What can we learn from creative people? The story of Brian Eno

Innovation is a necessary function of organisations today. In order to develop innovative products, services and procedures, managers must encourage and promote creative thinking within their organisation. Everyone can be creative but there are some people who have a naturally creative flair. This paper examines some of the behaviour and creative processes that these people undertake in order to develop imaginative and novel ideas. Specifically, the paper describes some of the thoughts, ideas and behaviours of Brian Eno, a rock musician in the 1970s, and compares them with some of the other great creative minds of the past such as George Bernard Shaw and Michael Faraday. The paper concludes with some lessons that have been drawn from exploring the minds of these people and recommends that managers should nurture creativity with their organisation.