There’s no doubt that creativity and innovation are hot topics in business and media. More often than not creativity and innovation are used in the same breath and lumped together as the one topic.
They do go together nicely, and creativity can be seen as part of the innovation process, however they are in fact two very different things. And it’s important we understand the difference between them in order to better understand the creative process.
In essence; innovation is the application and implementation of ideas. And that’s why it is so important because innovation gives inventions and ideas and new processes a place in the world and drives organisations into new and exciting areas. More to the point, in business, unless an idea is put into play does it have value and contribute to the overall health or bottom line of the company.
Creativity is the generating of ideas. It’s the thought process that creates them. It’s the “thinking” part. The coming up with ideas and new ways of thinking.
It’s important to understand each of them in their own right. It’s vital for a company to be innovative, bringing to market new ideas and to be innovative in the way they do things. But companies also need to focus on being creative and on thinking differently to generate and keep generating those new ideas, whether those ideas are for new products, services or processes, inside and outside of the organisation.
So let’s look at some of the things a creative company does to be and stay creative.
Organisations need to build a culture which encourages, supports and stimulates creativity. A place where it’s safe for people to voice ideas, take creative risks and where it’s okay to make mistakes; where thinking creatively and differently is not just encouraged but expected.
Creative companies also allow ideas to surface and breathe life before they are dumped on, judged or ridiculed. It’s important to keep the flow of ideas coming, (and yes not all ideas will be good ones - in fact most won’t), but if you shoot them down early in the process they will never get a chance to evolve. Worse still, you’ll also be shooting the creator, and you’ll stop thinking of new ideas in an instant if not supported. So it’s important to separate the “creating and idea-generating” part from the “evaluating and judging” part.
It’s one thing to have an idea but another to have an idea that is useful and contributes and adds value. Creative companies tend to have systems that allow creative thinking to flourish and also to direct it. In this type of company, idea generation has a purpose and is guided by objectives rather than simply thinking up a heap of stuff and hoping some of it is useful.
Creative companies give their people the appropriate resources and thinking tools to inspire and stimulate ideas. However, creativity is not always a paint-by-numbers affair and so creative organisations also need to give their people the time and space to ponder ideas and let their creative mind do it’s thing. There needs to be a balance between the rational and analytical side of thinking and the free-flow of creativity.
So, creativity is a vital part of the innovation process. They are both very important and although different they are both co-dependent, (like ying and yang they balance each other and need each other), which is why they are often lumped together. If innovation is the implementation of ideas then creativity is the catalyst, and creativity also needs to become a strategic part of how you do business.
Nigel helps companies and their people be more creative through workshops, keynotes and consulting and is author of Think BITS. More information can be found at www.nigelcollin.com.au or contact Nigel at nigel@nigelcollin.com.au.
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