“Creative” – the word is universally considered a virtue or compliment.
“You were so creative.” “What a creative concept!”
“Use your creativity and come up with something.”
Many products and services have tried to displace Craigslist and Evite over the years. Few have succeeded and certainly not for a lack of creativity. Apple is creative, but you pay extra for that luxury. Creativity is lauded and encouraged, but there are some hidden downsides to it.
How does creativity work in an IT role or solution?
Suppose there’s a limitation in a piece of software. You might develop a creative workaround.But what about a creative workaround to a bug? Is that always good?
Pros:
solves the immediate pain
avoids having to jettison the incumbent solution
can be fun and challenging to author and implement
usually are low cost, or perceived to be low
avoids external reliance (e.g. waiting for vendor to fix a bug)
fulfills a “puzzle” itch/scratch that many IT people enjoy
Cons:
if it requires creativity, it’s typically not intuitive
adds complexity (in most cases)
requires explanation
requires documentation
often invalidates current setup and requires “ignoring” some current rules
might void warranty or support options
may add hidden costs – someone who knows the plug-in, or hack, or scripting. Labor is not free.
Creativity can be a very broad. You could do away with training by making your design SO good that people don’t need to be trained. Creativity that removes work is great. Next time you hear something is a “creative” solution, make sure there aren’t hidden costs.