1. How do practices for idea work look like when at its best?
2. What can we learn when comparing practices for extraordinary idea work across all partners in Idea Work?
3. How can we support and/or accelerate processes of idea work?

We want to understand and professionalise the collective idea work in Norwegian companies and challenge the unproductive myths about creativity. We do this together with leading companies like Statoil, Snøhetta, Point Carbon, Thommessen and Sparebank 1 Alliansen. Over a period of 3,5 years these companies will further develop their own practice for idea work, learn from each other’s experiences and contribute with research-based insight and new methods, in cooperation with SINTEF Technology and Society.

The concept of ‘Drivers’ sums up our main findings. So far we have identified 10 families of drivers. Read a summary of them in Norwegian and English.

Or visit each of the drivers own site:

Zooming Out

Generative Resistance

Rapid Prototyping

Liberating Laughter

Craving Wonder

Getting Physical

Fueling the Fire: Courage

Prep Work

Trusting Presence

Punk Production

On this website you will also find everything from methods for improve idea work practices, the Creative driver fortune teller, giving you a taste of what drives extraordinary idea work, to Idea Assist; providing you with practices for informal collegial support in idea work, and the best ways to kill and unleash creativity.

Are you interested in more information? Contact us!

See also

• Research approach
• Some of the questions we pursue
• Idea work – What’s that?
• Why is Idea Work important?
• How to Unleash/Kill Creativity

The drivers of qualitative research resemble those of extraordinary idea work in practie firms (link til de generiske driverne), for example in terms of the importance of seeing with new eyes, preparing and perspective-taking, playing with artifacts, the relational aspects of creation, embracing a sense of wonder and the daring to face the unknown.

See table of contents and read the introduction chapter:

Carlsen, A. and Dutton, J. (eds.) 2011. Research Alive. Exploring Generative Moments in Doing Qualitative Research. Copenhagen Business School Press

Buy the book here.

Enchanted and powerful inquiry begins in wonder, proceeds by means of a series of moments of wonder and ends with an explanation that produces when first seen or heard, a new and powerful experience of wonder.

“The curious mind is constantly alert and exploring, seeking material for thought, as a vigorous and healthy body is on the qui vive for nutriment. Eagerness for experience, for new and varied contacts, is found where wonder is found. Such curiosity is the only sure guarantee of the acquisition of the primary facts upon which inference must base itself.”
John Dewey (1910:31) How we think

TIPS FOR GOOD PRACTICE

Wonder cannot be controlled at the level of one specific activity. One can however cultivate habits of working that increases the chance that wonder will happen.

1. Stimulus: To cultivate openness and receptivity to the unusual, beautiful and monstruous; to train one’s senses of observation and appreciation in everyday work.
2. Expansion: To allow stimulus to be followed by free play of thought; tolerate uncertainty, bewilderment and ambiguity; to resist reaching for premature conclusions.
3. Immersion: To let go of self and seek imaginative participation in the phenomenon of investigation, getting on the inside, taking the eye perspective of the other.
4. Explanation: To learn to appreciate the feeling of wholeness and beauty associated with breakthrough explanations and ideas.

Readings for inspiration

Anderson, D. R. (2005) “The esthetic attitude of abduction”. Semiotica 153(1) 9–22.
Carlsen, A. and Sandelands, L. Forthcoming. “What would Martha do? Towards a theory of wonder in organizational inquiry”. Paper under editorial review.
Carlsen, A. and Dutton, J. (Eds.) (2011) Research Alive. Exploring Generative Moments in Doing Qualitative Research. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press.
Nussbaum, M. (2001) Upheavals of thought. The intelligence of emotions. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press
Rubinstein, M. (2008) Strange Wonder. The Closure of Metaphysics and the Opening of Awe. New York: Columbia University Press.

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1.    Make it physical (displays, diagrams, maps, brain maps, models, artifacts). Get your thinking into your hands together with your colleagues.

2.    Groups tend to concentrate on the knowledge they already share. Think of your problem in terms of a physical problem space. To enter each rabbit hole in a group, make a physical map of the problem space, and work systematically through all rabbit holes.

3.    Establish a context of producing ideas that are deliberately not shiny or polished. Remember that what runs smooth isn’t necessary true.

4.    Prime your idea work processes. There are certain primes for expansive ideas (for instance ‘good mood’, or remote analogues), and certain primes for relational ideas (for instance related analogues).

5.    Change your physical surroundings in accordance to the knowledge purpose. Walking, talking, sitting, standing, wandering, running, biking, golfing, etc.

6.    Establish low threshold environments for producing and documenting ideas on the fly, at the speed of imagination.

7.   Protect sacred spaces, and distinguish between places for (i) deep and prolonged concentration, (ii) intense interaction, (iii) places for serendipity, collision areas (iv) places for visualization of imaginations (iv) informal talking and walking

8.    Reinforce unplugged interaction

See the previous drivers of the month

Read more about drivers

The book is based on research done in and with Snøhetta on their work process. The key question throughout this period of interviewing, observing and participating in the architect’s reflections on their own work has been: When Snøhetta works at its best – what are you doing?

Some of Snøhetta’s best projects are well known, like the library of Alexandria and the Oslo opera house. Others are less famous, but still have qualities when it comes to the idea work, qualities that this book will present and discuss through informative text, anecdotes, images and interviews.

The Idea Work research is synthesized into a set of idea work drivers, all in some way contributing to the success of Snøhetta. Each creative driver will be followed by suggestions for further readings and practical tips on how to promote creativity in organisations.

The book is aimed at an international audience of practitioners, professionals and students who are interested in creative work processes. Our goal is to spur the reader’s curiosity and make them wonder about how things are in their own organisations – and inspire people to act and improve their own idea work.

Eivind Winther, innovation and business development, in SpareBank1 Gruppen presented the Idea Work collaboration. In this project we facilitate events in which clients, partners and SpareBank 1 members in collaboration create rapid prototypes of future banking. The ability to generate, select and realize good ideas is enhanced through activating drama, achieved by heightening of risk involved in inviting in partners and clients and through a radical openness towards competitors and the general public.

More than 200 listened in on Eivind’s much applauded guide into the creation of future banking.

- If you need to go away from your work place to achieve your best, something is wrong, according to Senior Scientist Arne Carlsen. In his opinion creativity first of all requires a foundation of solid knowledge of your discipline and tedious work in order to combine knowledge in new ways.

The geologists at Statoil are working with creative drivers like ‘Questioning the given’, ‘Building belief’ and ‘Zooming out’ when they are studying seismic data in the search for oil and gas.

- Maybe we need to zoom out a little, says one of the group leaders when his group has only 33 minutes left before presenting their ideas.

The researchers in Idea Work, a project sponsored by The Research Council of Norway, have identified seven creative drivers that are common for all the organisations involved in the project. After two intense days of working in groups, the geologists present their ideas to each other. There is talk about a scent of oil.  With a growing smile, Geir Richardsen, the exploration manager of Halten Nordland, is busy noting everything down. These newly developed ideas are not ending their life in a desk drawer.

- The principle is fairly simple. We put words on what works well in an organisation and build on that, by giving our reflections back to the company. Then we test the insights in practice. The goal is to develop more and better ideas, says Carlsen to A-magasinet.