????管理創新交流項目（Management Innovation Exchange）——如果你認為創造力只是少數人——比如那幫穿著標志性黑色高領毛衣、扎著馬尾辮的家伙們——的專利，那么你可能想錯了。事實上，從CEO到客服代表，與數百個團隊一起共事的經歷讓我們更加相信，采用一些相對簡單的方法，任何人都可以想出新鮮而有創意的點子。

????產生創造力的關鍵在于感知。神經系統學家告訴我們，大腦在不斷進化，在這個過程中，大腦通過采用感知性捷徑，節約能量。換言之，大腦會把經驗轉化為固定模式。但是，當大腦接受大量新信息時，會被迫對這些新的體驗進行再分類，跳出固有的模式。這恰恰就是創意誕生的時刻。

????我們的創意工坊常常采用四種實用的方法。雖然這些方法不是我們發明的，但我們的確一次又一次地見證了它們的魔力。

1. 親歷親為

????出人意料的是，我們不要高估事實改變成見的能力。人的大腦非常善于找出支持自己固有世界觀的方法，而同時卻有意忽略支持相反觀點的證據。事實上，相關學術研究表明，對于很多人（包括受過良好教育的人）而言，即使面對與固有觀點截然相反的事實證據，他們依然無法讓自己輕易地接受。

????要解決這個問題，最有效的方法是親自體驗：親眼所見或親身體驗能徹底改變一個人的觀點，這是坐在會議室里開會討論無法做到的。我們發現，走出會議室進行激發創造力或創意的訓練非常有益，因為這樣可以創造親身體驗，直接改變參與者表面或深層的臆斷。

????下面這個案例就是證明。我們的一個客戶、一家動物保健藥品公司計劃進軍中國市場。我們花了數天時間來評估中國市場的情況，但是在研討會結束時，客戶仍沒下定決心。因此，我們帶客戶親自考察中國市場，參觀了奶牛場、加工工廠、零售門店等相關環節。這次考察也讓他們清楚地認識到在中國市場發展的不同之處、將會遇到的難題及復雜程度，而這些都是坐在會議室討論幻燈片所無法體會到的。例如，他們了解到，和美國的銷售人員相比，中國騎電動車的銷售員無法運送所有必需的設備。

????無論是了解客戶，還是開拓新市場，這個方法都同樣奏效。最基本的一條建議是：走出辦公室。把自己當作顧客，調查、比較、購買和使用自己的產品。細心觀察：在顧客購買和使用產品的場所，與盡可能多的真實客戶交談，做好記錄，多拍照片。

2. 打破常規

????另外一個打破常規思維的方法，是對某些公司（甚至于行業）內根深蒂固的常規進行研究。所有公司都有自己的行規：如“行事方式”的慣例、或關于客戶需求的無爭議推斷、或鮮有人質疑的 “基本”戰略要素等。

????一旦認清并挑戰這些既定觀點，公司就能試著接受新的觀點，隨之而來的成功也將帶來巨大的回報：例如，2001年，百思買集團（Best Buy）斥資300萬美元，收購了計算機維修服務公司Geek Squad，打破了顧客不愿意為上門安裝設備付費的傳統觀念。時至今日，Geek Squad年創收達20億美元。同樣，當年戴爾（Dell）的在線直銷模式獨霸業界，蘋果（Apple）卻另辟蹊徑，創建了零售渠道，蘋果的策略當初一樣曾遭到諸多分析人士的質疑。

????有時，外部因素也會激發變革。經濟衰退促使味好美五香粉公司（McCormick Spices）打破了內部傳統觀念——從一家調味品制造企業升級并重新定位為健康經濟膳食專家。通過向公眾宣傳推廣各色香料的營養和健康價值，味好美發起了“3美元膳食”的倡議活動——無需推出新產品，就能幫助顧客對飲食開支精打細算，這種做法同樣不失為一種創新。

????為了打破公司的內部傳統觀念，各公司需要自省涉及客戶、行業規范乃至公司商業模式的問題。例如：我們從事的業務是什么？消費者期望獲得何種水平的客戶服務？消費者最不愿意為什么樣的產品買單？然后，給自己提出問題：上述哪些問題扼殺了公司的創新能力？

