Living Overseas

A recent study by the American Psychological Association found a relationship between creativity and living overseas.

It's not totally clear from the study which leads to which. That is, does living abroad help develop creativity, or are creative people simply more likely to try living overseas?

But it seems likely that those who've lived overseas have had a chance to sharpen their creative skills. First, by living in another culture they've been exposed to new ideas and different ways of thinking. Creatives with a stronger foundation like that are in a better position to develop new ideas for you that set you apart from your competitors. Second, they've learned how to adapt, and that ability to fit into a new culture will help them as they take on diverse projects for you. Lastly, they've realized there's not just one way of thinking out there...even if they were raised in a pretty homogeneous environment, their experiences overseas have helped them see new ways of addressing familiar issues, and helped them realize they don't always have the right, or the only, answer. There are probably plenty of other advantages to this sort of background.

This can help you when you're recruiting new Creatives. The study's authors wrote:

Knowing that experiences abroad are critical for creative output makes study abroad programs and job assignments in other countries that much more important, especially for people and companies that put a premium on creativity and innovation.

So, regardless of which way the causality arrow is pointing, looking for employees with overseas experience can help you identify those with a stronger creative bent.

Of course, if you're going to look for people with this background, then once you get them you need to take full advantage of it. But that's a discussion for another time.