This article was interesting. Not altogether surprising, but interesting.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/12/creativity_is_rejected_teachers_and_bosses_don_t_value_out_of_the_box_thinking.html
Most of it is pompous fooey designed to make everyone think they’re the creative person in question.
The problem I have with this is here:
A close friend of mine works for a tech startup. She is an intensely creative and intelligent person who falls on the risk-taker side of the spectrum. Though her company initially hired her for her problem-solving skills, she is regularly unable to fix actual problems because nobody will listen to her ideas. “I even say, ‘I’ll do the work. Just give me the go ahead and I’ll do it myself,’ ” she says. “But they won’t, and so the system stays less efficient.”
“I’ll do the work, give me the go ahead and I’ll do it myself.” But they won’t, so she doesn’t. This person is not a risk taker, she is asking the company to be a risk taker, and then resolving herself of responsibility when her idea doesn’t get traction. This doesn’t work.
If you want to be a risk taker, if you want to do things to make things better that are outside of the box, you have to DO them. Don’t ask for permission, just do it. Show your management some small success if you want traction within your company. Don’t cry because they don’t like your ideas. If you’re not willing to go above an beyond, just get back in line and stop complaining.
People DO like creative people, they just don’t want to take the risk you want them to. If you want to be creative or take risks for what you see is a good idea, you have to do it yourself, often on your own time. You have to be the one to make the sacrifice for your own ideas, asking others to do that for you is where we fail.