Creativity, Inc.：Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

INTERNATIONALBESTSELLERFromEdCatmull,co-founder(withSteveJobsandJohnLasseter)ofPixarAnimationStudios,comesanincisivebookaboutcreativityinbusiness—suretoappealtoreadersofDanielPink,TomPeters,andChipandDanHeath.Creativity,Inc.isabookformanagerswhowanttoleadtheiremployeestonewheights,amanualforanyonewhostrivesfororiginality,andthefirst-ever,all-accesstripintothenervecenterofPixarAnimation—intothemeetings,postmortems,and“Braintrust”sessionswheresomeofthemostsuccessfulfilmsinhistoryaremade.Itis,atheart,abookabouthowtobuildacreativeculture—butitisalso,asPixarco-founderandpresidentEdCatmullwrites,“anexpressionoftheideasthatIbelievemakethebestinuspossible.”Fornearlytwentyyears,Pixarhasdominatedtheworldofanimation,producingsuchbelovedfilmsastheToyStorytrilogy,Monsters,Inc.FindingNemo,TheIncredibles,Up,andWALL-E,whichhavegoneontosetbox-officerecordsandgarnerthirtyAcademyAwards.Thejoyousnessofthestorytelling,theinventiveplots,theemotionalauthenticity:Insomeways,Pixarmoviesareanobjectlessoninwhatcreativityreallyis.Here,inthisbook,CatmullrevealstheidealsandtechniquesthathavemadePixarsowidelyadmired—andsoprofitable.Asayoungman,EdCatmullhadadream:tomakethefirstcomputer-animatedmovie.HenurturedthatdreamasaPh.D.studentattheUniversityofUtah,wheremanycomputersciencepioneersgottheirstart,andthenforgedapartnershipwithGeorgeLucasthatled,indirectly,tohisfoundingPixarwithSteveJobsandJohnLasseterin1986.Nineyearslater,ToyStorywasreleased,changinganimationforever.Theessentialingredientinthatmovie’ssuccess—andinthethirteenmoviesthatfollowed—wastheuniqueenvironmentthatCatmullandhiscolleaguesbuiltatPixar,basedonphilosophiesthatprotectthecreativeprocessanddefyconvention,suchas:•Giveagoodideatoamediocreteam,andtheywillscrewitup.Butgiveamediocreideatoagreatteam,andtheywilleitherfixitorcomeupwithsomethingbetter.•Ifyoudon’tstrivetouncoverwhatisunseenandunderstanditsnature,youwillbeillpreparedtolead.•It’snotthemanager’sjobtopreventrisks.It’sthemanager’sjobtomakeitsafeforotherstotakethem.•Thecostofpreventingerrorsisoftenfargreaterthanthecostoffixingthem.•Acompany’scommunicationstructureshouldnotmirroritsorganizationalstructure.Everybodyshouldbeabletotalktoanybody.•Donotassumethatgeneralagreementwillleadtochange—ittakessubstantialenergytomoveagroup,evenwhenallareonboard.PraiseforCreativity,Inc.“SteveJobs—notamaninclinedtohyperbolewhenaskedaboutthequalitiesofothers—oncedescribedEdCatmullas‘verywise,’‘veryself-aware,’‘reallythoughtful,’‘really,reallysmart,’andpossessing‘quietstrength,’allinasingleinterview.AnyreaderofCreativity,Inc.Catmull’snewbookontheartofrunningcreativecompanies,willhavetoagree.Catmull,presidentofbothPixarandWaltDisneyAnimation,haswrittenwhatjustmightbethemostthoughtfulmanagementbookever.”—FastCompany“Awell-toldtale,fullofdetailaboutaninteresting,intricatebusiness...ForfansofPixarfilms,it’samust-read.Forfansofmanagementbooks,itbelongsonthe‘valueadded’shelf.”—TheWallStreetJournal,