Posts By Lesley Thomson

Some Tools of the Trade: Part 1

My team helps support creative practice in the Scottish Government: encouraging and equipping staff to come forward with, and implement, ideas that will improve our corporate systems and our policy making. Sometimes what we do can seem a bit like magic. We come in, sprinkle a bit of fairy dust over a problem and ‘hey presto’,Read… Read more »

Measuring Creativity: Part Two

Last week we looked at indicators that might be measured in relation to factors that can foster creativity and innovation in organisations. In this post we’ll consider possible measures of creative activity and the outcomes of creativity. Creative activity The measurement of creativity itself is arguably about monitoring ideas that are generated. This can beRead… Read more »

Blogging as Creativity

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.” I’ve passed the half-way pointRead… Read more »

Have You Tried Thinking With Your Hands?

“We have to understand that the world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. The hand is more important than the eye…The hand is the cutting edge of the mind.” (Bronowski, 1973) Designing government Like most governments right now, we’re very excited about the potential of design to transform service delivery and policyRead… Read more »

What Does a Creative Organisation Look Like?

“I think it is important to point out that creativity is a human capability. It is not owned by, or restricted to artists, designers and architects; everyone has it, but the real question is how you harness creativity in such a way that it can be made productive.” There has been a growing recognition inRead… Read more »