Jamming is a "guide" for managers who want to base their careers on the creative ideas they inspire within their work groups. John Kao's metaphor is that of jamming, or improvising on musical instruments. As the musician takes a theme, develops it, changes it, plays with it, so, too, John Kao says, we can play with ideas within the corporate environment. 

Kao makes the argument that creativity is essential in today's world. That's an idea that has been around for a while, and in his second chapter, he outlines a creativity audit. I seriously doubt too many corporations will actually take the trouble to answer all his questions. However, they would be excellent discussion points for team meetings. A single question, or two or three of them, linked together would be useful for teams or departments to periodically consider. 

Then Kao gets into the heart of his book. His major recommendation is to take "excursions" of the mind. These excursions don't have to have anything to do with the creative problem at hand. For example, he read his students a vignette of life. Then he asks them to go on an imagination trip that relates to the story. In other words, taking the theme and jamming with it. When the lights come up, Kao reports that the conversation is looser, more animated, even when something very different is being discussed. 

How do managers enact this approach? It definitely takes some courage, and this is probably why most managers seek out the services of outside consultants, who normally don't mind asking participants to "jam." Kao does recommend some specific steps for managers. Listed below are the first four Kao mentions. 
 

• Know your role. The manager's role is to define problems and then help a team solve them. 

• Be protective. Defend off the wall approaches. Protect your "baby" ideas. 

• Use theatrical gestures. Go someplace special. Bring in a consultant. 

• Secure a creativity "hot zone." Create a space where your team can be creative. 

The most interesting aspect of Kao's book is the metaphor of jamming. He invites people to try different ways of looking at things by legitimizing techniques that some people have difficulty experimenting with on their own. And that's jamming! 

Janelle Barlow, President  

TMI USA 

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