The term ‘Mathephobia’ was coined by mathematician Mary de Lellis Gough in 1953 after observing her struggling students.
In the US, almost inconceivably, researchers have found that 9 in 10 adults have some kind of anxiety about math (that is maths to the readers in the UK, of course).
Sian Beilock, a cognitive scientist and president of Barnard College in New York, says the idea that you are either innately good or bad at math persists in western countries, and it seems to be socially acceptable to be bad at math. “You don’t hear adults bragging about not being a reading person, but you do hear them brag about not being a math person,” she says.“Math is part of everyday life,” she continues. “If we aren’t helping those who are most math anxious best tackle activities involving math, it’s hard to see how folks can live up to their potential.”
I would argue that exactly the same problem is true of creativity. 8 out of 10 people believe that creativity is key to unlocking economic growth. 3 out of 4 people don’t believe that they are living up to their own creative potential.
Acclaimed science writer Annie Murphy Paul writes that the establishment routinely drains creativity out of children: “Ask a group of second graders (aged 6-7) if they think they are creative and about 95% will say yes. Three years later that proportion drops to 50%, and by the time they’re seniors in high school it’s down to 5%”.
Imagine if discomfort with reading dropped to 5% by high school?
Just as the world has taken note of math anxiety and is taking steps to encourage confidence in kids and adults it is crucial that business leaders take the creativity of their employees as seriously. Creativityphobia is rife in businesses of all sizes worldwide.
The illusion of creativity sitting in a small elite team within agencies who will deliver a magic bullet to marketers is fading and fading fast in the real world. Yet the idea of this elite team still exists, and is in fact lionised in our industry. This team has a propensity to shut down creative suggestions from outside the clique, and at the same time complain that their ideas are destroyed by demands for accountability.
Where there may be creative thinking throughout the organisation ideas can frequently fail at the final hurdle because of loss aversion (a bias that makes us feel loss more acutely than gain) and a lack of risk appetite. Average work, with predictable outcomes, is chosen over innovation in creativity.
Creativity is innate in everyone. But like any muscle you need to practice and the conditions of creativity need to be right. Just as you don’t go from the couch to a 5k run in ten minutes, and you don’t do it wearing high heels and/or a suit and tie.
Most people aren’t asked to use their creativity at work. At the start of your career, you’re normally required to carry out specific instructions, and veering from them is frowned upon, even possibly raising a black mark on career progression. If you’re rewarded for doing as you are told, then that’s the behaviour you will continue to deliver.
Yet in these highly challenging times everyone needs to think creatively. The challenges and opportunities of tomorrow are not answered by heritage behaviour Our new book, A year of creativity, 52 smart ideas for boosting creativity innovation and inspiration at work, details how to solve creativityphobia. Just as many of us who fear maths or believe we’re bad at it may be trying to avoid problems that we are perfectly capable of solving, many people are shunning the creativity that can stepchange every part of our business. Creativity is transformational and it can bring growth, happiness and hope to every organisation. Make 2025 your year of living and working creatively.
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on Thursday, December 19th, 2024 at 4:20 pm and is filed under MediaComment.
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Is there enough creativity in your business?
The term ‘Mathephobia’ was coined by mathematician Mary de Lellis Gough in 1953 after observing her struggling students.
In the US, almost inconceivably, researchers have found that 9 in 10 adults have some kind of anxiety about math (that is maths to the readers in the UK, of course).
Sian Beilock, a cognitive scientist and president of Barnard College in New York, says the idea that you are either innately good or bad at math persists in western countries, and it seems to be socially acceptable to be bad at math. “You don’t hear adults bragging about not being a reading person, but you do hear them brag about not being a math person,” she says.“Math is part of everyday life,” she continues. “If we aren’t helping those who are most math anxious best tackle activities involving math, it’s hard to see how folks can live up to their potential.”
I would argue that exactly the same problem is true of creativity. 8 out of 10 people believe that creativity is key to unlocking economic growth. 3 out of 4 people don’t believe that they are living up to their own creative potential.
Acclaimed science writer Annie Murphy Paul writes that the establishment routinely drains creativity out of children: “Ask a group of second graders (aged 6-7) if they think they are creative and about 95% will say yes. Three years later that proportion drops to 50%, and by the time they’re seniors in high school it’s down to 5%”.
Imagine if discomfort with reading dropped to 5% by high school?
Just as the world has taken note of math anxiety and is taking steps to encourage confidence in kids and adults it is crucial that business leaders take the creativity of their employees as seriously. Creativityphobia is rife in businesses of all sizes worldwide.
The illusion of creativity sitting in a small elite team within agencies who will deliver a magic bullet to marketers is fading and fading fast in the real world. Yet the idea of this elite team still exists, and is in fact lionised in our industry. This team has a propensity to shut down creative suggestions from outside the clique, and at the same time complain that their ideas are destroyed by demands for accountability.
Where there may be creative thinking throughout the organisation ideas can frequently fail at the final hurdle because of loss aversion (a bias that makes us feel loss more acutely than gain) and a lack of risk appetite. Average work, with predictable outcomes, is chosen over innovation in creativity.
Creativity is innate in everyone. But like any muscle you need to practice and the conditions of creativity need to be right. Just as you don’t go from the couch to a 5k run in ten minutes, and you don’t do it wearing high heels and/or a suit and tie.
Most people aren’t asked to use their creativity at work. At the start of your career, you’re normally required to carry out specific instructions, and veering from them is frowned upon, even possibly raising a black mark on career progression. If you’re rewarded for doing as you are told, then that’s the behaviour you will continue to deliver.
Yet in these highly challenging times everyone needs to think creatively. The challenges and opportunities of tomorrow are not answered by heritage behaviour
Our new book, A year of creativity, 52 smart ideas for boosting creativity innovation and inspiration at work, details how to solve creativityphobia. Just as many of us who fear maths or believe we’re bad at it may be trying to avoid problems that we are perfectly capable of solving, many people are shunning the creativity that can stepchange every part of our business. Creativity is transformational and it can bring growth, happiness and hope to every organisation. Make 2025 your year of living and working creatively.
This entry was posted on Thursday, December 19th, 2024 at 4:20 pm and is filed under MediaComment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.