Read any business magazine or attend any seminar and you will probably hear the word
innovation over and over again. Businesses must be innovative or be left behind. New and better products or services are what keep a company moving forward and growing their customer base. All true. Innovation, however, requires more than writing it in a business plan. Innovation, by definition, is applied creativity. Creativity must come first and it can be a messy process by business standards.
Let's talk about what creativity is and is not. Creativity is...
- That which separates us from other animals.
- A gift that all human beings have and use every day.
- A process where humans can imagine something that is not immediately available to our senses.
- Something that can be developed by anyone.
Creativity is not...
- Limited to artistic endeavors such as painting, sculpting, or playing a musical instrument.
- Limited to grand discoveries by geniuses.
- An anything-goes, free-for-all.
- Something we can live without.
Creativity needs a few things in order to be realized. There must be a culture where the free flow of ideas is welcome and the rush to judgment is suspended. Failure, always a part of the creative process, must be tolerated to a certain extent. It cannot be fitted into a short time frame and ideas must be allowed to incubate. Last, creativity and innovation tends to be its own reward and people must be internally motivated to engage the process.
Innovation is key. But innovation necessarily relies on the creative process. Is your company promoting creativity? If so, are you ready for it?
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