CREATIVITY AND RISK TAKING

Richard E. Byrd developed the Creatrix Inventory (C&RT) to allow people to identify their levels of creativity (the degree to which they can produce unconventional ideas) and their orientations toward risk taking (high, moderate, or low). In the C&RT, Byrd (1986) explains that different jobs require different amounts of creativity and risk taking; a proper match between employee and position will result in a happier, more productive employee.

Creativity

Our society tends to stifle creativity in early childhood, reinforcing thoughts and behaviors that are predictable, “realistic,” “worthwhile,” and “normal.” Throughout our lives, we are encouraged to be conventional, to follow the norms of the groups in which we live and work. Creativity—unconventional thinking or originality—tends to be expected only in “artists.”

Risk Taking

True creativity involves risk taking. In most organizations, managers and others are not willing to jeopardize their jobs, projects, or prestige enough to “stick their necks out.” Successfully creative people often have to work hard to push their ideas through the system.
Personal orientations toward risk taking are formed from one’s experiences in life, successes and failures, and one’s perceptions about what one has to gain or lose. As one becomes more or less secure, one’s risk-taking orientation may change. The degree to which one’s associates support risk-taking behavior also influences this orientation.

The Creatrix Matrix

Byrd plots creativity and risk-taking orientations on a matrix; the vertical scale indicates degree of risk taking, and the horizontal scale designates the degree of creativity. The matrix is divided into eight sections (see figure), each representing a different combination of creativity and risk taking, representing eight personal styles. The eight styles are: Reproducer, Modifier, Challenger, Practicalizer, Innovator, Synthesizer, Dreamer, and Planner.
Each style makes contributions to an organization and hinders it in some ways.

^? Reproducers are low in risk taking and low in creativity. They tend to be guided by what they think others think and are rarely unconventional. They favor regulations and standardization and they resist new ways of doing things. They thrive in jobs requiring repetition (such as data entry or bookkeeping). Their predictability can be an asset to the organization. On the other hand, they can be a problem when the organization is attempting to initiate change.

^? Modifiers are moderately creative and somewhat more risk taking than reproducers. They specialize in adding their ideas to something that already exists. Modifiers are not entrepreneurs, but they frequently find small ways to do things better. Their safe suggestions for improvement usually are accepted and valued by organizations. Because they wish to please, modifiers do not fight for their own ideas, nor do they come up with breakthroughs.

^? Challengers, although high on the risk-taking scale, are not very creative. Although they espouse change, they are quick to criticize the ideas of others and are slow to come up with their own. Challengers serve the organization when they question ineffective or improper ways of doing things. Because they are so outspoken, they tend to be seen as muckrakers.

^? Practicalizers are high on risk taking and moderately creative. They recognize the creativity of others and excel at taking a new idea and convincing top management of its workability by emphasizing its practical benefits. However, practicalizers are politically and bottom-line oriented and usually will not fight for implementation of a radical idea. The drawback of this characteristic is that a practicalizer may not be willing to gamble on the breakthrough idea of tomorrow.

^? Innovators are the true entrepreneurs on the Creatrix scale. They are very high on risk taking and creativity. In fact, innovators always are creating and will fight hard to have their (often brilliant, often unconventional) ideas accepted and implemented by their organizations. Because many people are reluctant to support a radical idea or something that requires new technology, many innovators are forced to leave their organizations and start their own companies in order to implement their ideas. Although organizations need breakthrough ideas in order to compete, innovators tend to ignore the inevitable implementation problems that accompany these ideas and to become impatient to implement them.

^? Synthesizers are high in creativity and moderate in risk taking. They excel in taking others’ ideas, adding their own, and implementing them into existing situations. Synthesizers go beyond the practicalizers and are just short of innovators in their ability to produce change. Synthesizers will not risk all for their ideas, choosing to meet the needs of the organization over creativity for its own sake. Organizations value their synthesizers because they are more tractable. They are creative and assertive, but not radical. In fact, one of their strengths is their ability to combine various needs, ideas, or procedures. They may limit themselves by their unwillingness to take greater risks.

^? Dreamers are also high in creativity, but very low on the risk-taking scale. They often think of a better mousetrap but are afraid to share their ideas unless asked for them. They tend to do much of their inventing at home. Dreamers can best serve their organizations if they are supervised by practicalizers, whose assertiveness and trust in their employees’ ideas will help to get them through the system. Dreamers are underachievers and usually act as conformists within their organizations. Their capacity for creativity can be wasted, and they may set non-risk-taking norms.

^? Planners, although low to moderate in terms of creativity and moderate in terms of risk taking, are very effective at thinking of ways to use the ideas of others. However, although they can devise the methods of implementation, they do not take the risks involved in pushing them through the organizational system. Planners are valued by organizations for their planning, coordinating, and managing abilities. They are the people who coordinate but not the people who make things happen.

Reproduced from Richard E. Bryd, C&RT, San Diego, CA: Pfeiffer & Company, 1986. Used with permission of the author.

CREATIVITY AND RISK TAKING