Creativity and Innovation - Essay Example

?‘Often, in common parlance, the words creativity and innovation are used interchangeably. They shouldn't be, because while creativity implies comingup with ideas, it's the "bringing ideas to life" . . . that makes innovation the distinct undertaking it is’ Davila et al (2006) To start with, creativity as defined as “the ability to create” while another definition by Robert E Franken of creativity is “the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves and others”. It goes to show that creativity is something which is inherent to an individual as he can find a number of different ways through which his creative intent can be manifested. His creativity cannot be dissolved into different areas yet each one of the creative elements seems to play their positive role in his upbringing and personal as well as professional development (Sawyer, 2006). On the same token, creativity is the need for being fresh, novel and absolutely unique so that the complex stimulation comes about of age in the most apt manner. Innovation brings out the best within a phenomenon. It highlights the significant aspects that could be exploited in essence to make use of the opportunity areas and thus a new tangent is found altogether. Innovation is extremely useful, at often times it has been known as the best thing that could possibly be found. It is important to define innovation as well. It is a new way of doing a thing or a manner under which new stuff that has been made successful (Ortt, 2008). This innovation aspect might just refer to the incremental and revolutionary changes and amendments that come about within the thinking, products, processes and different realms of an organization. What can be understood from the above statement by Davila et al (2006) is the fact that creativity and innovation are different yet have some features which make the two of these look similar. Creativity is a much desired proposition, more so on the part of the people who believe in its magic. Creativity is all about communicating ideas, values, beliefs and opinions, though in differential settings, ways and means. Creativity is indeed the magic that binds people in wholly different mannerisms and it asks of them to appreciate the creative talent that a person has demonstrated for that matter. Therefore it is a very important element of bringing sanity within the ranks of different work avenues (Fredberg, 2009). Within the fields of culture and business, creativity has its most say. This is because these two areas depict the need for having creativity and thus manifest the exact basis of success in the most apt manner possible. It also goes to show that creativity will rule the roost of the cultural and business quarters if the desire is there to succeed. Within the cultural contexts, creativity comes of age when the people are relying a great deal on the people to people interactions. It means that their associations, linkages and relationships are being justified in such a manner that success will eventually shape up in the most appropriate way. It would not be wrong to state here that creativity under the aegis of culture would manifest success, harmony and development for all the right reasons. It would also dictate the basis of finding out the exact details which will embody cultural bonding amongst the people, making them realize as to how they can effectively counter the movements which are happening against the cultural norms (Amabile, 1996). It can also reinforce the message that the cultural awakenings are delivering on the same count nonetheless. As innovation is a deeply inherent trait and characteristic, it has got a huge role to play within the technological realms and thus make its point get across in the time and age of today. Deeply ingrained cultural meanings and depictions have stood the test of time and thus a number of definitions and explanations of both creativity and innovation have been coined over time. This has meant that people have been able to deliver their personal thoughts in quantifiable capacities, suggest pathways to look at alternatives and thus seek newer grounds to make their voices heard in wholly differential ways and means. Culturally speaking, people have been able to experience the different nuances of their societal representations in varied forms, expressions and settings as far as both creativity and innovation are concerned. Since both creativity and innovation are used interchangeably at the best of times, it is important to comprehend the fact that creativity is the amalgamation of ideas while innovation is something that puts these ideas into execution phases and brings the product or the service into life. From a business standpoint, creativity means quite a lot of things since the world of business banks on areas from where target audiences get in touch with the corporate world through its different goods and services. The world of advertising is very much focused on the strengths and positives that are drawn out from creativity. This is an important understanding that has come to the fore over a period of time, and it would not be wrong to state that creativity has a definitive role to play within the creative deliverables and execution platforms of advertising (Johne, 1999). Creativity is the backbone of clutter free advertising as it delivers the right message at the right time to the right set of audiences in the right capacity. This is the reason why creativity has been able to sell more and more in the present times and hence has made a name for itself in the changing global dynamics of business. Business avenues and regimes have long understood the need