埃森哲-应用创造力-以及如何引导它 Applied creativity -and how to lead it 2026

accenture

Appliedcreativity

—andhowtoleadit

June2026

NickLaw

NdidiOteh

DavidDroga

JoshuaBellin

Creative

Chairperson

CEO

ViceChair

ThoughtLeadershipResearchLead

AccentureSong

AccentureSong

Accenture

AccentureSong

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

2

Every

companystartswith

anidea

Theyendwhen

theyrunoutofideas.

Or,morelikely,can’texecutetheonestheyhave.

3

—

Thisresearchisaboutthediscipline

ofreliablyturningideasintouseful

andinterestingthingsforcustomers.

Itstartswiththeintuitiveprinciple

thatcreativityisneededtoinnovate

andgrowandendswiththeelusive

practiceofdeliveringit.Todoso,

wedefinethepillarsofcreative

infrastructure,provethepositive

businessimpactwhenallare

inplace,andpointtotheneed

forvisiblecreativeleadership.

Withtherapidandwidespread

adoptionofAI,thereisgeneral

agreementthathumancreativity

willbeadifferentiator.However,

incontrasttothefocusand

expertisespentontechnology

infrastructure,verylittlehasbeen

spentonthiscreativeinfrastructure.

Surprisinglyfewenterprises

recognize,letaloneknowhow

toaddress,theircreativitydebt.

Maybeit’sbecause,liketheword

“technology,”“creativity”isabroad

categoricaltermusedtodescribe

manythings.Unliketechnology,

it’sconsideredvagueandineffable.

Tomakeitworkable,wehave

alsodefinedthetypesofhuman

creativity,withafocusonthose

thatcontributetocompanygrowth—inventiveandexpressive.Inventive

creativityisthesystematicdisciplineofmakingthingswork.Expressive

creativityistheempatheticdisciplineofmakingpeoplecare.

Nocreativitycanbeseparatedfromtechnology.Creativity

makestechnologymorehuman,

andtechnologymakeshumans

morecreative.And,forthefirst

timeinhistory,downstreamfrom

thesystemsweinventandthe

contentweexpress,isanothertypeofcreativitythatcanbeharnessed—generativeAI.

Howenterprisesusehuman

ingenuitytobedistinctive,andAI

toamplifyandoperationalize

creativity,cannotbeleftuptogoodintentions.Itneedstobeledwith

therightcommitment,structureandexpertise.

Wecallthisappliedcreativity.

—NickLaw

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

4

AppliedcreativityAsktopbusinessleaders,

—andhowtoleaditandwedid,iftheir

organizationscangeneratecreativeideas.Eighty-onepercentwillsaytheycan.

Aresoundingendorsementofcreativepotential.

Nowaskiftheyvery

frequentlyturnthoseideasintoinitiativesthatdrive

growthandyou’llseeaverydifferentnumber:only16%.

5

Whydosomanyfailtorepeatedlyturnthatpotentialintomeaningfulpractice?Andwhatdotheones

thatdo,dobetter?

Ourresearchshowsthatcreative

ideasoftenshowupunevenlyacrossthebusiness,andtheleadershipthatsetsandsupportstheconditionsfor

themtotakeshape,gaintractionanddeliverimpactisoftenabsent.When

thatleadershipfoundationisinplace,itsupportsthreepillars—commitment,structureandexpertise—providingthe

infrastructureforcreativitytodorealworkacrosstheorganization,andbevaluedforit.

Creativitydoeshavevalue.Infact,thefinancialimpactissignificant.

These16%oforganizationsthatsay

theyveryfrequentlyturncreativeideasintogrowthinitiativesperformbetter,growfasterandconnectdeeper.

Thebottomline:creativity,whenapplied,performs.

Whereapplied

creativitypaysoff

The16%ofcompanies

thatactivelyconvertideasintoexecutionseegains

inrevenue,engagementandcustomerloyalty.

