Jeff DeGraff est professeur de management et d'organisation à la Ross School of Business de l'Université du Michigan. Son travail est axé sur l'innovation, la stratégie et le leadership en matière de créativité et de changement. Il soutient que la diversité de pensée est essentielle à l'innovation, prônant le dialogue constructif et des équipes diverses pour trouver des solutions hybrides. Sa mission est la "démocratisation de l'innovation", la rendant accessible à tous par ses livres, ses médias et sa pratique de conseil.
"With the right mindset, creative breakthroughs can be made by anyone. Innovation experts Jeff and Staney DeGraff introduce six essential creative-thinking skills that will democratize the process of innovation"-- Provided by publisher
Although many leaders acknowledge and invest in creativity, we seldom see it hold a credible place in the business development process. Creativity at Work takes a practical approach to creativity, showing how to select practices to produce results and add value.
From years of research and practical experience as a consultant, Jeff DeGraff has learned that when it comes to any innovation initiative, disharmony is crucial. We innovate when we disrupt, and we first have to disrupt each other. DeGraff identifies four contrasting types of innovators. There's the wild experimentation of The Artist, the pragmatic caution of The Engineer, the urgent competitiveness of The Athlete, and the patient community-building of The Sage. He includes exercises so readers can find where they fit into this framework, and shows how to build, manage, and embrace the dynamic discord of a team that contains all four types. When you combine the visionary thinking of The Artist and the practical thinking of The Engineer, you get innovation that's both revolutionary and manageable, highly ambitious without high risk. When you combine the results-oriented attitude of The Athlete with the values-oriented attitude of The Sage, you get innovation that's both a good investment and good for the world. This is a profound but highly accessible guide for achieving breakthrough solutions by utilizing the full--and seemingly contradictory--spectrum of innovative thinking.