{"id":82,"date":"2020-02-14T01:51:57","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T07:51:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs.\/?p=82"},"modified":"2019-10-10T16:50:34","modified_gmt":"2019-10-10T21:50:34","slug":"creative-autonomy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/creative-autonomy\/","title":{"rendered":"Autonomy: another cornerstone of creativity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(Creative autonomy is the 5th of a 9-part series on creativity traits.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><em><strong>C<\/strong><\/em>urious: passionate for fresh knowledge; desiring to learn new things<br \/>\n<em><strong>R<\/strong><\/em>esilient: capable of overcoming setbacks; able to take risks; ambitious<br \/>\n<em><strong>E<\/strong><\/em>valuative: willing to experiment and evolve your creativity beyond the idea stage<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>A<\/strong><\/em>utonomous: independent; norm-doubting<\/span><br \/>\n<em><strong>T<\/strong><\/em>uned in: open and alert to the world around you; highly perceptive<br \/>\n<em><strong>I<\/strong><\/em>ntrospective: driven by innate (intrinsic) rewards; self-accepting<br \/>\n<em><strong>V<\/strong><\/em>isionary: having dreams and aspirations; original thinking<br \/>\n<em><strong>E<\/strong><\/em>nergetic: adept at managing and recharging your energy<\/p>\n<h1><a href=\"https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/parachute-cropped.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-323 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/parachute-cropped-300x222.jpg\" alt=\"Creative freedom\" width=\"300\" height=\"222\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/parachute-cropped-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/parachute-cropped-768x569.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/parachute-cropped.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/parachute-cropped-405x300.jpg 405w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>The essence of autonomy<\/h1>\n<p>Which of the following in each pair is likely to be more creative?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Entrepreneur or salaried employee?<\/li>\n<li>Retiree or overworked jobholder?<\/li>\n<li>Citizen of a market economy or citizen of a totalitarian regime?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Let\u2019s think. The first person in each dyad has more \u201cfreedoms.\u201d Entrepreneurs have more control over their work status. Retirees have more time flexibility. Democratic citizens have more rights. In theory that should increase their propensity toward creativity. Why? Because autonomy (or freedom) has been shown <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/1998\/09\/how-to-kill-creativity\">in many studies<\/a> to have a positive impact on individual creativity.<\/p>\n<p>But of course, it\u2019s not that simple. Autonomy does not <em>cause<\/em> creative output. It\u2019s a contributing variable. Nevertheless, it\u2019s an important factor to include in this series on creativity traits. Let\u2019s dive into creative autonomy.<\/p>\n<h1>Personal creative autonomy<\/h1>\n<p>Think about the last time you experienced truly uninhibited creativity. It doesn\u2019t matter if it was a musical or artistic effort. Or product development. Or landscaping. Just think about the <em>emotion<\/em> of being saturated with creativity. Chances are you felt in control. You didn\u2019t<a href=\"https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/freeing_from_control_800_14292.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-230 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/freeing_from_control_800_14292-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"Creative autonomy within organizations\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/freeing_from_control_800_14292-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/freeing_from_control_800_14292.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/a> feel a need to ask permission. You had a vision and no one else was pulling your strings. That\u2019s creative autonomy.<\/p>\n<p>In political parlance, autonomy means self-governance. It refers to independent countries that are free from external control or influence. Note the word <em>external<\/em>. Controls, resources and skills are still necessary to function; but they are primarily <em>internal<\/em>. Autonomy (i.e., self-governance) requires knowledge and skills to be self-sustaining. Otherwise everything falls apart.<\/p>\n<p>So it is with individuals. Autonomous individuals get things done in their own ways. But they DO get things done. They self-govern because they have several virtues. A vision to move beyond ideas. Unshakeable confidence (sometimes) and a belief in self. A broad understanding of what\u2019s required for implementation and why.<\/p>\n<h1>Balance autonomy and team creativity<\/h1>\n<p>Highly autonomous individuals want to be &#8220;cut loose&#8221; from the constraints of corporate bureaucracy. They are rule-shakers rather than rule-takers. They are comfortable questioning norms and assumptions to \u201csee what shakes out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That can be a challenge for business. Companies strive to reduce risk by using templates and protocols and procedures. Yet these standard operating methods are often the constraints autonomous individuals abhor. A balance between laissez-faire and authoritarian approaches is necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Task autonomy \u2013 the degree to which individuals control <em>how<\/em> to perform creative tasks \u2013 can exist within the context of established goals and outcomes. And communication and coordination among team members must co-exist with the autonomy. Otherwise <a href=\"http:\/\/www.journalcbi.com\/uploads\/3\/1\/8\/7\/31878681\/the_effect_of_autonomy_on_team_creativity_and_the_moderating_variables_by_kai_wang.pdf\">team creativity suffers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h1>Increase your personal creative autonomy<\/h1>\n<p>Here are&nbsp; a few tips.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Control your own plans and tasks. Don&#8217;t wait for others to \u201cassign\u201d everything to you. Identify barriers at work or home that restrict your independence. Determine what you can and can&#8217;t change. Follow through on reasonable changes.<\/li>\n<li>Boost your self-esteem. Stop worrying about what other people think. Don&#8217;t compare yourself to others. Avoid always surrounding yourself with people who agree with you. (While this may challenge your ego in the short term, it can boost your autonomy in the long term.)<\/li>\n<li>Be more positive. Compliment other people (including dissenters). Learn to graciously <em>accept<\/em> compliments, as well. This establishes a cycle of positive thinking (and\/or breaks a cycle of negative thinking) that can raise your self-confidence.<\/li>\n<li>Do more things alone. Go to the museum, a movie, a restaurant or some other place by yourself. Observe and absorb things you might miss if you were part of a group.<\/li>\n<li>Be independently, spontaneously creative. Pursue something a bit outside of your comfort zone. Take responsibility for your own success. Invest in yourself through books, presentations, and tools to spark your creativity.<\/li>\n<li>As a rule-shaker, be aware of rules that govern your behavior. Challenge assumptions that everyone takes for granted. But also challenge <em>yourself<\/em> to be objective rather than stubborn.<\/li>\n<li>Maintain a do-what-it-takes work ethic. Relish achieving what others deem impossible or impractical. Even if it means creating a new path to get there. And&nbsp;be comfortable as an autonomous, independent thinker.<\/li>\n<li>Finally, once you are comfortable with autonomy, strive for a balance between individuality and conformity. Learn to communicate effectively. Listen to others. Share credit for their contributions to your creative ideas. Beware the dangers of unhealthy pride. Take care to avoid being a one-person relay race. Value the perspectives of others.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h1><strong>Where to from here?<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p>As you observe and listen to others, you increase your perceptiveness to the world around you. I refer to that as being \u201ctuned in,\u201d as I\u2019ll describe in the next post.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Creative autonomy is the 5th of a 9-part series on creativity traits.) Curious: passionate for fresh knowledge; desiring to learn new things Resilient: capable of overcoming setbacks; able to take risks; ambitious Evaluative: willing to experiment and evolve your creativity&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-creativity-and-innovation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Creative autonomy: balance personal auonomy with team creativity<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Creative autonomy is more than the freedom to perform creative tasks. 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