When Sparks Fly

Where do the best creative ideas come from? Most managers assume that gifted individuals -- readily identifiable "creative types" -- offer the quickest route to out-of-the-box, breakthrough thinking, and if you don't have an eccentric genius on your team, your group is doomed to mediocrity. Yet, say Dorothy Leonard and Walter Swap. most innovations today spring from well-led group interactions. In "When Sparks Fly, " the authors sweep aside the conventional thinking about creativity to reveal that any group -- if designed and managed effectively -- can produce more innovative services, products, and processes.Unlike most books on creativity, "When Sparks Fly" focuses on the process as it applies to groups of people who may not fit the stereotype of right-brained "creatives." Leonard and Swap offer managers proven strategies for generating the group dynamics that lie at the heart of innovative thinking, including specific techniques for re-channeling the tensions of conflicting points of view into new ideas and alternative options. They show how forward-looking companies such as Fisher Price, Intel, and Hewlett-Packard use group situations to maximize their creative potential."When Sparks Fly" explores how all aspects of the work environment, from leadership style to the use of space, sound, even smell, can enhance innovation. It will help managers motivate and lead groups of people in ways that ignite their full creative potential.