Gaining Insights from Poetic Collaboration as a Way to Inform Teamwork in Technological Design
DS 66-2: Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Design Creativity (ICDC 2010)
Year: 2010
Editor: Taura, T and Nagai, Y
Author: Beatty, Erin L; Ball, Linden J
Section: Short Presentation B
Abstract
We report a study examining the nature of collaboration in poetry composition in order to inform the optimisation of teamwork processes in technological design. Our interview-based data, derived from five expert poets, clarify the positive value of collaboration in providing objective critique on outcomes, while also indicating that collaboration can stifle originality. One intriguing observation is that collaboration with specific individuals (e.g., mentors) may have a natural progression leading to an end-point where predictability brings loss of utility. Our findings confirm that groups are sources of both positive and negative interactions, such that careful cost/benefit management is essential for collaborative design success.
Keywords: creativity, collaboration, teamwork, poetry composition, systems design, design practice, design management