Creativity@Work: Idea Master-Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

When people restrain themselves out of fear, their lives are by necessity diminished. --Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Who is Csikszentmihalyi? (pronounced chick-sent-mee-high) He is a Professor of Psychology at Chicago University and an author noted for both his work in the study of happiness and creativity, especially of flow, the theory people are most happy when they are in a state concentration or complete absorption with the activity at hand and the situation. Often athletes refer to being in this state as the feeling of being in the zone or in the groove.

So what does a flow state have to do with creativity? Flow can occur during any complex and difficult task, but it is often experienced by people engaged in creative work, when, according to Csikszentmihalyi, it is known as creative flow. He claims this engagement rather than material wealth is essential to happiness.

He writes, “Creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives ... most of the things that are interesting, important, and human are the results of creativity... when we are involved in it, we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life.”

Consider the ramifications of people being happier at work. Should we even care? Perhaps we should if we want to increase retention rates, make for a more organic rather than patriarchal organization, and contribute to the well being of people who spend more than one-third of their lives in the workplace, we should look closer at Csikszentmihalyi's body of work.

For more information on Csikszentmihalyi, view his interviews on flow and creativity on TED or on YouTube.

Want more ideas to unleash Creativity@Work? For more information on how to get your copy of THE training guide to Creativity@Work, Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work, visit the E-book website. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter or become a fan of my Facebook Creativity@Work page. I can also train you and your organization to be more creative and innovative at work. Email me for more information.