Betterbrand

Betterbusiness

69%

morelikelythanpeersto

outperformontimetomarket

54%

morelikelytooutperformonemployeeengagement

53%

morelikelytosignificantly

outperformonrevenue

growth,withaveragegrowthrates1.6percentagepointsaboveindustryaverage

26%

morelikelytooutperformonoperatingmargin

58%

morelikelytooutperformonbrandequity

48%

morelikelytooutperformonNetPromoterScore

45%

morelikelytooutperformoncustomerretention

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

Source:AccentureAppliedCreativityResearch2026,n=1,725.

6

Fromsomething

createdto

somethingdelivered

Ifcreativityishowimaginationturnsintoideas,thenappliedcreativityis

thedisciplinedwaythatorganizationsturnthoseideasintousefuland

meaningfulthingsforcustomers—acrossfunctions,throughexecutionandovertime.Thisextendsbeyondmarketing,wherecreativityhas

typicallybeencentered,toother

disciplinesacrosstheorganization.

Fromhowinterfacesforinternal

applicationsaredeveloped,

toindustrialdesignfordesirablenewproducts,tothewayscustomersaresupportedbeforeandafterpurchase.

It’simportanttoapproachappliedcreativityasaninfrastructurefor

turningsomethingcreatedinto

somethingdelivered.Strategy

decideswhatmattersandsetsthedirection.Creativityimaginesandexpandswhat’spossible.Applied

creativitydeliversitandturnsthemintosomethingmeaningfulthat

peoplecansee,useorfeel.

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

“Creativityisn’tacampaign.

It’stheonlywaythebusinessworks.Creativityshowsupinhow

fastyoucanlearnwhatactuallycreatesvalue.”

CreativeLeader

Toymanufacturer

7

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

Morethaninnovation:

Organizations,whichrequire

themodesofcreativity

organizing,tendtoseeand

supportsystemizersbyputting

Creativitycanmeanmanythings

theminroleswherethatstrength

tomanypeople.Weusecreativity

isvalued.Expressiveandempathetic

singularlythroughout,butit’s

intelligenceistheonemostoften

importanttoacknowledgethe

notseenasequallyreal,rigorous

differentmodesunderthatumbrellatermandrecognizetheirrolesacross

andworthyofleadership.

thebusiness.Forus,appliedcreativity

Choreographyacrossallfouris

canbedefinedasfourdistinct

requiredtobringideastolife—though

capabilitiesthatworkinconcert.

thegoalisnottovieweveryone

asbeingcreative.Itistohavethe

receptivecultureandsupportive

infrastructureinplacesothat

creativeideascanturnintoimpact.

Inventive

Engineering

Systematiccreativity.

Executinginventions.

Makingthingswork.

Usinghardwareandsoftware.

Expressive

Production

Empatheticcreativity.

Executingstoriesandinterfaces.

Makingpeoplecare.

Usingcontentandmedia.

8

Thecreative

leadershipmandate

Leadershipiscriticaltohelping

setandmodeltheculturethat

appliedcreativityrequirestogain

momentumandmeaningacross

anorganization.Andbyextension,soisacknowledgmentofthepeopleandpracticesthatarepartofthat

leader’sorganization.

Thishappensalready.TheChief

TechnologyOfficerandChief

InformationOfficerandtheirteamssetthetechnologyandguidelines

thatallusetohelpthebusiness

operateandgrow.TheofficeoftheChiefFinancialOfficerestablishesproceduresforpurchasingand

expensesthatallusetosupportthefiscalhealthofthebusiness.CreativeleadershipintheC-suiteandacrossthebusinessshould

commandthesamerespectanddisplaythesamerigortoward

growththroughinnovationandbrandbuilding.

Forsomethingimaginedtobecomesomethingreal,andforideasto

turnintotheimpactthatsuccessfulorganizationssee,creativityinall

formsmustendure.

