The traditional managerial mind-set is an analytical mind-set. It is about creating accountability and defining responsibilities.

In a large pharmaceutical company, where it's a big bet, you're going to need finance people to be involved in the decision-making because the investment can run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. You're going to have to run scenarios. You might even need agreement from the C.E.O. to make that type of decision. If it's an incremental, low-cost decision in a marketing-oriented company, it may be a very different set of stakeholders a lot further down in the organization.

Conducting a creativity audit can be very illuminating because it can tell you how the process is working internally and against the competition.

Obviously businesses do not operate like an artists' commune. Business involves deploying finite resources to achieve goals in a competitive environment to make money. That is something creative people understand.

You are able to create an environment so that the creative process can take place and that you can get people to perform at their highest levels.

Coca-Cola can get really fresh output because it is getting people who are outside the traditional model and they are combining ideas in very novel ways.

If you come up with a new product, you can very easily track its contribution to the bottom line. But often the challenge can be both large and subtle.