ABSTRACT
‘People often reject creative ideas even when espousing creativity as a desired goal.’ Research published by Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations School suggests that when people wish to reduce uncertainty (and so risk), an unconscious bias against creativity is activated. And, as a recent series of roundtable discussions at the RIBA highlighted, risk is a significant concern for commercial clients. Where there is a need to carry out research to support a commercial project it is likely that there will be a very specific use intended for the results and insights from the project which will lead to focused research questions. The research questions will help you focus the review and minimise the time and resources needed to collect relevant and useful evidence. Existing buildings are often useful when talking with a client as examples of what can and cannot be achieved in a new project.
