The Future of Business Success-Part 2

The Future of Business Success

Part 2:

The Nature of Creativity & How It Impacts Innovation

Let’s start with some definitions of creativity–keeping it focussed on business-related aspects, of course. Here’s the breakdown, conceptually, according to logical analyses, and definition:

Creativity is…

• the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality.?
• the generation of novel and useful ideas, often by connecting knowledge in new ways.?
• a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed.
• the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems, communicating and building relationships, and/or entertaining people.
• characterized by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, find hidden patterns, make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and create solutions.?

All of these tell us that creativity involves two processes: the invention of an idea, and the action of making it a reality. But, they also imply that it requires knowledge of the subject matter at hand–whether that be of a particular project, need, or process–as well as a certain mind- and skill-set.

Robert Sternberg, psychologist, and professor of Human Development at Cornell University proposed that creativity has five components: expertise, imaginative thinking skills, a venturesome personality, intrinsic motivation, and a creative environment that sparks, supports, and refines creative ideas.

The most creative innovators the world has ever known have all possessed three very unique human characteristics:?

1. Uninhibited imagination, like that of a child. Or, what is known as, thinking outside of the box. This requires free-thinking: The ability to see the world without the limitations that we have been taught, influenced by, or programmed to believe and accept. This is the imaginative thinking skill, seeing things in new ways and/or making unusual connections.

2. Inventive vision: The ability to visualize practical processes to produce the thing imagined, or bring the imagined concept to life. This is where the combination of expertise and intrinsic motivation comes into play. Well-developed knowledge furnishes the ideas, images, and phrases we use as mental building blocks. These are driven by the interest, satisfaction, and challenge to bring them into being.?

And the most important of these 3 characteristics, that actually motivates the first two:?

3. Fearless confidence. The fearlessness to come up with unconventional approaches, abstract ideas, or extraordinary notions, and the confidence to bring them into the public arena–which will demand trial and error exhibitions in order to prove. Companies must be willing to seek new experiences, tolerate ambiguity and risk, and persevere in overcoming obstacles. This is the venturesome personality.

A study by Dr. George Land reveals that as children we are naturally creative and as we grow up we learn to be uncreative. However, creativity is a skill that can be taught, developed, and managed throughout the process. Leaders must encourage ingenuity to transform novel ideas into useful innovation by promoting a supportive, interactive creative environment horizontally across the entire organization. Creativity must be embraced inter-departmentally, accepted, and nurtured.?

A study from McKinsey & Company showed that the most creative companies performed better financially and scored higher on McKinsey’s Innovation Score.

• 67% had above-average organic revenue growth.
• 70% had above-average total return to shareholders (TRS).
• 74% had above-average net enterprise value or NEV/forward EBITDA (Earnings Before Income Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization)

?When We Dare To Dream

Some of the greatest innovators and creatives went so far in imagination that they were laughed at, scorned, and ridiculed before they were ever respected: Leonardo Di Vinci, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, and even Albert Einstein, to name a few.

As a matter of fact, it is reported that Einstein didn’t speak in full sentences until he was 5 years old. Thomas Edison was homeschooled by his mother after being called an “addled” child by his elementary school teacher--a term in those days used in reference to someone who is mentally ill, but today would be recognized as having a learning disability or dyslexia.

In retrospect, some of the greatest ideas and most creative innovations were tried and forged in the furnace of conceited dogma, doubt, and arrogant ignorance. The modern world would’ve never come to see the light, literally and figuratively, had it not been for the audacious imagination of creative minds. Not to mention, the guidance and encouragement of those that believed in them.

The New Frontier