Why read this? : We share 3 of the most common barriers to creative thinking. Learn about the types of people who put up blockers to creativity, and how to get past them. Read this for ideas on how to lower the barriers to creative thinking in your business.
Though anyone can be creative, it can be hard to be creative in a business, if its culture isn’t right. Culture is how things get done, and it impacts key areas like people and processes.
If the culture encourages people to be creative, you get lots of breakthrough ideas. (e.g. see our summary of Creativity Inc to see how Pixar do it).
But most businesses don’t see creativity as part of their culture. Typically, they focus on efficiency and control. On measures and risk prevention. This type of thinking puts up barriers to creative thinking.
3 types of barriers to creative thinking
Barriers to creative thinking are usually created by people with some power in the business. They use that power to delay, disrupt or destroy new ideas.
They usually work in a function which controls something (budgets, approvals, teams etc.) that influences a business’s creativity. It’s this control need which raises the barriers to creative thinking. Your challenge is to help them realise the impact this has, and see the benefits of creative thinking such as how it helps with differentiating your brand, driving customer experience and delivering brand assets.
We’ll introduce 3 character portraits to help bring them to life. Though we’ve made them all men here, they could just as easily be women, as this type of behaviour isn’t gender specific. (We’ve added alternate female names if you’d rather picture them that way).
Controlling Chris (Christine)
First off, meet Chris.
He’s the big boss. Managing Director. Chief Executive Officer. Chairman. Some fancy-sounding title like that. Maybe even multiple job titles.
He’s ultimately accountable for everything the business does.
But he’s got a lot of power to back up that accountability. People have to listen to what he says. To do what he tells them. He answers only to the owners and the shareholders.
He could use this power to make the business more creative. In businesses where creativity thrives (like Pixar), it’s usually because it comes from the top.
But our Chris isn’t like that.
In fact, according to the 2011 report by Dr. Kevin Dutton, there’s a good chance he could have psychopathic tendencies. That report suggested the CEO role has the highest proportion of psychopaths of any profession. And psychopaths are self-centred arseholes who crave power and control. They lack empathy and treat others poorly. Those aren’t good traits for encouraging creativity in others.
To be fair, the research suggests only around 5% of CEOs are like this. (versus around 1% of the total population). However, based on CEOs you meet or see in the news, some might think that the 5% estimate was on the low side.
Which brings us back to Chris
Chris’s barriers to creative thinking
Chris thrives on being in control. His diary’s tightly scheduled. Short meetings. Quick decisions. No small talk or waffle. Being decisive is what got him to the top. Even if he knows little about what he’s making decisions on. Like creativity.
Creativity is tough for control-driven people like Chris. Creativity works better when there’s more freedom and less control. However, CEOs like Chris don’t want to give up control and that’s how they raise the barriers to creative thinking.
Barrier 1 - I’m the boss, I need to make my mark on this
Chris’s first negative behaviour is his need to make his mark on everything. He can’t stand back and let others get on with it.
He’s so self-absorbed, he thinks everything he touches, he makes better. But that’s not a good way to encourage creative thinking. And because he makes it about him, he doesn’t always see what’s good for customers.
Because that’s what matters in creative thinking. Not whether the boss likes it, but whether the target audience likes it.
Chris’s focus should be on whether the creative idea will grow the business, not whether it appeals to him.
It’s hard because CEOs rarely have a creative background. They’re mainly from Finance or Sales. Which means, they’ve no real expertise or experience in creativity. They’ve never had to be creative themselves.
But because they’re the big boss, they feel they should have an opinion on it. Even if they’re less experienced in creativity than the creative experts they employ. Their ego forces them to give opinions, whether those add value or not.
Motivation drives creativity
Leadership’s role is to bring out the best in people. Leaders like Chris have the opposite effect though. Their ill-advised feedback demotivates everyone involved in coming up with ideas.
Motivation is an important driver of creativity. As Dan Pink covers in his book Drive, there are 3 factors which help people feel motivated at work :-
- autonomy – being able to choose what you work on.
- mastery – being able to work towards mastering a skill.
- purpose – feeling you’re making a difference.
(See our article on brand purpose for more on this).
Chris doesn’t get this though. His need for control takes away others’ autonomy, criticises their mastery and reduces their sense of purpose.
He should trust the team to do great work. And not feel the need to constantly interfere. He should encourage learning and training to improve skills. And not nitpick on topics where he doesn’t have expertise. And he should make people feel that their creativity adds value.
Instead, Chris’s need for control raises barriers to creative thinking.
Barrier 2 - I can’t risk anything risky
Even more frustrating in terms of barriers to creative thinking is Chris’s approach to risk-taking. He hates risks with a vengeance.
And that’s a challenge. Because risks are a big part of creative thinking.
He worries risky creative ideas will fail and that’ll damage his reputation. Which will harm his chances of slinking off to a money-spinning non-executive directorship. Or whatever else these types do once they move on.
