The only cure for tough times is innovation....
CREATIVITY & INNOVATION
Embedding creativity and innovation throughout organizations by boosting "creativity competencies"

"Epstein is the only one out there who knows how to embed creativity into an organization from top to bottom—no bull, just concrete, practical techniques that keep creativity flowing day and night."
Michael Levine, author, Guerilla PR 2.0

Dr. Robert Epstein, Harvard-trained re- searcher and professor and former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today, is one of the world's leading experts on creativity and innovation and the CEO of Creativity International. The developer of the first formal, empirically-based theory of creative expression—Generativity Theory—Dr. Epstein has shown in laboratory experiments that novel behavior in both animals and people emerges in an orderly and predictable way and that such behavior can be precisely engineered. His techniques for boosting creativity and innovation have been applied at companies worldwide, among them Bayer, Nestlé, and Proctor & Gamble.

"We had Dr. Epstein give a multi-day
seminar on creativity for law professors,
and I, for one, was impacted radically.
Barely a day has passed when I don't
consciously try to 'capture' my new
ideas. I consider his work on creativity
to be profoundly important."
Arthur W. Campbell, Professor of Law,
California Western School of Law,
award-winning poet and author

Consistent with Generativity Theory and related research, Dr. Epstein rejects the traditional belief that creativity is mysterious and magical. In discovering the underlying scientific principals behind creative expression, Dr. Epstein has been able to develop powerful techniques for boosting and directing creativity and innovation in individuals and organizations. To download a free copy of Dr. Epstein's new e-booklet, Creativity for Crises: Ten Tweaks for Tough Times, click on the icon to the left.

"The year-long program in Brea,
California assessed—then improved—
the creativity skills of city employees,
managers, and contributors. In all,
ideas acted upon by the city raised
$600,000 in new revenue and reduced
expenditures by $3.5 million, ex-
ceeding the goal by $100,000."
The Facilitator, cover story, Summer 2005

Embedding. Applying the rigorous research findings of Generativity Theory, Dr. Epstein teaches organizations how to embed creativity and innovation from board room to stock room. Most organizations leave innovation to chance, hoping it will emerge in times of crisis. Epstein shows that small, economical changes in everyday policies and procedures—team utilization, goal setting, evaluations, workplace design, and so on—boosts creative output continuously and permanently, dramatically increasing innovation. To read a recent scientific report about how he and his colleagues turned the city of Brea, California into a "City of Creativity," click here.

CREATIVITY ALERT: From the cover story of the June/July 2008
issue of Scientific American Mind, click here to read about Dr. Epstein's
landmark research on how to "Unleash Your Creativity." And check out
the new video of Dr. Epstein talking with advertising guru Donny
Deutsch about how to boost innovation in business on
"The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch" on CNBC.

Assessment. Most tests of creativity label people as either "creative" or "not creative" (or something in between), but Dr. Epstein believes that everyone has roughly equal creative potential, no matter how much creativity they currently express. He has developed a unique, competency-based test of creative expression—the Epstein Creativity Competencies Inventory for Individuals (ECCI-i)—a scientifically validated instrument that measures four core skill-sets that individuals need in order to be able to express their creative potential, as well as the Epstein Creativity Competencies Inventory for Managers (ECCI-m), that measures eight skill-sets that managers, teachers, and other leaders need in order to help other people to express creativity.

"Epstein’s talk on creativity and innovation at the
Cambridge Forum on Executive Leadership was
one of the most exciting I’ve seen in years."
D. L. Holland, Vice President, Group
Human Resources, Bayer Corporation

Training. Dr. Epstein has also developed dozens of original games and exercises that strengthen these creativity competencies. Some of his scientific papers on this and other topics have been collected in the book Cognition, Creativity, and Behavior: Selected Essays (Praeger). His games and exercises are collected in two books, The Big Book of Creativity Games (McGraw-Hill) and Creativity Games for Trainers (McGraw-Hill). To read an article about Generativity Theory from the Encyclopedia of Creativity, click here.

"As a keynote speaker on creativity
at the National Invention Center,
Dr. Epstein did an excellent job of
stimulating our thinking and
helping us to view our circum-
stances from new perspectives."
Lee Ann Howard; Director of Human
Resources, Nestlé R& D Center

A "mini" ECCI-i test (which does not give separate competency scores) can be taken by clicking here. An abridged ECCI-i test (which does give competency scores) is available in both The Big Book of Creativity Games and Creativity Games for Trainers. The new, revised, unabridged version of the ECCI-i is available at MyCreativitySkills.com. An unabridged version of the ECCI-m is available here.

"Epstein’s work represents a most
remarkable insight into the creative process."
John Vaught, Inventor, Hewlett-Packard’s
Inkjet printing process

Dr. Epstein is available to give lectures on the scientific approach to understanding and boosting creativity and innovation, to provide relevant consulting services, and, on a limited basis, to lead training seminars that teach creativity competencies. Call Laura at 1-877-877-1726 for details, or write to info@CreativityInternational.com.