People often think unlimited options help increase creativity. However, one of life’s great paradoxes is that it is restraint that leads to an increase in creativity and production. For an example, let’s turn to political correctness in the workplace.

“Our work challenges the widespread assumption that true creativity requires a kind of anarchy in which people are permitted to speak their minds, whatever the consequence,” said Jack Goncalo, associate professor of Organizational Behavior at the Cornell ILR School and lead author of the study “Creativity from Constraint? How Political Correctness Influences Creativity in Mixed-Sex Work Groups.”

Goncalo and colleagues found that instead of limiting creativity, a political correctness policy boosted a group’s creative output. The reason is because the policy set a level playing field for everyone.

“Political correctness facilitates idea expression by reducing the uncertainty that people tend to experience while interacting with the opposite sex,” Goncalo said. “The PC norm, by establishing a clear guideline for how to behave appropriately in mixed-sex groups, made both men and women more comfortable sharing their creative ideas.”

Goncalo, though, suggests a troubling meaning to the study’s findings.

“The fact that men and women still experience a high level of uncertainty while working together and that a norm as restrictive as PC provided a safer environment for free expression means we still have a lot of work to do,” he said.

(photo credit: DennisCallahan via photopin cc)

The first reason is the obvious one—Swift’s tours are massively successful. Here are a few highlights from “The Red Tour” in 2013-2014:

• 86 shows on four continents
• 1.7 million tickets sold (100 percent sold out)
• US$150 million in total revenue
• Swift became the first female solo artists since Madonna (1993) to headline a stadium tour in Australia, including the first sold out show—ever—by a female artist at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Dec. 4, 2013 (source)

The other reason Swift’s new album might matter to venues is a bit more obscure, but can be pieced together when looking at the mix of ingredients that have helped Swift achieve such resounding success. In a report by Sam Sanders with @NPRmusic, three notable efforts by Swift and her label are explored, and here is a summary of two of them:

1. Swift keeps her brand in the tangible world
Whether it’s the run of talk shows or the private viewing concert she hosted in her house, Swift keeps a real-world connection to her audience, reinforcing the popularity of experiencing her live instead of through headphones. So much so, that we have point No. 2:

2. Swift is pulling her music off of the Internet, but not out of the venue
The NPR article cites a few potential reasons that Swift pulled her entire catalog off of Spotify (including her label possibly being on the market), but part of the decision seems to stay consistent with Swift’s focus on her audience experiencing more than a digital file. Swift packed the physical 1989 CD with photos, additional recordings, and secondary content that clearly differentiate the final product from a stream or download. To truly experience Swift’s content, you’ll need to look offline, and each venue on her upcoming, 57-stop tour will play a pivotal role in fulfilling this distinct business model.

Currently, it does not look like anyone can quickly replicate Swift’s decisions, or her success, but her ability to transcend current norms (like online streaming) might chart a course for a future trend yet to be defined. Venues and tours collaborating on new ways to support a tangible fan-to-artist dynamic (like Swift’s) could be instrumental in ushering in the next chapter of experiences only available to those with a ticket to an upcoming show.

Read or listen to the full NPR article here.

(Image: Eva Rinaldi)

Your opinions on drones may vary, but it’s safe to say the technology tool is here to stay and will only increasingly become more a part of our lives.

Case in point: The University of Miami foot team is using drones during practices to improve its game.

“With the help of an affordable $500 toy, Miami coaches and players are studying film like never before,” Tim Reynolds wrote. “The Hurricanes are using a drone with a camera attached to capture their practices, now studying footage gleaned from its unusual vantage points along with what’s collected from more traditional places like sidelines and end zones.”

Reynolds reports that Miami isn’t the first school to use drones at practice—there are also UCLA, Tennessee, and Louisville using them. However, for Miami drones can be used for much more than practice.

“Miami isn’t just tinkering,” Reynolds wrote. “The drone is necessary equipment now for the Hurricanes, who are planning to acquire more and better ones soon, and it will soon be part of Miami’s recruiting pitches.”

Please visit Inc. to read the rest of “How UMiami is Using Drones to Improve Its Football Team.”

(photo credit: Don McCullough via photopin cc)

Sometimes you hear about a classic theatre performance and you wish you could attend in person. However, due to distance, money, or any number of things, you aren’t able to see the show. That’s when you wish the performance was released on video (or maybe I’m the only one who wishes that?) so you can buy and watch it.

Shakespeare’s Globe understands your pain. Today it launched the Globe Player, which features more than 50 Shakespeare productions from the Globe, along with free interviews with actors such as Sir Ian McKellan, Dame Judi Dench, and James Earl Jones.

It costs US$5-7 to rent a video and $8-13 to buy one. There are also foreign language productions available to rent and buy.

The Globe says, “We are proud to be the first theatre in the world to be able to offer this kind of on-demand platform for digital content.” Will they be the only theatre to do this or do you think others may follow along? I imagine it could be a good revenue stream, yes? Please share your thoughts in the comments. In the meantime, I’ve got some As You Like It to watch.

(Image: Shakespeare’s Globe)