3. 運用類比

????在對3，000名富有創造力的高管進行長達六年的調查中，杰弗里?代爾、哈爾?葛瑞格森和克萊頓?斯汀生發現，創新者普遍具有五大探索技能（discovery skills）：聯想、質疑、觀察、試驗和舉一反三。其中，最強大的技能是聯想：即把“看似毫不相關的疑問、問題或觀點”相互聯系起來的能力。

????以下問題可以作為探索的開端。

????? 如果讓谷歌（Google）來處理我們的數據，它會怎么做？

????? 如果讓迪士尼（Disney）來負責我們的客戶，它會怎么做？

????? 如果讓美國西南航空公司（Southwest Airlines）來負責壓縮我們的預算，它會怎么做？

????? 如果讓颯拉（Zara）來重組我們的供應鏈，它會怎么做？

????? 如果讓喜達屋國際酒店（Starwood Hotels）來設計我們的顧客忠誠度項目，它會怎么做？

????? 如果讓蘋果公司來簡化和整合我們的產品和服務，它會怎么做？

????我們把這個方法應用于一家全球信用卡公司，結果非常奏效。他們給出的部分答案如下：

????? 蘋果公司不會發行10張信用卡；它只會發行1張，而這張信用卡可以與其他類銀行服務全面整合

????? 迪士尼會把消費者當成“貴賓”，并讓來賓產生賓至如歸的感受

????? 通過為消費者提供建議以及回訪，亞馬遜（Amazon）幫助消費者制定合理的信貸決策

????? 喜達屋會獎勵顧客的“良好”行為（如按時付費），而大多數信用卡公司則會通過增加信用額度和提供更多積分，對“不良”行為進行“獎勵”（收取更多的手續費）。

4. 增加限制條件

????從直覺上看，通過增加限制條件來激發創意似乎毫無道理。但是根據我們的經驗，需求是“發明之母”。人為施加限制條件會使常態下毫無難度的事情為之一變使人產生某種強烈的需求。

????那么，就從以下設想的情境開始吧，

????? 只能通過互聯網與顧客互動。

????? 只能服務一種類型的顧客。

????? 產品價格必須削減一半。

????? 必須對自己的產品收取五倍的價格溢價。

????創造力并不是少數幸運兒的天賦，通過恰當的訓練、有效的方法，所有人都能具有創造力。趕快試試這些方法吧，同時別忘了告訴我們效果如何。

????瑪勒?M?卡波奇，波士頓麥肯錫公司（McKinsey & Co）高級專家。蕾妮?戴，亞特蘭大麥肯錫公司的高級專家。艾米?豪，洛杉磯麥肯錫公司的合伙人。

????譯者：富來細特/喬樹靜

????(Management Innovation eXchange) -- If you think creativity is the province of a privileged few -- the proverbial black turtleneck and pony tail crowd -- think again. Our work with hundreds of teams, from CEOs to customer service reps, has convinced us that a few relatively simple techniques can help anyone generate new and creative ideas.

????The key is to focus on perception. Neuroscientists tell us that as our brains evolved, they learned to take perceptual shortcuts to save energy. In other words, they stuff experiences into well-worn patterns. But when we bombard our brains with new information, our brains are forced to re-categorize these new experiences and move beyond old patterns. That's when we come up with new ideas.

????In our creativity workshops we apply four practical techniques. We didn't invent them, but we have seen their power again and again.

1. Immerse yourself

????Surprisingly, you shouldn't overestimate the ability of facts to change people's minds about what is and isn't possible. The human mind is surprisingly adroit at finding ways to support its deep-seated ways of viewing the world, while sifting out evidence to the contrary. Indeed, academic research suggests that even when presented with overwhelming facts contrary to their deeply held opinions, many people (including those who are well educated) simply aren't persuaded.

????The antidote is personal experience: Seeing and experiencing something firsthand can shake people up in ways that abstract discussions around a conference room table can't. We find it extremely valuable to start creativity-building exercises or idea-generation efforts outside the conference room, setting up personal experiences that directly confront participants' implicit or explicit assumptions.