So, he plays it safe. Squashes ideas which push boundaries. The outrageous and the extraordinary aren’t for him. He wants to make sure nothing bad happens on his watch.
But that’s bad for creative thinking. Safe ideas may be OK in the short term. But you need revolutionary ideas for long-term success. And that risk aversion creates real barriers to creative thinking. The best creativity pushes boundaries. People like Chris hate that.
How to deal with Controlling Chris types
Bear in mind, that types like Chris aren’t stupid. There’s a reason they get to the top. But their big egos create a blind spot. And if you’re smart, you can use that.
So appeal to their ego by showing them how great leaders encourage creative thinking. It’s not about sucking up to them but showing them the benefits of lowering the barriers to creative thinking. And what that could mean for them.
Share examples of successful bold creative thinking with them. Find some Ted Talks or Harvard Business Review articles, which show the negative impact controlling micromanagers have. Make them feel like they’re a better leader when they empower teams. Ask them to focus on the big decisions, and trust their teams to handle the rest.
Devious Dan (Daniella)
Devious Dan types are usually the next level down. A Marketing Director or a Chief Marketing Officer, something like that.
Usually, the creative approval process involves interacting with Devious Dan types at some point. And that’s tricky because of the barriers to creative thinking he puts up.
Not being the big boss, his focus is more on the battles which go on in boardrooms. Politics and his reputation matter a lot to him.
The marketing team leads most creative projects. So what the business does with creativity affects his reputation. If a creative idea takes off, he’ll make sure everyone knows his role in “leading the team”. But if it doesn’t, he’ll usually be quick to point the finger at someone else.
Barrier 1 - Delay it until the idea dies
Like Controlling Chris, he’s risk averse. Safe is good. He doesn’t want failures to harm his reputation. But as a marketer, he knows there’ll be some failures and mistakes along the way. His goal is to make sure none stick to him. That’s what makes him devious.
There’s a couple of ways he’ll do this.
For example, he might deviously delay the marketing decision-making process. He’ll set up approval processes where half a dozen others have to approve an idea before he’ll look at it. And when it finally reaches him, he’ll ask for a change which means you have to restart. Creative ideas get stuck in an approval purgatory. And if you complain, it’s your fault for not having a better idea. Urgh.
Or he’ll ask delaying questions.
Do we have the research to back it up? Where’s the evidence? What do competitors do? Will retail customers like it? Has anyone else done this before?
Not necessarily bad questions. But it takes time to answer them. And by the time you do, the idea’s lost momentum, and you’ve probably missed your chance.
This fear of creative ideas damaging a leader’s reputation is a real barrier to creative thinking. It makes everyone else afraid too. There’s no incentive to push riskier and more breakthrough ideas.
Barrier 2 - Let’s keep it professional
Riskier and more breakthrough ideas also come crashing to a halt when they meet Dan’s other main barrier to creative thinking. That’s the need to keep everything feeling professional. To be sensible.
But what he thinks of as professional and sensible – formal processes, business plans and spreadsheets – isn’t great for creativity.
Creative ideas usually come from the opposite of these things. They’re quirky and unusual. They tap into emotions and bring the brand’s purpose and values to life.
This makes Dan feel very uncomfortable.
In Rory Sutherland’s book Alchemy, he talks about the differences between sensible and what he calls non-sense ideas. Ideas which don’t make sense are often the most compelling.
Sensible ideas may be safe. They’re inoffensive and no one objects to them. But they’re also bland and forgettable. That doesn’t make for great creative thinking.
The best ideas often aren’t professional. That’s hard for Devious Dans to deal with.
How to deal with Devious Dans
The key to dealing with Devious Dan types is to first recognise his deviousness. He’s usually good at hiding it. It’s often a surprise the first time he turns something around on you.
Remember he only wants the good stuff to stick to him, not the bad. So if it looks like something’s going to go wrong, expect him to change his mind. To throw you under the bus so nothing bounces back on him.
Try to head off his devious ways ahead of time. When he gives feedback and approvals, makes sure lots of people see it. It’s harder for him to backtrack later when his opinions are public. Use his confirmation bias. (See our article on bias for more on this) to keep him consistent.
Document everything. Written meeting minutes, action points and agreements are hard to dispute later. Devious Dan doesn’t want to look like he doesn’t check these or changes his mind all the time. Use his need to protect his reputation to keep him doing the things you need him to.
Interfering Ivan (Ivana)
The third type who creates barriers to creative thinking is someone we call Interfering Ivan.
He’s usually from a non-marketing function. But he feels the need to be involved in every marketing decision which might remotely affect his team.
That bit on your brief where you write who the stakeholders are? Ivan’s name is always there.
And that includes decisions about creative ideas. Even if he’s had no training or experience in creativity. He wants to be involved.
