Do you remember your childhood? 

Colored chalk and coloring books. You were an artist. 

Where has this artist lost? Where has this creativity been lost? 

When asked a question in 1st grade, “How many artists are there?” almost all hands go up. 

When asked in 2nd grade, about half of the hands go up. 

In 3rd grade, about 1/3rd. 

As we climb the education and career ladder, we lose this creativity. 

The anecdote comes from the book “Orbiting the Giant Hairball”.  

Gordon MacKenzie, in “Orbiting the Giant Hairball,” says we lose creativity in the hairball. 

Hairball he used as a metaphor for organization. 

As the organization grows, it creates rules, procedures, forms, and processes. Each creates an entanglement of systems. You get lost in this hairball. 

You need organization. Its benefits. So one need not escape from the hairball (read organization). But instead, orbit it. Orbiting means staying close to gain benefits. It also means being far enough to keep your individuality and creativity alive. This distance helps you keep innovating. 

You also can’t orbit too soon. You need to be in a cocoon of hairball to prepare. The organization provides that cocoon, that environment to get you ready to orbit. Organizations train people on what they need to succeed, like performance management. It is dull. It is linear stuff. But creativity is not linear. 

When one joins the organization, one has a unique identity. One wants to contribute. But then the organization confines one to a role and restricts one in the job description. 

However, there comes a time when one is free to go into orbit. The organization will allow you to craft your identity and craft your own role. The author gives an example of the “Creative Paradox” role. 

The book is a quick read. 

Creators make it with love. With diagrams and sketches on each page, the book is lively. 

It is accessible and easy to read. This is one of the books worth buying in hardcover for your personal library. 

It is relevant for today’s workplace. Particularly with remote work, working from home nudges us toward the hairball. The book helps to understand the hidden forces of culture, structure, and power. The book urges people stuck in job roles to look past performance appraisals. Think beyond KPIs and develop a creative mindset.  One always wants to come out of the organizational routine. Routine makes us “organizational man” (a term by William Whyte). Routine makes us “Salary Man” (a term by Japanese society). Gordon Mackinze’s book offers bold ideas on how to break free from these roles and reach new heights. It rekindles the dream of creativity with a soft touch.