Random Thoughts on Creativity







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                   William Hewlett 1913 - 2001 


                   Random Thoughts on Creativity
                  In a 1986 address to MIT graduates, Bill Hewlett, co-founder 
                  of Hewlett-Packard, addressed the slippery challenge of 
                  defining and identifying creativity. An MIT alumnus, he 
                  explained that creativity is discovered by creating an 
                  environment that fosters innovation - then observing who 
                  flourishes. (The following is an abridged version of Hewlett's 
                  commencement address.) 
                  In the 50 years since I walked across the stage to receive my 
                  Master of Science from MIT, I have been intimately associated 
                  with the creative process that is so important to our modern, 
                  high-technology culture. Creativity and the related issue of 
                  productivity continue to be of the utmost importance to the 
                  international business community. 
                  Today, this country has a renewed interest in innovation and 
                  creativity. It has become increasingly evident that we are 
                  losing the competitive edge that for so long had characterized 
                  the American economy. In 1983, a presidential commission of 
                  distinguished business leaders and educators assembled to 
                  study ways to increase the long-term competitiveness of United 
                  States industry at home and abroad concluded that we must work 
                  to "create, apply and protect technology." The commission 
                  noted that "innovation spurs new industries and revives mature 
                  ones. Technological advances lead to improved productivity, an 
                  essential ingredient for our standard of living." In essence, 
                  their recommendation was two-fold - to create technology and 
                  improve productivity. 
                  How do you define creativity? According to Chuck House, who 
                  heads up our engineering productivity program, "Creativity is 
                  what screws up my engineering program." Unfortunately, there 
                  is much truth in that statement. Thomas Edison is alleged to 
                  have remarked about his laboratory, "There ain't no rules 
                  around here. We're trying to accomplish something." These two 
                  comments say a great deal about the creative process. It works 
                  best when it is not too structured, but it must, in the long 
                  run, be tamed, harnessed and hitched to the wagon of man's 
                  needs. Nobel Prize winner Albert Szent-Gyorgi provided a good 
                  working definition when he said, "Discovery consists of 
                  looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking 
                  something different." 
                  It is very difficult to spot a creative individual just by 
                  looking at a resume. It is clear, for example, that education 
                  is not a sine qua non for being creative. Psychologists can't 
                  even agree on how to measure this characteristic, let alone 
                  predict who will display it. Establishing an environment that 
                  fosters creativity and observing who flourishes is probably 
                  the best way of finding this elusive characteristic. 
                  Successful innovators share many common traits. Creative 
                  people have an abiding curiosity and an insatiable desire to 
                  learn how and why things work. They take nothing for granted. 
                  They are interested in things around them and tend to stow 
                  away bits and pieces of information in their minds for future 
                  use. And, they have a great ability to mobilize their thinking 
                  and experiences for use in solving a new problem. 
                  Problems, however, are rarely solved on the spur of the 
                  moment. They must be organized and dissected, then key issues 
                  isolated and defined. A period of gestation then sets in, 
                  during which these issues are mulled over. You put them in 
                  your mind and consciously or unconsciously work at them at odd 
                  hours of the day or night - even at work. It is somewhat 
                  analogous to trying to place a name on the face of someone 
                  you've met before. Often the solution to a problem comes to 
                  you in much the same way you eventually recall the name. 
                  Creativity is an area in which younger people have a 
                  tremendous advantage, since they have an endearing habit of 
                  always questioning past wisdom and authority. They say to 
                  themselves that there must be a better way. Ninety-nine times 
                  out of a hundred, they discover that the existing, traditional 
                  way is the best. But it is that one percent that counts. That 
                  is how progress is made. 
                  There is a time and a place for creativity, but in the 
                  developmental process, timing sometimes outweighs technical 
                  innovations. I remember when we were trying to bring out our 
                  first scientific desktop calculator. Integrated circuits were 
                  just being introduced and we had to decide whether to delay 
                  the entry of the product so that we might use integrated 
                  circuits or go ahead and introduce it with a primitive, but 
                  proven, read-only memory device. We chose the latter. Timing 
                  was the dominant factor and the "niceness" of the solution. 
                  While the creative process is critical in the R&D phase, it is 
                  also an essential ingredient for increased productivity and 
                  improved quality. The challenge is that modern technology must 
                  be used to improve productivity. We need the same creative 
                  effort in the production process that we now lavish on the 
                  development phase. We must start by having productivity and 
                  quality as objectives in the research and development process. 
                  Productivity must be designed into products - not added at a 
                  later date. Quality cannot be "inspected in." 
                  There is already a great deal of technology readily available 
                  that can be used to improve quality and manufacturability of a 
                  product. In many cases, however, U.S. industries are not 
                  taking advantage of this knowledge, although much of it 
                  originated in the U.S. We need new ideas and new leadership in 
                  this quest. Here, the universities have a very real 
                  responsibility. I don't mean that they should go back to 
                  teaching forging, foundry, machine shop and drafting - 
                  subjects that I had to take as an engineering student. 
                  But our universities do need to provide a theoretical base for 
                  quality and efficiency in the manufacturing process. I was 
                  delighted to learn that this trend is already under way at 
                  this institution. 
                  Creativity will play a vital and critical role in our 
                  increasingly high-tech society. Our company's president, John 
                  Young, puts it this way: "Creativity is the only American 
                  competitive advantage left." Industry is going to have to make 
                  some drastic changes in how it views the importance of the 
                  research and development program and the necessity of 
                  increasing productivity. Changes are never easy to make. There 
                  is comfort and safety in tradition, but change must come, no 
                  matter how painful or expensive it may be. 



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