So, if he’s in finance, he wants to know how your creative idea will affect the profit and loss. He’ll ask you for a full 5-year business case and plan, with ROIs and Discounted Cash Flow projections. If you don’t have these, you won’t get any funding for your idea.
Or maybe he’s a senior IT guy. In which case get ready for all the questions about how your current systems will handle this new idea. How it’s going to impact the company’s efficiency. And get ready to hear how long everything in IT takes. How expensive it is. Creative ideas mean change. Change worries Interfering Ivans.
Or, maybe he’s in one of those functions with a vague link to marketing, You know the type. He’s in procurement and helps negotiate agency contracts. He’s in the regulatory team and approves creative work. And this vague link makes him feel like a creativity expert. And he feels compelled to bombard you with thoughts, ideas and questions.
Barrier 1 - Can we kill this with numbers?
There’s a well-known theory that the left part of our brain favours logic, and the right part favours creativity. And that some of us are more left-brained and others more right-brained.
While brain scans show this is a bit of a myth, people still tend to have a preference for one way of thinking over the other.
Interfering Ivans are normally more logical and numbers-driven. And that creates more barriers to creative thinking. They want to see the numbers behind everything.
How many people liked it in the research? What’s the forecast? Where’s the evidence to back up the forecast? Can you go through the 5-year profit and loss line by line until everyone is happy with it?
In your day-to-day operations, these are important questions. But with new creative ideas, you don’t always have the answers. Sometimes you just have to start, and the answers come later.
Interfering Ivan hates that. Making decisions with incomplete information is hard for him. As per our three monkeys of creativity article, Ivan’s usually a Cool Blue type. He’ll use your lack of answers and missing information as a way to slow things down. Or to kill ideas off.
Waiting for 100% of the details to be right adds barriers to creative thinking. It delays action and kills off boldness. Action and boldness drive creativity, and Interfering Ivan isn’t great at either.
Barrier 2 - I don’t understand it so let’s not do it
Ivan’s other main objection comes from the fact he doesn’t get how creativity works.
Like Chris and Dan, he thinks too logically. He wants everything to make sense. If he can’t understand it, how will anyone else?
But here’s the thing.
The creative idea’s aimed at customers, not people like Ivan. That’s what Ivan should focus on. Do customers get it? Do they like it? If they do, Ivan’s view isn’t relevant.
You need to understand how the creative process works if you want to be involved in it. Most of the barriers to creative thinking come from people who don’t have creative expertise or experience. (See our copywriting challenges article for an example of this). Help these types understand how it works and you remove many of the barriers.
How to deal with Interfering Ivans
What drives Ivan types usually differs from what drives Chris and Dan types. He’s usually trying to look out for his team rather than himself.
Your creative decision will have an impact on his team. He wants to make sure it’s a positive, not negative impact.
The way to deal with Interfering Ivans is to listen. Take in what he says.
Thank him for his input.
Sometimes, that makes your idea stronger. It’s good to get fresh perspectives. But other times, yes, his input may run your idea off the creative rails.
If that happens, ask yourself if you need his approval. Just because someone gives you feedback doesn’t mean you always have to act on it. And if you’ve already got Controlling Chris and Devious Dan on your side, can you ask them to help you get Ivan over the line? Because that’s what their job should really be about in creative thinking.
Conclusion - Barriers to creative thinking
We love creativity. But it can be a tough area to love as it has so many challenges.
And the more people involved, the harder it gets. Other people make creative thinking hard work. Some types of people naturally put up barriers to creative thinking.
People like Controlling Chris, the big boss. He’s so ego-driven, that he has to make his mark on everything. But he’s also risk averse. Only the safest ideas get through. Not great for creativity.
Then, there’s Devious Dan. A marketing leader and political manoeuvrer. He quashes ideas he fears might harm his reputation. Especially the ones he finds unprofessional. Also not great for creativity.
And finally, there’s Interfering Ivan. A non-marketing person with strong and often ill-informed opinions about marketing. His type throws up barriers to creative thinking all the time. Numbers to hit to prove the idea’s worth it. And objections because he doesn’t understand the idea.
Preparation is the key to getting past these barriers to creative thinking. Think about these different types of people and why creativity makes them act the way they do. Educate them on how creative thinking works, and how it benefits them and the business. The more they see the benefits, the less they’ll put up barriers to creative thinking.
Check out our barriers in marketing and in e-Commerce articles for more on this topic. Or get in touch if you need help overcoming barriers to creative thinking in your business.
(Note : This article also features in our review of our most popular lessons from 2022).
Photo credits
Hand / Stop (adapted) : Photo by Nadine Shaabana on Unsplash
Thumbs up / down : Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Man shouting at phone : Photo by Icons8 Team on Unsplash
Man giving speech : Photo by Miguel Henriques on Unsplash
Attention sign : Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Woman peeking out from bush : Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
Business meeting : Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash
Shout (adapted) : Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash
Money on fire : Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash
Dog ears : Photo by kyle smith on Unsplash
