See the system
Recognise why promising ideas stall even inside capable, well-run organisations.
eBook 21 September · Print 22 September 2026
The Creativity Paradox
Why Organizations End Up Killing the Innovation They Crave (and What to Do About It).
The problem
Creativity does not usually fail because people lack ideas.
It fails because the conditions around those ideas are wrong.
Organisations unintentionally silence creativity through too much control, speed or certainty – or not enough of them at the moment they are needed. This is not a book about brainstorming harder or copying startup culture. It is a practical exploration of creativity in manufacturing, engineering, operations and other complex environments.
“Insightful analyses and practices that will allow leaders to build psychological safety into everyday work.”Amy C. Edmondson · Harvard Business School
What readers gain
A practical language for the tensions leaders already live.
Hold the tension
Navigate freedom and structure, speed and safety, courage and clarity without choosing false extremes.
Move to action
Create the human and organisational conditions that help teams speak, test, learn and deliver.
For whom
Built for leaders working under real constraints.
- Senior executives and business-unit leaders
- Innovation and R&D leaders
- Engineering, manufacturing and operations teams
- Transformation and organisational-development leaders
- People and culture leaders building psychological safety
24confirmed advance endorsements
13creative tensions explored
15+years of industrial experience
The tension map
Thirteen tensions leaders must learn to hold.
Creative capacity does not come from choosing one pole and eliminating the other. It grows through the maturity to hold both – and respond to what the situation requires.
Advance praise
Trusted by thinkers and practitioners across leadership, industry and innovation.