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

Aboutourresearch

Thisreportdrawsonqualitativeand

quantitativemethodsconductedoverthefourthquarterof2025andthe

firstquarterof2026.Thequalitativephaseinvolved60-minuteinterviewswith15senior-levelexperts,includingcreativityacademics,thought

leadersandseniorexecutivesfrom

leadingglobalorganizations.Inthe

quantitativephase,wesurveyed1,725executivesacross14countriesand

marketsspanningNorthandLatinAmerica,Europe,theAsiaPacific,

theMiddleEastandAfrica,

representing20industries

andorganizationswithrevenuesexceedingUS$1billioninmostmarkets.Neuroscience-based

toolswereincorporatedalongside

traditionalsurveymethodstoreduce

responsebiasandsharpenthe

findings.Together,theyexamined

howcreativeleadershipdrives

performance,howAIisreshaping

creativeworkandwhichorganizationalconditionsallowcreativitytothrive.

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

9

Why

applied

creativitymatters

now

Whenthepromisebecomesapenalty

Creativityhasbecomealeadershipissue—andtheriseofAIisaddingtotheurgency.

Increasingly,executivesrecognize

creativityascentraltofuture

success—forthemandtheirbusiness.Eighty-threepercentbelievecreativitywillbeoneofthemostimportant

leadershipcapabilitiesintheyearsahead.And84%sayit’sessentialforrelevance,differentiationand

futureleadership.

10

Atthesametime,leadersreport

afardifferentrealityinsidetheir

organizations,andhavewitnessed

anactualpenaltyforthosewithmorecreativeideas.Sixty-threepercent

knowcolleagueswhohavebeenheldbackfortheircreativeapproaches.

Fifty-sevenpercentsaythey

personallyhavebeenheldback.

And59%saychallengingthestatusquomakesyou“difficult.”

Thismaybebecausetheideasand

approachesarebad.Morelikely,

it’sbecausetheorganizationlacksthecommitment,structureandexpertisetosupportandsustaincreativity—

oradvancecreativeleaders.

“TheC-suiteoftensays

itwantstobemorecreative

butinpractice,itsriskappetiteisfarmoreconservative

thanitadmits.”

VicePresident

Technologyandcreativesoftwarecompany

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

Weanalyzed163boardmembers

acrossthefivelargestcompanies

inhospitality,consumerelectronics,

andapparelandfashion,andfound

thatonly9%hadcreativebackgroundswithcareerscenteredonshaping,

elevatingorexpressingthemeaningcustomersseeandfeel.

ThemeteoricspeedofAIadoption

putsadditionalpressureonleaders.

AsAIacceleratesexecutionandmakessoftwareandmediaeasiertogenerate,thedistancebetweenthevalueof

operationsandcreativitychanges.

Seventy-threepercentofleadersfeartheirbrandwillbelostin

a“seaofsameness.”

11

Muchoftheconversationand

expectationaroundgenAIisaboutwhatorganizationsstandtogain.Productivity.Speed.Savings.

ButifAIadoptiontravelsacrossthebusinessinawaythatideasdonot,youcouldmissouton

evenmoretransformativegains.

AIshiftsthevalueinanorganizationfromparsingandorderingcomplexlogicalsystemstohavingjudgment,tasteandcustomerintuition.

Wheninputandoptionsare

abundant,valueshiftsupstream—toframingandchoice.

“Creativityhasmovedupstream.It’snolongeraboutexecution,it’sabouthowleadersframe

problemsandmakedecisions.”

SeniorDirectorStrategy&ProductLeadingglobalsportswearbrand

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

Totrulydifferentiate,moreparts

ofanorganizationwillneedtobe

“bydesign”andcenteredoncreatinguniqueproductsandexperiences

forbothcustomersandemployees,

ledbypeoplewhocanimaginethingsthatpeoplewillwantthatdonotyet

exist.Trueinnovationrequiresleadersandteamswiththeaptitudetomakethemallstandoutinwhatcouldbe

anincreasinglyflattenedmarketplace.Andleadersareincreasinglycalled

onnotjusttoapprovetheseideas,buttoshapetheconditionsunderwhichideascanemerge,betestedandbedefended.

