| Title | : | Creativity, Inc. (the Expanded Edition): Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0593594649 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780593594643 |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 480 |
| Publication | : | Expected publication June 13, 2023 |
In 1986, Ed Catmull co-founded Pixar, a modest start-up with an immodest goal: to make the first-ever computer animated movie. Nine years later, Pixar released Toy Story, which went on to establish Pixar as one of the most successful and innovative companies on earth. In 2014, Catmull shared the secrets behind the culture he helped build in Creativity, Inc., which has become a kind of bible for effective, nurturing leadership. His sometimes counterintuitive advice includes giving a mediocre idea to a great team (because they'll either fix it or come up with something better) and not worrying about preventing risks (because it's the manager's job to make it safe for others to take them).
Now, Catmull is updating Creativity, Inc. to account for the years after it was published and to further illuminate the development of the unique culture at Pixar. Featuring a new introduction, two entirely new chapters, and four new chapter postscripts, this new edition details how Catmull built a culture that doesn't just pay lip service to the importance of things like honesty, communication, and originality, but commits to them. Although he once believed that core values were unnecessary to an organization, after surveying his employees, he came up with four guideposts to center Pixar's work: community, innovation, ownership, and authenticity.
As Catmull has discovered, pursuing excellence isn't a one-off assignment, but an ongoing, day-in, day-out, full-time job. And Creativity, Inc. explores how it is done.
Creativity, Inc. (the Expanded Edition): Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration Reviews
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Creativity Inc., originally published in 2014, has since been a perennial bestseller and has been called one of the best business books ever written. In this new, expanded edition Ed Catmull decided not to update the original text, but to include update sections at several points throughout the book. By doing so, he practices what he preaches in the book: working with the input of people he trusts (including co-author Amy Wallace) he innovates and gives us the story we want to hear instead of messing with the original.
The intersection between innovation and profit has always been difficult to manage. How can you encourage a creative atmosphere without resorting to the easy trap of lowering quality to try and appeal to a larger audience or save money? How can employees be empowered to be creative? And how can you continually work to innovate the manage systems in a way that supports creative work? Catmull shows us how by telling Pixar’s story in an entertaining but completely candid way. We learn about what worked and what didn’t work, and Catmull shares some principles that have worked at Pixar without giving us an ego-filled sermon on management. Since an increasing percentage of businesses in the United States are part of the creative sector (which, broadly defined, can include the sciences, history, and education as well as well as the performing, visual and literary arts), the principles here can work for many - if not most - businesses.
There are so many memorable moments in this book that I hesitate to pick just one, but for me Catmull’s entire philosophy can be summed up by a metaphor late in the book. We’ve all heard the maxim that problems are like onions: you have to keep peeling the layers. Well, says Catmull, if you do that, all you’ll have is a smaller onion. And you’ll cry. What if, when you peeled the onion you discovered a banana? And when you peel the banana you have an orange? Being open to unforeseen consequences is one of the best ways to nurture creativity.
If there’s one thing I regret about this expanded version, it’s that Catmull retired in 2019 and therefore did not have the opportunity to shepherd Pixar through the pandemic. What happened behind the scenes when Notes Day and Braintrust meetings had to happen on Zoom? I hope we find out someday.
Many thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
