Creativity urged at business conference

[28 January 2005 - The Californian] With a picture of a dinosaur projected behind him, Monterey Institute of International Studies associate professor Frederic Kropp said Friday business owners can learn a valuable lesson from the prehistoric animals. “You have to adapt or die,” Kropp said. “The moral of this is that innovation is really important.” Kropp and other speakers addressed listeners at the 11th Annual Tri-County Economic Conference, held at the Embassy Suites Hotel. This year’s event, “Catching the Next Wave of Entrepreneurship in the Monterey Bay Region,” targeted business owners looking for innovative ways to attract consumers. Fostering a creative environment can help businesses earn a competitive advantage, Kropp told the audience of about 100 business owners and city leaders from Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. More

Lessons taught by Muskie desperately needed today

[30 January 2005 - Portland Press Herald]
Today, as a conference of experts at Princeton University concluded in December, a decline in comity, bipartisanship and cooperation is hurting the nation's ability to address the nation's needs and create solutions that serve the public well. What can we learn from Muskie's leadership model for accord and bipartisanship? Gov. Muskie believed in reaching public policy decisions by a process based on facts, broad participation by those with different opinions and vigorous but civil debate. The object was not to beat the representatives of the other party, but to reach agreement on policies and actions that would benefit the people of Maine. ... For Muskie, creating policy was like weaving a rug with a complex pattern, rather than patching together a quilt. It took time, creative thought, strong collaboration with Republican leaders, and help from everyone willing to do their homework and contribute. Some legislators do not have the patience for this. More

Studies find arts have ripple effect: Art education develops many cognitive skills

[23 January 2005 - Democrat & Chronicle] When school budgets are trimmed, arts courses often wind up as expendable frills. But a decade ago, arts teachers around the nation found an unexpected ally. Researchers at the University of California-Irvine discovered that students aced spatial-reasoning tests after listening to Mozart's music. Some scientists even predicted that the so-called "Mozart Effect" could spur brain development in children younger than 3. Tens of thousands of Mozart albums were sold to schools, hospitals and hopeful parents. Then, six years ago, the study was debunked by the journal Psychological Science and several independent scientists who found no lasting cognitive benefit in listening to music. More

"Creative class" Guru Richard Florida and Writer Mary Catherine Bateson Among Keynotes at 51st Annual CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING INSTITUTE (CPSI) 2005

[18 January 2005 - Creative Education Foundation] "Creative class" guru Richard Florida and anthropologist and educator Mary Catherine Bateson to keynote the world's longest-running creativity event - the Creative Education Foundation's 51st Annual CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING INSTITUTE (CPSI) 2005.

Mark your calendar for CPSI 2005 - to be held June 26-July 1, 2005, at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. Registration will be available in the next several weeks, with an early-bird deadline of April 30!

Plan now to be at the event where "applied imagination" is just the beginning. Learn why creativity matters ... in business, in education, in communities, in aging and retirement, in arts, and in society.

For 51 years, CPSI has helped you learn to intentionally apply creativity to get results. At CPSI 2005, you'll find abundant opportunities for further professional and personal development:

Don't miss the keynote and spotlight sessions that showcase some of the best thinking about "why creativity matters" in the world right now. Confirmed featured presenters (with more to be added) include:
* Richard Florida, Hirst Professor of Public Policy, George Mason University; and author, "The Rise of the Creative Class" - with Don Samuels, Minneapolis City Council Member
* Mary Catherine Bateson, anthropologist and author, "Willing to Learn"; "Composing a Life"; and "With a Daughter's Eye: A Memoir of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson"
* Mike Morrison, dean, University of Toyota
* Coleen Rowley, agent (retired), FBI; and Time magazine's "Person of the Year 2002"
* Efiong Etuk, author, "Great Insights on Human Creativity"

More

The New Science of Happiness

[17 January 2005 - Time Magazine] What makes the human heart sing? Researchers are taking a close look. What they've found may surprise you. Explore this Special Mind & Body Issue in which Time magazine presents an important series of articles that anyone interested in creativity should not miss. The nearly 70 pages of articles introduce the lay reader to "positive psychology (PP)," an emerging field that focuses on strengths and well-being and how to maintain these positive states, as opposed to psychology's tendency to focus on treating unhealthy or pathological problems. Creativity, as a strengths-based approach to development and engagement, is an important strand within PP. PP topics with relevance for creativity research and application include: happiness, optimism, joy, laughter, biology, thriving, spirituality, resiliency, trust, satisfaction, and positive emotions. More

How KLA-Tencor yields innovation

[1 January 2005 - Electronic Business] A culture of innovation: The products, including a services unit and the expert systems, and the need to stay two steps ahead of the chip industry's march toward smaller geometries (KLA-Tencor currently is developing products for 65 nanometers, generating ideas for 45 nm and researching 32 nm) are the innovative hallmarks of the company. But the culture that produces this innovation is where the management lessons are found. More