Innovation and creativity have long been practically synonyms in my mind. I got to thinking about the concept of innovation during a discussion with a prospect who was exploring ways to engender an innovative mindset in her team. After our chat I set out to explore the subject and came across the article below. The writer certainly improved my understanding of both terms. I think a clearer understanding of both concepts is important if the objective is to find effective ways to get our teams to adopt a more innovative mindset. Reactions to ideas shared in the article are welcome.
Innovate or Create ?
Copyright © 2011 Julie Austin
After spending the day speaking to several different groups about creativity and innovation I realized how hard it was to convince people that they are both important. Even though creativity and innovation are two different things, they also go hand in hand.
To be innovative you have to be creative. It you want to come up with ideas, you have to think outside of your own head. (a better way of saying 'think outside the box'). You are going to have to get out of your comfort zone if you want to come up with an idea that no one has ever thought of before. Sometimes you have to go way out of that comfort zone, and that's scary for many people. Even the most creative people tend to get stuck in a rut. Even the most creative people fall into patterns that work for them. Most humans will follow the path of least resistance. Sometimes it works if you're trying to figure out the fastest way to get to work. The process of creativity will require you to go down roads you have never been on before. And that can mean it might just take longer to get where you're going. People tend to want instant results and creativity takes its time.
Adults, unlike children, are afraid of failing. The process of creativity is all about failing. It's trial and error. In order to get a good idea you will sometimes have to make a total fool out of yourself.It was harder than I thought to get a room full of businessmen to jump up on stage and make fools of themselves. You can't learn about creativity without actually doing it yourself. It can't be learned from reading a book. Just like you can't learn to be an actor, comedian, or public speaker from reading a book. You have to just do it. But that was easier said than done. In corporations we tend to avoid being silly and saying something stupid in front of our peers, and even more important, our boss. This is where great leadership comes in. A good leader will allow their employees to go into creativity and innovation brainstorming sessions without having sensors on.
Most people teach innovation without also teaching the techniques of creativity. You have to learn both if you want to truly innovate and come up with something that has never been done before.
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Julie Austin is a multiple business owner and inventor. Her product, swiggies, wrist water bottles, were a NASDAQ product of the year semi finalist and are sold all over the world. Her book "The Money Garden: How to Plant the Seeds for a Lifetime of Income" is about creating multiple business streams of income. http://www.createforcash.com/
Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com/
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