Creativity in Business
Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity is characterised by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to generate solutions. Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing.
With the increase in the effects of globalisation and technology, these effects have resulted in more business opportunities but the marketplace has become more crowded and competition has increased. This is where creativity comes in enabling the business owner(s) to act on these opportunities in ways which can result in competitive advantage for the organisation.
Creativity in business or entrepreneurship focuses on linking the construction of ideas or products which are new and potentially useful alongside the extraction of innovation and profitability in monetary and social terms.
Creativity and innovation are tied; novelty is central to creativity as it does to innovation. Creativity is about generating novel ideas and innovation concerns harnessing those ideas. This ‘idea’ does not have to be new to make it creative or innovative. It is possible that we just want to transform an old or existing idea into an up-to-date concept.
When looking at the field of education, many colleges and universities preparing teachers and school administrators pay little attention to the field of creativity. Not only do teachers squelch youngsters’ creativity, tragically, teachers often do not recognise either their students’ or their own creative strengths (Torrance, 1975). In fact, research has uncovered that teachers often inhibit rather than enhance and nurture students’ creativity. The same holds true for many supervisors in industry (Adubato, 2006; Bielaszka-DuVernay, 2007)
However, as we move along the Information Age, and competition became a worldwide phenomenon, new forms of leadership are beginning to emerge and take hold. Spurred on by a challenging economic environment, and international competition, companies are seeking new paths to growth. Workers are seeking more autonomy and engagement in their daily work. Collaborative creative leadership is the future of business. It addresses concerns both at the corporate and individual level and offers solutions that can result in increased business opportunities, personal and professional satisfaction for employees and innovation leading to growth for the corporate bottom-line.
Accepting creativity and innovation into the workplace can be advantageous for everyone. By implementing creativity, you open the door for employees from all different departments to come together as a team, increasing engagement and interaction in the workplace. When employees are able to work as a cohesive team, the staff morale goes up, making the environment more fun, happy, and laid back. Who wouldn’t want to work for a company with a work environment like that? This will attract more employees and retain quality workers. Creativity will always make your employees want to learn more by seeking multiple options, ideas, and solutions for the business. Your business can’t lose with creativity on its side.