Guest blog for SAMPS
Author: Marina Hop, Managing Director of Viveo Consulting Ltd
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At a time of rapid technological change, where AI is poised to revolutionize business, you might assume that the need for human-generated creativity is declining. However, the opposite is true. As the business world becomes increasingly dynamic and complex, the ability to creatively solve problems is more critical than ever before. Whether your business is formulating a new strategy, creating a marketing campaign or designing a new product, success will depend on your capacity to creatively synthesize insights from a multitude of sources.
Why AI Isn’t the Best at Being Creative
AI's strength lies in its ability to process vast amounts of information at mind-boggling speeds. Yes, these tools can automate laborious and repetitive tasks very accurately saving valuable time. But AI systems are limited by the data they are trained on. This means they generate ideas based on what already exists. The output generated by AI tends to regress toward the mean, preserving the status quo. It also lacks the ability to describe the human experience, which is essential for developing meaningful insights.
Observation: The Foundation of Discovery
Observation is at the heart of effective problem-solving. It involves not just seeing what’s happening, but understanding how it is being experienced by the people who are at the center of the event.
By delving deeper, we can uncover insights that may not be immediately apparent. For instance, Gillian Tett, assistant editor at the Financial Times, used her background in social anthropology to predict the 2007-2008 financial crisis. By listening to what people talked about and observing the silences – the things left unsaid – she was able to see the trends that others missed. While Wall Street believed that housing prices would continue to rise, the reality on the ground was quite different.
Creativity in business is the art of turning observations into actionable insights. This process begins with discovery, a skill that is often overlooked in favor of delivery. As Clayton M. Christensen points out, large companies frequently struggle with disruptive innovation. Their leadership teams are often elected for their ability to deliver, not their discovery skills. Business schools typically teach quantitative analytical thinking, focusing on data while neglecting qualitative information. This bias means that we only see half the story and can hinder the ability to uncover novel solutions.
Using Narrative as a Tool for InsightGeneration
Creating a written narrative is an effective way to synthesize information and derive insights. Stories and their narratives have been central to human communication for millennia and are culturally ingrained. They are powerful because they allow us to transfer information in an engaging, memorable, and relatable way. A well-structured narrative can help us understand the problem, explain the context and what’s happening and communicate it with emotion to take a more meaningful course of action.
We've adapted the traditional 3 Cs (catalyst, conflict, conclusion) narrative structure for a business context creating a framework that can guide us from observation to insight.
- Catalyst: What is driving us to act?
- Context: What is the background, environment and human behavior?
- Curiosity: What is going on and what insights can we derive?
- Course of action: What is the solution?
This structured approach helps organize our thoughts and present them coherently, making it easier to develop effective solutions to the challenges we face.
By developing the skills to look beyond the obvious and understand the deeper context of human experiences, businesses can find more effective solutions to a range of business challenges from strategy to product development. In a world where AI will change the business landscape, the ability to closely observe, analyze and uncover valuable insights will remain critical to creatively solve complex business problems.
About the Author:
Marina Hop, Managing Director of Viveo Consulting Ltd
Marina’s background is a unique blend of scientific, strategic, and marketing experience. She has worked with start-ups and corporates to develop, manage, and execute substantial marketing campaigns. Together with the creative team of Gary Books and Chris Rambrige, Viveo delivers creative marketing for ambitious life science companies.
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