Organisational Design Part 7: Creativity: The Quiet Architecture of the Future
Organisational Design is the second of sixteen chapters in StartUp Space, and it guides entrepreneurs through managing company growth from inception to maturity.
StartUp Space is an entrepreneur's need-to-know guidebook that helps entrepreneurs start and run a business by visualising its structure and information flows.
The Nature of Invention
Dr. E. Paul Torrance, after decades of research, found that creativity is not about rare flashes of brilliance, but about sustained sensitivity to problems—gaps, misfits, contradictions—and the willingness to respond to them. It’s not just seeing what’s missing; it’s having the courage to act.
Creativity, then, is the fuel of progress. It finds what’s broken, unfinished, or inefficient, and dares to imagine better. It’s how problems become projects.
Most of us notice issues—a tool that doesn’t fit, a system that frustrates—but we dismiss our observations. We assume they’re too minor or too noticeable. Someone else, surely, is more qualified to fix them. Why not?
But that’s not always true. Emerson noted that great ideas often first appear in our minds as faint, passing thoughts—until we see them reflected as genius in someone else’s work.
Sometimes, it was yours first.
You just didn’t trust yourself!
Staying with the Question
Too often, we drop the question too early. Doubt creeps in. We hesitate. We assume others are better equipped.
But creativity isn’t always about having answers—it’s about staying with problems long enough to let something new emerge.
Genius, in many cases, is persistence in disguise.
Ingenuity connects existing dots in new ways. It finds patterns others miss. That’s why your idea matters, even if someone else might seem “smarter.” Intelligence is multifaceted—and so is creativity.
That first small idea? Turn it around. Play with it. Let it breathe. Sometimes, brilliance enters quietly, not as a thunderclap, but as a subtle shift in clarity.
Creativity isn’t a superpower—it’s a practice of seeing. Ask yourself what you notice that others ignore.
Space to Experiment
Creativity doesn’t grow in boxes. It needs room, time, space, freedom, and the right to fail. Mistakes are signals. Not everything should work the first time.
No one innovates without permission to try something new.
As Scarlett Thomas said, routine is the killer of creative thought. Einstein reminded us that real science begins when we question the familiar. Sylvia Plath warned that self-doubt silences new ideas before they can breathe.
So what must companies do? Build a culture that respects mistakes, encourages experiments, and supports initiative. That doesn’t mean chaos. It means trust.
Creative environments give capable minds the freedom to explore. Leaders who understand this won’t just manage—they’ll cultivate.
The Executive Role in Creativity
Great leaders don’t just encourage innovation—they structure for it. That means:
Allowing time for experimentation
Accepting mistakes as part of growth
Creating policy, not just pep talks
Why does it matter? Because innovation doesn’t flourish on command. It requires soil—a place where people feel safe enough to try.
As Charles Brower put it: “A new idea is delicate. A frown or a yawn can kill it.”
If you want a culture of innovation, protect those first fragile steps. Give people the support to keep walking.
Managing the Shadow Side
Of course, freedom brings risk. Some may misuse it. They’ll wander or stall under the guise of “creativity.”
But this is diagnostic. Those who abuse the space rarely contribute meaningfully anyway. With honest oversight—not micromanagement—you’ll quickly see who’s aligned with the vision.
The upside? You uncover who genuinely adds value—and who simply takes up space. Makes your decisions easier.
What remains is a focused team of explorers and builders. These are the seeds of long-term resilience. From them, your company’s future will grow.
Remember: making something complicated is easy. Making it simple—and effective—is the true creative act.
Team Size: The Myth of More
History loves the underdog. The Battle of Thermopylae wasn’t remembered because the Spartans won—it was because they stood their ground.
Leonidas, with just 300 men, delayed an empire.
They fought not to win, but to buy time. And they succeeded, and died, because of the traitor Ephialtes.
At Renaissance 2.0, we are not advocating for martyrdom in business, but rather suggesting that a small, focused team with a clear mission can achieve what bloated bureaucracy cannot.
Small groups allow for faster decisions, more transparent communication, and stronger bonds of trust.
Pressure, when balanced, creates energy for drive.
When small teams are trusted and well-resourced, they move quickly, adapt rapidly, and stay aligned.
Pressure and Trust
Small teams work best with light but steady pressure, not crushing weight. Enough challenge to sharpen focus, but not nearly as much to break morale.
Managed well, this pressure becomes motivation. Members know they count. They take pride in their role. They don’t want to let others down. They don't want to be a weak link.
Creativity, like a muscle, grows with consistent use. The more room we give for thinking, the better the thinking becomes.
Agile teams learn quickly, pivot rapidly, and maintain fluid communication. Trust forms naturally when distance is short and stakes are shared.
Designing for Effectiveness
Small teams are not “plug-and-play.” They need curation. Assign roles thoughtfully. Match skills to needs. Provide tools—and, above all, cultivate trust.
Leadership in this context is less about control and more about orchestration. Know when to step back. Know when to shield. Know when to push. Be creative.
Every team potentially has its Ephialtes—the saboteur hiding in plain sight. Spotting them early is crucial. Not just for performance, but for protecting the cultural integrity of the team.
Once the team is right, let them fly.
Creativity Is Not Chaos
Creativity isn’t just flashes of brilliance or bursts of eccentricity. It’s more often a method—disciplined, slow-burning, and quietly relentless.
It grows in environments where failure is tuition, not punishment. It thrives in spaces where questions matter more than immediate answers.
It often lives in the overlooked places—those strange junctions where others see nothing.
The future of any organisation depends on creating space for small, focused teams to think slowly, act quickly, and move confidently through uncertainty.
Trust them. Equip them. Then get out of the way.
And always watch for Ephialtes.
The next chapter of StartUp Space, Bottom Line of Organisational Design and The Way To Go, is the summary of preceeding seven articles will be published next.
The previous article in the Renaissance 2.0 series is: Composing in Motion to Replace Yesterday
If you found this post interesting, please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience.
You will guide my writing in the future if you share your thoughts in the comments