12

Mostcompanieswerenot

intentionallybuilttomisscreativity.Theywerebuilttorewardsomethingelse.Efficiency.Predictability.

Thecomfortofafamiliaranswer.

Creativepeopleandcreativeideas

arerarelytheproblem.Theproblem

isanorganizationthatwasdesigned,

oftenunintentionally,tosetthemaside.

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

Whatorganizationsneedisasetof

sharedprinciplesandactionsthatdonotadduptoasystemforcontrolling,butratheraninfrastructurefor

growingandsustainingsupport

forcreativeideasandapproaches.

We’veseensimilarsurvival

operatingsystems,governance,

adaptationsbefore:

andsharedownershiprequiredto

theriseofstrategy

translateinsightintosustainedaction.Theresultwasafamiliarpattern:

Intheearly2000s,globalization,

criticaldecisionsmadeinconsistently,

risingvolatilityandgrowing

revisitedendlessly,ordilutedin

organizationalcomplexity

execution.Thismomentmarkeda

fundamentallychangedwhatittook

broaderlessonforleadership—when

tocompete.Strategycouldnolonger

thecontextofbusinesschanges,

beepisodicorintuitive—ithadto

capabilitiesthatwereonceinformal

becomeadisciplined,enterprise-

orimplicitmustbedeliberately

widecapability.Manycompanies

designedintotheorganizationifthey

struggledtoadapt,lackingthe

aretoscaleandendure.

By2013,morethan50%ofS&P500firmshadappointedaChiefStrategyOfficer.*

*Menz,Markus(2013).“Chiefstrategyofficers:Contingencyanalysisoftheirpresenceintopmanagementteams.”StrategicManagementJournal.35(3):461–471.

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

13

The

infrastructureforapplied

creativity

Commitment,structureandexpertise

Weseethatsuccessfulinfrastructuresforappliedcreativityarebuiltonthreepillars,supportedfromthetop.

Commitmentestablishesaculturethatencouragescreativityand

incentivesthatrewardit.Itmakesimaginativeworkpossible,withoutfearofpenalty.

Structuresetsamodeland

processthatleadstoreliablecreativeoutcomes.Itmakescreativity

workable,notrisky.

Andexpertise,withtheright

experienceandsensibilityin

leadershippositions,giveseveryonetrustinthecreativepractitioners

andtheabilitytoholdtheirnerve.

Thisleadershipfostersashared

ambitionthatneverforgetsthemostimportantpeopletoanorganization—thecustomer.

14

Wealsoseethatthisinfrastructure

mustbeconsistentandcomplete.

Whenoneofthesepillarsismissing,companiesfalterpredictably.

Explorationwithoutdirection.Polishedexpressionbuiltonshallowframing.

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

Qualitysignalswithoutdecisions

thatlast.Thesumisequaltoallpartsaddingtogetheracrossthebusiness.

Together,allthreeworktocenterandthenunleashcreativeexpertiseacrosstheorganization.

Howit

appears

Failure

mode

Missinglink

Decisionsare

Endlessrevisiting

Commitment

madebut

without

notheld

structure

Decisionsare

Abstractcorrectness

Commitment

logicallysoundbut

without

experientiallywrong

expertise

Significanteffort

Misguidedmomentum

Structure

appliedinthe

without

wrongdirection

commitment

Thewrongquality

Stubbornmediocrity

Structure

standardisdefended

without

andreinforced

expertise

Qualitysignals

Aestheticdrift

Expertise

exist,butno

without

directionalchoice

commitment

Quality

Beautifulideas

Expertise

recognizedbut

thatdon'tship

without

notdefended

structure

15

—

Commitment

Commitmentcreatespermission

forcreativeleadersandexperts

toexplore,questionandtake

creativeriskswithoutfearofpenalty.