for having creativity and innovation within their ranks so that it could produce cutting edge messages and products, and thus allow the audience to understand the different nuances as to how the brands are trying their best to reach them. Creativity and innovation also spell out impressions that leave an indelible mark on the minds and hearts of the people. They like to associate themselves with the brands and services which are downright creative and innovative, and have the knack to sell through the emotional angle (Rosell, 2009). The business fraternity is constantly on the run for hiring individuals who excel within the creative and innovative fields and are able to showcase their true talents within the creativity and innovative regimes. Such people are given the appreciation that they richly deserve because then is the time that their true representation is shown. Davila et al (2006)’s statement is all the more logical because from a historical perspective, emphasis on creativity and innovation being at the helm of cultural manifestations stands as a very dubious subject. This is because creativity and innovation used to be incorporated whenever there was a work of genius displayed, both in terms of ideas as well as in execution. However, with the passage of time, things have changed and people have started to realize the true worth of creativity and innovation within their ranks as well as in interactions with the ones around them. This has made them feel empowered in the literal sense of the word. Interaction amongst the people in olden days used to be different than it is at the present. Hence the element of creativity and innovation was pretty different to what it has been coined in this day and age. This marks the very basis of success that has been achieved over time as well as mentions the negativities which have come about within the relevant domains. Therefore it would not be wrong here to suggest that creativity and innovation are much desired propositions, which bring a great amount of value and weight for all concerned. Speaking of the creativity and innovative angles within the business circles in yesteryears, these used to be in high demand. Same is the case in the time and age of today where creative geniuses are being given heavy perks just to showcase what they really are and how they can change beliefs. The advertising agencies and media workshops are therefore very receptive to the idea of getting those employees on board who have a knack of knowing more and exploring their very basis so that success could be shared at both ends (Dartnall 2002). This is a kind of symbiotic relationship that starts to develop and which must be inculcated at all times possible. What is even more interesting is the fact that organizations in the time and age of today have instituted separate units and divisions to take care of the creativity and innovative regimes so that they do not miss out on the same count at all. The sources of creativity and innovation remain within the midst of theory and research basis. What this signifies is an understanding that suggests that creativity and innovation can be based on the talent bit but must always be seen from the angle of evidence, which is essentially theory and research. Some real life examples of creativity include the Wal-Mart ideas that have been shaped up with the passage of time. Other innovation-related examples come in the form of technological giants Toshiba bringing in state of the art laptop products each year. These are some of the most important elements that directly come under the creativity and innovation realms. Therefore both culture and business manifestations have been seriously facilitated by the creativity and innovative drives over the last 2-3 decades. With the growing developments within the field of Information Technology and the dependence on state of the art machinery and tools, the role of creativity and innovation have come out in magnanimous manners nonetheless. This is an important undertaking that has been seriously addressed by the people who are at the helm of affairs within the creative and innovative realms and who have for long believed in the dictum that change can only come about when it accepted with both arms wide open. Having said that there is a dire need to address the concerns of the creative and innovative professionals since they believe that they are being hard done by, by different people who have more influence over their work than their own selves (Bohm, 2004). These issues need to be resolved at the earliest so that the creativity and innovative regimes can heave a sigh of relief and there could be more developments within the related fields in the coming days. It would be correct to state here that culture as well as business regimes have been benefited a great deal by the professionals over the years and the credit for the same must go on their shoulders nonetheless. In essence, creativity and innovation are the most important elements of understanding what the human mind can trek into and how it can shape up actions based on sound beliefs and varied approaches. In the end, it would be adequately sound to state that creativity and innovation are at the heart of a number of important things within the business and cultural settings, as has been remarked by Davila et al (2006). It brings to light issues which have remained untouched over a long period of time. It has touched boundaries which were unexplored in the recent past as well as in the olden times. The true value of creativity and innovation comes of age when one deciphers the exact meaning behind communicating with the intended target audiences in the way that it ