, between predictability and the fickle muses of
inspiration in engulfing our boardrooms.



In this scathing swipe at the institutionalised idiocy that is
stifling creativity just at the time the world needs it most Gordon
Torr draws from the leading lights of creativity research to
demolish the myths that surround the generation of ideas in the
modern organisation.



The curse of the brainstorm, the commoditisation of creative
talent, the deskilling of the imagination, the startling
inadequacies of management theory — these and the many other
horrors of idea-assassination that run rampant in creative sector
companies are dissected and disembowelled in this hilarious expose
of the drama that unfolds every time a new idea slides across the
boardroom table.

This book sets out to address the black hole that surrounds the
management of creative people, debunking many myths of creativity,
and outlining a revolutionary approach to the pressing issue of
creative productivity in the contemporary creative sector
company.

A handbook of tools, techniques, methods and practical ideas
whose USP is a framework for thinking about efficient creative
management — how to extract value from creative time.
Gordon Torr presents a logical argument that puts in place the
building blocks of the author’s knowledge and experience
towards the final architecture.

‘We need them as never before. And we know that
they’re somehow different. Yet the productive
management of creative people is an almost totally neglected
science. I doubt if there’s a single industry that
wouldn’t gain immediate advantage from Gordon Torr’s
scrupulous and enlightening detective work.’

— Jeremy Bullmore

Содержание

Preface.

Acknowledgements.

I: THE CREATIVE INDIVIDUAL.

1. The Day the World Ran out of Ideas.

2. The Problem with Creative People.

3. Two Guys in a Garage.

4. 21st Century Snake-Oil.

5. The Biology of Inspiration.

6. The Creative Personality.

7. The Survival of the Weirdest.

8. Towards a Formula for Genius.

9. The Barbel and the Breadboard.

II: THE CREATIVE ORGANIZATION.

Introduction to Part II.

10. The Muse’s Ransom.

11. Poison in the Water-Cooler.

12. Podsnaps and Ponytails.

13. Structures and Strictures.

14. Place Matters.

15. The Road to Exit Five.

16. The Maze.

17. The Guardians of the Maze.

18. The New Patronage.

Bibliography.

Further Reading List.

Index.

Об авторе

Artist, journalist and musician, Gordon Torr has lived and worked
in South Africa, Mexico and the UK. He was Creative Director of one
of the world’s biggest advertising agencies before launching
his consultancy, The Unfactory, which specialises in the
organization and management of creative sector companies.

www.gordontorr.com

Cover design by Dennis Field