Itlegitimizesunfinishedthinkingas

seriousworkandmakesroomforthe

uniquelyhumancontribution:choice.

Thebarriersareexplicit.Fifty-four

percentsayleadersavoidcreative

ideasbecausetheyareperceived

asrisky.Sixtypercentsaytime

spentexploringideasisviewedas

adistractionfromrealwork.Where

permissionisabsent,creativeideas

stopsurfacing.Teamsdefaulttosafe,

familiaroptions.Theorganization

losescreativeinputnotbecause

peoplelackideas,butbecausetheylearnitisnotacceptable,ornotsafe,tosharethem.

Commitmentrequiresbothculture

andincentives.Theculturethat

supportsthemisbuiltonasingular

visionandcollaborativepractices.

Avisionthatpeopleunderstand,areinspiredby,butimportantlyknow

howtoworktogethertoachieve.

Andaprocessthatisloosewithideasbuttightwithexecution.Ideasthat

areopen,curiousandfollowintuitionasmuchasdata.

60%ofleaderssay

timespentexploringideasisviewedasadistraction

fromrealwork.

16

—

Followedbyexecutionwiththe

disciplinethatcomeswitha

commitmenttoexcellenceand

craft.Theincentivesthatsustain

itrewardqualityoverquantityand

teamsoverindividuals.Together,

theysignalwhattheorganization

actuallyvalues:breadthofexpertise

inserviceofimagination,intuition

andcustomerneeds.

Commitmentalsorequiresleaderstoacknowledgedistinctcreative

modesandtodeliberatelydesignmomentswhereuncertaintyis

allowed,sosensemakingcan

happenbeforesolutionsharden.

Creativeleaders

Creativeorganizations

aremorelikely

aremorelikely

thanpeersto:

thanpeersto:

CreateacultureofstructuredBalanceinvestmentinproven

forumswithexpertpractitionersandnewideas

likeideamarketsorpitchsessions

whereideascompeteonmeritFundpilotsorexperiments

beforelargecommitmentsInviteandintegrateoutside

perspectivesRewardqualityofoutput

abovecompletedtask

17

Commitmentinaction

Makingcreativityaleadershipmandate

TheLEGO®Grouptreatscreative

commitmentnotasapersonaltrait,butasaleadershipresponsibility

embeddedinformalsystems.

Leadersareevaluatedonhow

effectivelytheyenablecreative

culture,withincentivestiedto

measuresofemployeeempowerment.

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

Byhardwiringcreativityinto

performanceexpectations,

theorganizationremovesambiguityaboutwhetherexplorationisvalued.Commitmentisnolongerimplicit

orpersonalitydependent;itis

institutionalized,makingcreative

risk-takinglegitimate,expectedandrepeatableacrossleadershiplevels.

Signalingcommitmentfromthefrontlines

AtRivian,creativecommitmentisestablishedthroughvisible,directengagementbyseniorleaderswithfrontlineteams.Informalforums

suchasfiresideconversationsandonthegroundimmersionreducehierarchicaldistanceandsignal

psychologicalsafety.Bylisteningratherthandirecting,leaders

inviteideastosurfaceearlierand

withlessfearofpenalty.Theresultisnotonlygreaterengagement,

butclearer,fasterfeedbackloopsbetweeninsightandaction—

demonstratinghowcommitmentacceleratesperformancewhenleadersmodelitinpractice.

18

Structure

Commitmentwithoutstructure

producesvolatility.Structuresuppliestheprocesses,decisionrights,

timehorizonsandincentivesthat

makecreativityworkable,andthe

contributionsofcreativeexperts

rewarding,notrisky.Atitscore,

structureiswhatmovesteamsfrom

askingquestionstomakingdecisions.

Theconstraintsarewidespread.

Seventy-sevenpercentsayapprovalsandprocessesatleastmoderately

affectcreativity.Twenty-twopercentsayapprovalsaffectitsignificantly.Sixty-onepercentsayshort-term

pressurescrowdoutcreativity.

