#2 - Disruption is Creative
Have you ever had what you thought was a crazy new idea and been crushed when you found out it wasn’t new. Like, not even close? For creative agencies, this happens on a weekly basis in the development of campaign concepts. So it is with this week’s thesis in our series on the new nature of Disruption.
Last week we looked at how Disruption Redefines Possible. This week, we make the connection between creativity and disruption, which is ironic because it’s definitely not a new idea, but that just makes it more right.
As with “diva,” “guru,” or “influencer,” the term “disruptor” is not a self-assigned title or moniker.
Disruptor status is granted by an objective, third-party authority or by communal conventional wisdom. Anyone self-staking a claim as a disruptor in their LinkedIn bio is more likely an eager acolyte in love with the idea of disruption and subscribed to a disruptor playbook.
Disruptors don’t consciously set out to be a “disruptor.” Their maverick attitude, unique vision, unconventional instincts, and urge to create and express something new is inherent. Disruption is the end state, but the means to achieve it are rarely conventional or manufactured.
In his book Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Peter Drucker writes, “The entrepreneur upsets and disorganizes...his task is ‘creative disruption.’” Drucker is likely referencing German political economist Joseph Schumpeter, who called capitalism “creative destruction” in 1942. He used “creative,” he said because “creativity creates value.” Tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel frequently references “creative monopolies” as the goal of establishing a distinct category and market.
Creativity is loosely defined as a new combination of ideas and things that do not usually go together: “Plant-based meat.” Taxi’s and mobile phone technology.
Put another way, creativity is lateral thinking instead of linear; the difference between innovation and invention, between better and different.
Linear thinking builds on what is already there; it is the application of existing improvements, more logical, and with less risk involved. Lateral thinking jumps the rails to combine two or more ideas that have never been considered together before.
Creativity guru Michael Michalko notes that regular people think reproductively, they re-visit ideas that have been proven and are based on conventional wisdom, while geniuses think productively and produce solutions that previously failed to exist.
Creativity leads to lateral thinking, which leads to innovation, and innovation leads to disruption.
Entrepreneur Steven Bartlett commenting on his approach to new initiatives said, “Real creativity and innovation is by definition often the unexpected, unconventional and risky move - It ignores the existence of rules.”
Or as Einstein said, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”