Creativity is an elusive but essential component of innovation and success in competitive, changing markets. The old way of thinking had it that creativity was a kind of mystical property possessed only by certain innately talented people. If an organization wasn't innovative enough, its leaders simply needed to find and hire those rare creative people. The past few decades of constant disruption by newcomers has roundly proven this theory false, even if organizational leaders don't recognize it yet. Years of trying to recruit and retain creative workforces just hasn't helped the established players keep up.

If hiring creativity isn't helping, it means that organizations have all the creativity they need but aren't harnessing it properly. What's going wrong? Some people point to the pressure to keep shareholders happy and to other external pressures, claiming that market forces prevent them from giving creativity the space to develop. But the supersonic rise of companies like Netflix and Amazon show that market forces aren't stopping the people who really know how to innovate. In Unlocking Creativity, Michael A. Roberto draws on years of investigation to reveal the true nature of the problem: enterprise-wide mindsets that stifle creativity on a daily basis.

Every organization is full of creative minds just waiting for an opportunity to shine. Unfortunately, deeply entrenched organizational cultures and ways of thinking frustrate people when they try to present original ideas. Without knowing it, we may be falling victim to one of the six mindsets that prevent talented people from experimenting, discovering, innovating and helping the organization flourish.

Unlocking Creativity presents the six mindsets that block creativity, bringing them to life through colorful examples and abundant research evidence, to help leaders recognize the habits that might be preventing creativity from taking flight. With illustrations taken from far and wide—academic research, corporate case studies, hit TV shows, and rock and roll legends all make eye-opening appearances in the pages of this book—Michael Roberto clears the fog around creativity and equips leaders with the insight they need to shift to supportive mindsets and cultures where creativity can thrive.

MICHAEL A. ROBERTO became Director of the Center for Program Innovation at Bryant University after serving six years on the faculty at Harvard Business School. Professor Roberto has written over 30 case studies used in business schools, including the bestselling Everest Leadership and Team simulation and an award-winning multimedia case about the Columbia space shuttle disaster. He has published two books, including the business bestseller, Why Great Leaders Don’t Take Yes for An Answer. Professor Roberto received his doctorate from Harvard Business School in 2000.