Structurestartsatthetop.Creative

ambitionmustbereflectedin

leadership—whoisintheroom,whattheyareaccountableforandhow

theymodelthebehaviortheyexpect.Fromthere,themodelitselfmatters.Themosteffectiveorganizations

operatewithhorizontalstrategy,

drawingondiverseintersections

ofthinking,andverticalexecution,withexpertsleadingexperts.

Inventionandexpressionarenotsiloed.Theyinformeachother.

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

Collaborationcannotbeleftto

goodintentions.Ithastwodistinctrequirements:efficiencywith

informationandintentionality

withconversation.Theprocess

mustgodeepbeforeitsimplifies.

Inventivethinkingfront-loads,findsconnectionsandseesacrossthe

problem.Expressivethinkingback-loads,buildingnarrativesimplicitythroughsubtractionuntilonlywhatmattersremains.Together,they

movetheworkfromexplorationtoclarity,andfromclaritytodecisionsthathold.

Thestructuralrequirementsare

concrete:protectedtimefor

exploration,defineddecision

ownershipandclearseparation

betweenearlyexplorationandlate-stageevaluation.Incentivesmust

notpunishuncertaintyorjudgeearlyideasbyshort-termfinancialmetrics.

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

19

Whenstructureworksagainst

creativity,afamiliarpattern

follows.Ideasgetjudgedtoo

early.Decision-makingbecomes

politicizedorunclear.Predictability

winsbydefault.Whenstructure

supportscreativity,constraints

becomeenabling—time-bound

experiments,gatedfunding,

sandboxenvironments,standardized

baselinesforpilotsandclearKPIs

fortherightstagesofthecreative

valuechain.

Thischoreographybetweenroles

andamongcreativedisciplinesis

whatcarriesagoodideafromits

earliestformthroughtoimpact,

ensuringitencounterstheright

modesofcreativityattherighttime.Leadershipmustbevisibleinguidingtheseideasacrossthebusiness.

Creativeleaders

Creativeorganizations

aremorelikely

aremorelikely

thanpeersto:

thanpeersto:

Ensurecross-functional

collaborationandorchestration

withteamdesignandintentional

collaboration

Createprocessesthatmakeadaptabilityandchange

leadershipinevitable

Haveclearownership

andaccountabilityfor

creativedecisions

Protecttimeandspace

forexploration

20

Structureinaction

Structuringcreativity

inregulatedenvironments

Inhighlyregulatedorganizations,

creativeworkoftenstallsunder

compliancepressureandrisk

aversion.HSBCaddressedthisby

formalizingcreativitythroughtime-boundexperimentation,sandboxedenvironmentsandgatedfunding

models.Leadersdeliberately

separatedlearningevaluationfromoutcomeevaluation,measuring

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

progressbyinsightsgenerated

andproblemsreframedrather

thanbyimmediatefinancialreturn.Byusingconstraintsasadesign

featureratherthanalimitation,theorganizationmadeexperimentationsafer,fasterandmorerepeatable—allowingcreativitytooperatewithinregulatoryrealitiesratherthanin

spiteofthem.

Usingsimulation

tode-riskcreativedecisions

IKEAstructurescreativityby

replacingintuition-onlydecision-makingwithdecisiongrade

evidence.Itsinnovationteams

useAI-drivensimulationstotestdozensofideasendtoendin

minutes,compressingmonthsofvalidationintostructured

experimentationcycles.

Thisapproachgivesseniorleadersgreaterconfidenceincreativebets,shiftingdiscussionfrompersonal

preferencetocomparativeinsight.Byturningexperimentationinto

asystematiccapability,IKEA

accelerateslearningwhilereducingtheorganizationalbottlenecksthatoftenslowboldideasatscale.

