CREATIVITY & INNOVATION MANAGEMENT
Unit 5
1. Creative Organisation
Organisations have to adapt to changing environmental demands to survive.
Adaptation that is creative rather than merely reactive will lead to the organisation
being better placed in the future situation.
How do you recognise a creative organisation?
First by results, in that people are continuously developing new and marketable
products and services in a way that makes business sense. Second by
observation, there is an air of excitement and enthusiasm, people are exploring
and developing ideas and alternatives. Management have the problem of too many
good ideas and projects to consider in the time available!
Third, individuals are taking powerful personal initiatives and thinking for
themselves. They are making independent links to other departments, to outside
organisations and talking and listening actively to each other. They are constantly
testing and challenging the assumptions about what is possible and not
possible with constructive alternatives also suggested. Fourth, everyone is
enjoying being successful.
What are the dimensions of creativity?
Play
To produce new insight and action demands the ability to suspend judgement and
allow new ideas and experiences to connect and form. This is play, internal and
mental play, or play with others where the rules are that anything is possible. Play
is the natural way we learn about the world and each other.
Flexible Persistence
If creative ideas are to be successful, someone has to carry them out in practice.
The skill needed is flexible persistence. Persistence is needed because any new
idea is bound to challenge existing thinking, organisation and people. Unless you
pursue the idea persistently, it will fail prematurely. However, the persistence must
be flexible so you can harness organisational energy to help it along. The skills
needed are influencing and listening to others and understanding their point of view
before making proposals.
Purpose
Creativity and innovation demand the highest level skills of people. The exercise of
these skills is rewarding in its own right. People will put their whole selves behind a
project most easily if they see it as having an ultimate purpose that is beyond
themselves.
Power
People often see power as self seeking or destructive. Power is actually about
taking charge of our own destiny and being creative. We were all powerful once, as
babies and young children, and can be so again. No organisation can be creative
unless it has lots of powerful people who can be models for others.
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Attention
People are hungry for attention and will act in ways that get them good attention.
People will do strongly that which attracts positive interest. If people get rewarded
for innovative 'tries' they are more likely to have a go and produce a successful
innovation. Many people find it extremely difficult to give good attention even if they
think it's the right thing to do and they want to do it. However, giving good attention
is a developable skill that gives powerful benefits.
Inspiration
Sometimes creative action and insight happen 'providentially', somehow we are
inspired and good things follow. Certainly a drab office environment, a highly
prescribed job, and an atmosphere where people punish mistakes are unlikely to
be very inspiring.
Awareness
The first need of an innovative idea is an open mind to grow in. They also need to
know what is going on in the world. This is the technical world of competitors,
products and technology and the 'soft' world of social change, emerging markets
and even new ways of thinking about the universe. New thoughts are the most
powerful change agents. Really aware individuals and organisations actively seek
out new knowledge and experience, in all sorts of unlikely places, where good
clues exist that will help them achieve their purposes.
