S3E21: The Progress Principle with Teresa Amabile and Diego Rodriguez

Paint & Pipette: The Art & Science of Innovation

Have you ever wondered how traditional leaders can be motivated to support creativity in the workplace? What is the secret to fostering creativity and driving innovation? Today, on the podcast, we welcome Teresa Amabile to help us explore the crucial role that managers play in shaping the inner work lives of their employees through the lens of her book, The Progress Principle. Teresa Amabile is a distinguished scholar and researcher in organizational behavior. She is renowned for her groundbreaking work on creativity, motivation, and the work environment. Joining as a co-host is Diego Rodriguez, a board member at LendingTree, whose expertise extends to pioneering tough tech, fintech, and shaping the future of transportation. In our conversation, we unpack her interest in ‘garden variety’ creativity, why reward incentives are not good motivation tools, and what kills creativity. Discover the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, typical progress inhibitors, and how failure can lead to innovative breakthroughs. We discuss the power of small wins, what extrinsic motivators are necessary, the role of AI in creativity, why the meaningfulness of work is essential for productivity, and much more. Join us as we uncover Teresa’s progressive unifying theory of design thinking and how it applies to the culture of creativity for organizations. Tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Her shift in focus from studying exceptional individuals to ordinary people's creativity.
• Learn about the impact of social environments on creativity.
• How companies, like IDEO and Hewlett Packard, foster a culture of creativity.
• Teresa unpacks The Progress Principle concept and how it applies to organizations.
• Discover the value of “intrinsic motivation” and the steps to creating it.
• Effective strategies leaders can leverage to overcome a company crisis.
• Hear how a major failure can lead to an innovative breakthrough.
• Potential of AI to gain deeper insights into motivation and creativity.
• Ways traditional leaders can be intrinsically motivated to drive creativity.
• Explore the concept of AI augmenting human intelligence and creativity.
• Our guests share advice and their final takeaways for listeners.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Teresa Amabile

Teresa Amabile on LinkedIn

The Progress Principle

Diego Rodriguez on LinkedIn

LendingTree

IDEO

Hewlett Packard

‘Creativity, Artificial Intelligence, and a World of Surprises’

Retiring: Creating a Life That Works for You

Jeremy Utley

Jeremy Utley Email

Jeremy Utley on X

Jeremy Utley on LinkedIn