Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity (Paperback)

by John Kao (Author) "A dozen years ago, when I said I wanted to teach a course on the art and discipline of creativity at the Harvard Business School,..." (more)
Key Phrases: creativity manager, managing creativity, creative culture, Story Street, First Virtual, Global Business Network (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
What value does your company put on creativity? It's not just media and high-tech companies that have to invest in the creative minds of their employees: every organization must make creativity a top priority in order to last beyond the next reporting period. In Jamming, John Kao shows how high-performance companies have learned the lessons of creativity to leap ahead of obsolete competitors. They have learned to make creativity tangible and actionable, they practice a new managerial mindset, and they have learned to leverage information technology to enhance creative collaboration. From clearing the obstacles to organizational creativity to conducting a "creativity audit" that assesses the current value of your company's creativity, Jamming shows business leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs how to take their companies to an entirely new level of success and growth by fostering an environment that will anticipate tomorrow's needs. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
It took a Chinese American student listening to jazz and jamming with a group of African Americans at a private boarding school to internalize the polar tensions between musical score and improvisation and come up with a formula for creativity. Kao, now a professor at Harvard Business School, has been using the jamming metaphor to teach creative entrepreneurship for 14 years. In business, the score is not a musical theme but an idea, process or question that takes on new dimensions when bandied about by a group. This business version of jamming, Kao says, is the creative advantage that can give a company a competitive edge. Kao tells how to audit and manage creativity and describes techniques for clearing the mind to render it receptive to the improvisational flow. Never was the need or the opportunity so great, he claims, as now amid the deluge of information descending from cyberspace. Chapters end with a list of "riffs," or pithy tips for business leaders. Kao offers succinct advice cleverly packaged.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (March 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887308643
• ISBN-13: 978-0887308642
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #282,673 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Uhhh, Jam Session Turns to Durge?, June 18, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews

Don't waste your time. I wrote a long review, then deleted it when it occured to me that I don't like wasting time... so I won't waste yours.

The jazz metaphore flags, the cheerleader-like tones grow monotonous, the new-age recommendations are laughable, and the lack of research is deplorable (especially from someone with JK's letters).

For twice the money, you can find a hundred times more information in, CORPORATE CREATIVITY by Alan G. Robinson, it's even organized in chapters, and Robinson throws in a little research to boot.

Sorry for the terse review. The subject is extermely difficult to write about - I'm trying it myself. I think John can do better than this. The book is weak.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Actually, Two and One-Half Stars, March 8, 2004

By	Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In the final paragraph, Kao claims that in his book he has proposed "a way of managing creativity in an intentional and systematic fashion." Intentional perhaps but certainly not systematic. In fact, apparently wishing to demonstrate the improvisational approach of a jazz musician, he plays fast and loose with all manner of generalizations about creativity without developing any of the ideas in depth. The core concept is clever: Kao asserts that there similarities between a jam session during which jazz music is performed and a brainstorm session during which new ideas about doing business are generated and evaluated. Had he developed that concept in an article for publication in a business journal, it may well have attracted much more favorable responses than has his book. What's the problem? Actually, I think there are two. First, in terms of innovative thinking, Kao's Jamming suffers significantly in contrast with other books written by authors such as James L. Adams, Guy Claxton, Edward de Bono, Doug Hall, Lynne Levesque, Michael Michalko, Roger Von Oech, Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers, Joey Reiman, and Stephen Shapiro. Also, it is unclear (at least to me) how anyone can proceed from various general ideas in Jamming to specific applications of them in the business world. For example, "Success depends on your ability to infuse, imbue, and instill a respect for and belief in the power of creativity throughout your organization." O.K. but how? "The first step in making your company a happening place [sic] is to kick out the crutches that support a creativity-deadening culture." O.K. but how? Eliminate reliance on "obfuscating paper....Throw away the sheet music. Start creative conversations." Obviously, this brief excerpt is taken out of context but upon close examination, the context itself is fuzzy. At one point, Kao quotes Jerry Welch, a former American Express executive: "The most important precondition for creativity is to believe in it." O.K. but then what? "Belief also begets discipline." Mind you, I am not disagreeing with any of Kao's various prescriptions. Once acknowledging their validity, I just don't understand what specifically he would have his reader do with them.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I wasted my time & money on this book!, June 14, 2000

By	J. Thrift (San Francisco) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was searching for some insightful material to help me re-define that somewhat false dichotomy that exists in our thinking about business thinking and (vs.) creativity. I just read Clayton Christianson's "The Innovator's Dilema" and wanted to find a way to develop creativity in my company's culture. After reading "Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity", I see that I have wasted my time & money on this book. If you are like minded in your search, look somewhere else! I rate the book two stars simply because the author has discovered a very worthwhile subject - not for its content.