Creativity is not like the weather: You can do something about it. And you can measure it well enough to determine its effect on sales and profits.

People must get respect for their new ideas.

Now jamming - which is about collaborative improvisation - has to do with getting people together to be creative musically. But it is a very powerful metaphor for understanding the grammar of the creative process. It applies to business and to other pursuits as well.

Creativity is the crucial variable in the process of turning knowledge into value

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.

The head of a record label sets up structures, but he also defines the sound of the label, which is to describe what is desirable, what fits and what is quality for that label and then to create an environment where that sound can thrive.

The traditional model for a company like Coca-Cola is to hire one big advertising agency and essentially outsource all of its creativity in that area. But Coca-Cola does not do it that way. It knows how to manage creative people and creative teams and it has been quite adept at building a network that includes the Creative Artists Agency in Hollywood, which is a talent agency.