“Organisations that nurture creativity…”

Who said it? "Organisations that nurture creativity recognise the power of allowing people the freedom to think, experiment, and try new things without fear of failure."

This insight comes from Teresa Amabile, PhD in her seminal 1998 Harvard Business Review article "How to Kill Creativity."

What strikes me most about Amabile's observation is how relevant it remains today, despite being articulated nearly three decades ago. Her research revealed that intrinsic motivation is the essential driver of creative thinking, yet management practices often prioritise control over freedom. True innovation requires psychological safety, a concept that demands more than lip service in our leadership approaches.

Has your organisation created the conditions where people genuinely feel free to experiment without fear? Or are we still inadvertently signalling that failure carries penalties?