Gordon MacKenzie’s Orbiting the Giant Hairball is an examination of corporate culture that essentially argues for more creativity in the workplace. MacKenzie believes that a lack of creativity often results from a corporate, or even social culture that favors conformity. Three main points that MacKenzie addresses are the value of creativity, the reason conformity is favored, and how creativity and conformity are perceived in the corporate world.

The value of creativity as described in the book is that it allows for new ideas. Nearly every business, when initially founded, was the result of a creative idea: someone came up with an idea that would appeal to the public and found a way to market the product or service effectively, thus establishing a business. Creativity at this point of entrepreneurship is essential to get things moving. However, the reason creativity slips over time is because once a successful method or formula has been found, there is a tendency to play it safe and resist any changes to the already proven method. Businesses rely on creativity when they are established, but once they have identified success, they either become content or adverse to changing anything that might interfere with their proven success. MacKenzie’s main message on creativity is that it is a spark that can create and launch new opportunities, and resisting creativity is essentially resisting change of any sort. This is why businesses such as Blockbuster and K-Mart failed; they refused to change their business model and became obsolete, and had no creative solutions.

The second main point MacKenzie raises is how a culture of conformity is actually instilled in society beginning with the education system. Describing a visit he made to a school while also recounting his own education, the author concludes that outside-of-the-box thinking, or creativity, was generally suppressed. The school classroom structure is designed to operate as a routine, without deviation. Children are not encouraged to be creative, and in many cases are actively discouraged from showing any form of independence or original thought. This is done by implementing rules, which restrict any deviation from accepted protocols, and show clear punishments or consequences if rules are not followed. This culture is present throughout society, and not just in schools; places of employment will also adopt a regulated, structured model similar to the school structure. The reason is because creativity is seen as disruptive, and changes that arise from creativity are resisted because they represent the unknown. Because this culture is so prevalent throughout the education system, people grow up adopting this value system of conformity, thereby perpetuating this culture to the next generation.

In the corporate world, attempts to control creative thought tend to devolve into a giant mess of corporate policy and governance, ultimately resembling what the author refers to as a giant hairball. This mess results from a culture that values consistency to the point of excessive administration, where new thoughts are rejected and corporations resist any sort of unknown factor that would create change. Corporations will follow business models rigidly, without thinking outside the box. While the business model may still be successful, following it too strictly also ensures that no new great ideas will emerge. The creative spark that was there to start the business ultimately becomes lost.

MacKenzie uses the three main points of describing how and why creativity is necessary, the reason conformist culture is favored, and corporate unwillingness to change in order to inspire the reader to employ creative thinking. Great new ideas tend to be those that are original and creative, not imitative. However, creativity should not be considered as only a spark that is necessary to get a business of the ground, but ultimately one that should consistently be encouraged, even by businesses that have already found a model of success. Creativity relates to ambition: those who show more creativity will succeed over those who conform, as long as creativity is supported.