"Creativity means not copying" reads the title of one section of elBulli chef Ferran Adrià's latest book, A Day at elBulli: an insight into the ideas, methods and creativity of Ferran Adrià. Dubbed with equal measure the world's best and most controversial chef, Adrià has eschewed subtle re-workings of classic dishes, instead combining fantastic creativity and painstaking experimentation to produce truly unique food.
His work shows how genuine creativity comes from not looking at what one knows, but from unusual sources and acts as an unlikely source of inspiration for the corporate world.
Adrià says his inspiration is as likely to come from visits to local hardware shops, museums and walks in the countryside as from visits to restaurants and food markets. His renowned chocolate powder dessert, Earth, was inspired by the colours and textures of the Australian bush. "My inspiration isn't exceptional or strange — it's from everyday life. But a strong inspiration is from Japan — the feeling and sentiment the Japanese have for food," he says. Every year Adrià and his team create an entirely new menu of more than 100 dishes. This level of creativity takes a huge amount of time and is only possible because the restaurant shuts for six months of the year.
Time is spent on developing new techniques rather than dishes and this is where new gelling agents and siphons to create foams have been invented.
"To stay creative you have to have the best creative team possible, and the most important thing is not about the way we cook but about the way people receive what we do" he says.
The creativity that Adrià has achieved in the world of gourmet cuisine may seem far removed from the lives of most business people, but there are lessons to be learned. Paul Bennett, chief creative officer of innovation and design consultancy Ideo, thinks one of the key lessons is the way in which storytelling is used. "We tell our clients to look at the edges for examples of great storytelling, which is where people such as Ferran Adrià come in. Adrià sees food as a piece of narrative. Creativity is often at the edge of jobs but elBulli puts creativity at the centre of the business," says Bennett.
Being prepared to dedicate time and money to creativity is clearly one lesson but Adrià's ability to look beyond the world in which he works is crucial. Teamwork is a recurring theme and both Adrià and Great Ormond Street Hospital have been inspired by the seamless operation of the Formula One pitstop team.
Dr Allan Goldman is head of paediatric cardiac intensive care at the hospital, and it was while watching a race with his colleague Martin Elliot that they saw they could learn from the pitstop team's smooth functioning. For the doctors, the critical post-op handover from the theatre to the intensive care team was an area of concern.
"We spoke to the F1 teams about the processes and safety culture, and designed a simple process we could use," says Goldman. By compartmentalising the handover it became less haphazard and errors were reduced by around 35%.
"In medicine, who is in charge is often not defined, but it became clear the anaesthetist was the most suitable person, so they head the process now. Talking to people outside made a big difference."
Weblinks
ElBulli restaurant: elbulli.com
Great Ormond Street hospital: gosh.org