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

21

“I’llsaytotheteam:‘Thisistoocomplicated.Goawayandstripitaway,simplifyit

andcomebackwhenit’ssingle-minded.’Someofthebestcreativityand

thebestdesignisthemostsimple…

butitrequiresthatunflinchingresolve.”

GlobalCreativeDirector

Consumertechnology

andhomeappliancesbrand

Expertise

Expertswhohavetherightexperienceandsensibilityshouldleadashared

ambitionthatneverforgetsthe

customer.Theybringthecustomerintotheboardroom,protectthecoreinsightagainstshort-termpressure,andyieldclarityandpurposeacrossfunctions.Theconstraintisvisible:

1in3executivessayinsufficientcustomerinsightlimitscreativityintheirorganization.

Creativeexpertisekeepsthe

organizationorientedtowardwhatmattersmost:howwhatyoumake

getstocustomers,andhowthey

respondwhenitdoes.Itlivesintwoplaces:inthecreativeprinciplesanorganizationshares—differentiatedbeliefsthatactivelysteerbehavior—andinthecreativepracticesthat

applythoseprinciplestotheever-changingneedsofthepeopletheyserve.Principleswithoutpracticesdriftintoabstraction.Practices

withoutprinciplesdriftintotactics.

22

Expertiseshowsupasadisciplined

sensibilityaroundsimplification

andstandardsthatdonotcollapse

whenpressureandurgencyrise.

Organizationsoftenmistake

accumulationforvalue.Asfeatures,

options,messages,proofpointsandprocessesaccumulate,theyareeasilydefendedbecauseadditioniseasily

seenandquantified.Buttotheactualpeopleontheotherside—notjust

customers,butemployees,vendorsandshareholders—thoseadditionsoftenturnintonoise.

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

Expressivecreativesareexperts

intheactofsubtraction,protecting

thecoreinsightsothatthehuman

storyisclearandthetruevalueshinesthrough.Sensibilityisgroundedin

thecouragetoknowthatmeaningandvalueoftenresultfromwhat

isremoved.

Whereinventiveandexpressive

sensibilityisweak,creativityloses

toefficiency.Explorationgets

deprioritized,andorganizations

optimizewhatalreadyexistsinsteadofimaginingwhatcomesnext.

Creativeleaders

Creativeorganizations

aremorelikely

aremorelikely

thanpeersto:

thanpeersto:

Translateideasintoinnovations

Translateinnovationsintointuitiveexperiencesandcompellingnarratives

Simplifyideasintoclear,essentialmessages

Haveacustomertheoryofmindthatshapesallproductand

marketingdevelopment

Activelymineadiversearrayof

sourcesforcreativeinspiration—

fromcustomers,tofrontline

employees,toonlinecommunities,academia,andtrendsreports

23

Expertiseinaction

Makingthecustomertangibleatthetop

TheLEGOGroupfurtherscreative

expertisebyensuringcustomer

insightisnotmerelypresented

toexecutivesbutexperiencedby

them.Researchistranslatedinto

immersive,physical“playinvitations”thatallowseniorleaderstodirectly

engagewithchildren’srealitiesbeforemakingdecisions.Thisapproach

groundscreativejudgmentinlived

Appliedcreativity—andhowtoleadit

understandingratherthanabstractdata,anchoringleadershipchoicesinlong-termrelevanceandbrand

purpose.Bybringingthecustomerintotheboardroominavisceral

way,TheLEGOGroupcreates

sharedconviction—andreduces

theriskofshort-term,trend-drivendecision-making.

Translatingboldideas

intoorganizationalalignment

Ataleadingglobalsportswear

brand,creativeleadershipisas

muchaboutinfluenceasideation.Seniorleaderstakeownershipofdistillingcomplexproductand

portfoliobetsintoclear,single

directionnarrativesthatfunctionscanalignaround—fromproduct

andmerchandisingtofinanceand

regionalteams.Ratherthanpursuingbroadconsensus,leadersanchor

decisionsinbrandpurpose