????This was the case with an animal-health pharmaceutical client that was considering expanding to China. We spent days reviewing facts about the opportunities there, but at the end of the workshop they were no closer to a decision about whether to enter that market. So we took them to China, visiting dairy farms to processing plants to retail outlets. Their visit brought to life all the differences, difficulties, and complexities of competing in China in a way that PowerPoint slides never could. For example, they learned that scooter-riding sales representatives wouldn't be able to haul all the equipment that their American counterparts could.

????This works when it comes to understanding your customers as well as exploring new markets. The basic advice is the same: Get out of the office. Go through the process of researching, comparing, buying, and using your own products and services as a customer would. Observe closely: talk to as many real customers in the places they buy and use your products. Take notes. Take pictures.

2. Overcome orthodoxies

????Another way to jolt your brain out of the familiar is to explore deep-rooted company (or even industry) orthodoxies. All organizations have them: the conventional wisdom about "the way we do things," for instance, or the unchallenged assumptions about what customers want, or an "essential" element of strategy that's rarely, if ever, questioned.

????By identifying and then challenging these kinds of beliefs, companies can learn to embrace new ideas. The rewards for success can be massive: Best Buy's (BBY) $3 million acquisition of Geek Squad in 2002, for example, went against the conventional wisdom that said consumers wouldn't pay extra to have products installed in their homes. Today, it's a $2-billion-a-year business. Likewise, some analysts chided Apple (AAPL) for opening a retail network at a time when Dell's (DELL) online direct sales model appeared supreme.

????Sometimes external forces spark the change. The recession led McCormick Spices to challenge its internal orthodoxy that it was a spice manufacturer and position itself instead as an enabler of healthy and affordable meals. By emphasizing the functional and health benefits of exotic spices, McCormick was able to launch a campaign promoting meals under $3 -- an innovation that required no new products but helped its customers stretch their food budgets.

????To overcome orthodoxies in your company, ask yourself questions about your customers, industry norms, and even your business model. For example: What business are we in? What level of customer service do people expect? What would customers never be willing to pay for? Then ask yourself, which of these are stifling your ability to do new things?

3. Use analogies

????In testing and observing 3,000 creative executives over a six-year period, Jeffrey Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton Christensen noted five important discovery skills common to innovators: Associating, questioning, observing, experimenting, and networking. Of these, the most powerful was associating: asking people to make connections across "seemingly unrelated questions, problems, or ideas."

????A list of questions like the ones below can serve as a jumping off point.

????? How would Google (GOOG) manage our data?

????? How might Disney (DIS) engage with our consumers?

????? How could Southwest Airlines (LUV) cut our costs?

????? How would Zara redesign our supply chain?

????? How would Starwood Hotels (HOT) design our customer loyalty program?

????? How might Apple simplify and integrate our products and services?

????We used this technique effectively with a global credit card company. Some of the conclusions they drew were:

????? Apple would not offer 10 credit cards; it would offer one that fully integrated with other banking services

????? Disney could treat consumers as "guests" and make them feel welcome when they called

????? Amazon (AMZN) would help consumers make smart credit decisions through referrals and tracking of behaviors

????? Starwood would reward "good" behavior (like paying on time), whereas most credit card companies actually reward "bad" behavior (that is, charging more) by increasing your credit limit and awarding more points

4. Create constraints

????Imposing constraints to spark creativity may seem counterintuitive. Our experience, however, is that necessity is the mother of invention. Imposing artificial constraints injects some much-needed stark necessity into an otherwise low-risk exercise.

????Start by imagining a world in which

????? You can only interact with your customers online.

????? You can only serve one type of consumer.

????? The price of your product is cut in half.

????? You have to charge a 5x price premium for your product.

????Creativity is not a trait reserved for the lucky few -- with a little discipline and a few practical approaches, it's accessible to all. Try these techniques and tell us how they worked.

????Marla M. Capozzi is a senior expert at McKinsey & Co. in Boston. Renee Dye is a senior expert at McKinsey in Atlanta. Amy Howe is a McKinsey partner in Los Angeles.