leading a culture of innovation

sir ken robinson, author, out of our minds: learning to be creative

creating possibilities has helped create america and a lot of the world's culture.

we're not in a transitional state. we're now in a permanent state of change.

we're caught up now in a revolution comparable to the industrial revolution. we have to think differently about how we use our own talents and the talents of those with whom we work.

there's a climate crisis in natural resources and human resources. we fail to capitalize on some of our best resources: human resources.

innovation and creativity are imperative. creativity is ideas that have value.

all adults think they're not creative. all children think they are. we are educating people out of their creativity. most people think there's a space between creativity and intelligence. creativity and intelligence are connected.

technology is having a rampant effect on the culture.

singularity is the point at which we may blend human consciousness with intelligent machines. within 5 years, the most intelligent computer may have the intelligence of a 6-month-old. computers may begin to learn. they may rewrite their own operating systems. it may be possible to use our bodies as broadband receivers. it may be possible to exchange files just by holding hands.

our brains have 100 billion neurons. we may sit before a computer with the same power.

we need to have good ideas all the time. it needs to be a strategic imperative rather than a happy accident.

we wouldn't describe someone as creative who never did anything. to do something, you have to have a medium. people who do their best creatively find a medium they love best: singing, painting, calculus.

innovation is applied creativity.

machines don't have imagination. people do.

the human mind in tremendously interactive. women's brains may be more interactive than men's. women tend to be better multi-taskers than men, who get very focused.

intelligence is distinct. it's not "how intelligent are you?" but "how are you intelligent?" it's not "how creative are you?" but "how are you creative?"

we must find individual talents of everyone in our groups. a great creative team models the human mind: diverse, dynamic, distinct to its task.

paul mccartney (of the beatles) went through the whole of his education hating music. no one thought john cleese (of monty python) had a sense of humor. they found teams that took everybody's game to a higher place.

two things that define the culture of an organization are habits and habitats. habits are the mode of behavior that characterize different social groups. habitats embody the culture of the organization. they do or do not stimulate minds.

we create our institutions, and our institutions create us. human organizations are much like human organisms. relationships are what make organizations breathe or die.

you can't make anybody be creative. you can create the conditions where people can be creative.

the plant grows itself, but climate control and climate change affect it.

people need time to think and to germinate. it's a living process. it takes time and attention and care.

we do not know what the future will hold and what may redeem us.

watch sir ken's similar speech.