Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Corporate Creativity

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat interesting premise, but bit flat overall
Review: Heard the taped version of JAMMING, written and read by John
Kao . . . the author works with companies around the world to help them move ahead of their obsolete competitors.

He uses the metaphor of jazz to show how managers must
master the skills of creativity--like jazz musicians in a jam session (playing off each other to create new sounds, at once unpredictable and harmonious) to reap unprecedented returns.

I once had the pleasure of seeing Kao present in person . . . for some reason, he was better then . . . these tapes were somewhat interesting, but they seemed to contain too many lists . . . I would have liked to have seen some more real examples, particularly based on companies that he had assisted.

However, he did use one example that I really liked . . . in talking about Steven Spielberg, he mentioned how Harrsion Ford had once approached him with an idea when filming INDIANA JONES
AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM . . . Spielberg was not crazy about
what he had heard, but rather than reject it outright, he said: "I like that a lot. But let's just explore one other option."

This technique, according to Kao, provides an opportunity to
double and even redouble ideas. The key: Don't automatically
judge, evaluate or criticize everything you hear.

Rating:
Summary: I wasted my time & money on this book!
Review: I was searching for some insightful material to help me re-define that somewhat false dichotomy that exists in our thinking about business thinking and (vs.) creativity. I just read Clayton Christianson's "The Innovator's Dilema" and wanted to find a way to develop creativity in my company's culture. After reading "Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity", I see that I have wasted my time & money on this book. If you are like minded in your search, look somewhere else! I rate the book two stars simply because the author has discovered a very worthwhile subject - not for its content.

Rating:
Summary: Actually, Two and One-Half Stars
Review: In the final paragraph, Kao claims that in his book he has proposed "a way of managing creativity in an intentional and systematic fashion." Intentional perhaps but certainly not systematic. In fact, apparently wishing to demonstrate the improvisational approach of a jazz musician, he plays fast and loose with all manner of generalizations about creativity without developing any of the ideas in depth. The core concept is clever: Kao asserts that there similarities between a jam session during which jazz music is performed and a brainstorm session during which new ideas about doing business are generated and evaluated. Had he developed that concept in an article for publication in a business journal, it may well have attracted much more favorable responses than has his book. What's the problem? Actually, I think there are two. First, in terms of innovative thinking, Kao's Jamming suffers significantly in contrast with other books written by authors such as James L. Adams, Guy Claxton, Edward de Bono, Doug Hall, Lynne Levesque, Michael Michalko, Roger Von Oech, Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers, Joey Reiman, and Stephen Shapiro. Also, it is unclear (at least to me) how anyone can proceed from various general ideas in Jamming to specific applications of them in the business world. For example, "Success depends on your ability to infuse, imbue, and instill a respect for and belief in the power of creativity throughout your organization." O.K. but how? "The first step in making your company a happening place [sic] is to kick out the crutches that support a creativity-deadening culture." O.K. but how? Eliminate reliance on "obfuscating paper....Throw away the sheet music. Start creative conversations." Obviously, this brief excerpt is taken out of context but upon close examination, the context itself is fuzzy. At one point, Kao quotes Jerry Welch, a former American Express executive: "The most important precondition for creativity is to believe in it." O.K. but then what? "Belief also begets discipline." Mind you, I am not disagreeing with any of Kao's various prescriptions. Once acknowledging their validity, I just don't understand what specifically he would have his reader do with them.