Thinking with Alligators

Why is creativity so difficult?

Today I was sharing some ideas with a few colleagues about how to increase attendance. No sooner had I shared a portion of my idea then it was attacked. “It can’t be tracked.” “Who will monitor it?”  “Why would we do it this way, it won’t work.”

My idea was just spouting and was stomped. It is a natural reaction. It brought to mind something I just read about in a great book called Think Better by Tim Hurson.

Tim calls this Gator Brain. Gator Brain is a strategy used to avoid having to think about an idea. You see, alligators don’t have much choice about how to react to new stimuli or sensory input.

“If a new creature comes into it’s territory, a gator can flee, it can try to feed on intruder, it may try to mate with the intruder, or it can freeze.” So depending on the size or nature of the intruder the gator is limited to those reactions.

My idea was the intruder!

“When encountering a new idea, your gator brain will see it either as a threat and therefore fight it or flee from it or as prey and therefore destroy it by devouring it. If your gator brain recognizes the invading idea as an old idea (like an alligator of the opposite sex), it may try to mate it, simply reproducing and reinforcing the old idea. Finally, if the invading idea just doesn’t fit at all, your gator brain’s response is to freeze.”

My idea caused some to attack and some to freeze. Most of us can relate. Gators are all around us. The shame is, education is in dire need of fresh ideas, but there is no telling how many great ideas ended up a victim of gator brain.

I can’t recommend Tim’s book enough.

Comments

[Jeff]

It sounds to me like a a gator is a lot like a black hat in DeBono's Six Hats. I know people that can't participate in Six Hat thinking no matter how many times we've tried to get them to hold off on their concerns they just can't do it. They say, "I hate to be the devils advocate." But the truth is they don't, they love it, they are idea killers. We figured out a solution for these people if the meeting starts at 9:00 invite them at 10:00 this way you're at the point in the discussion where it is time to get concerns on the table.

By the way, I'm in Tallahassee and I can tell you, as the home of FSU Seminoles we hate Alligators on so many levels.

[Rob Jacobs]

Jeff, I would agree with you on some level about De Bono's Black Hat. The difference here would be the "mating instinct" that a gator might have. In other words, some will try to adapt re-mix, or re-purpose the idea. A bit of the Green Hat. Funny how often people say they hate to be the devil's advocate, but then take so much pleasure in being it.

As for Gators, I have always pulled for Trojans, but have always had a spot in my heart for Bobby's Seminoles. (And they will always be Bobby's in my mind) So chop those gator!

[kmcg2375]

I agree that people can be too reluctant to think creatively. But don't forget that in many organisations change fatigue can make people 'snappy'. There is a very human layer to this gator reaction! There needs to be a climate established where new ideas are trusted.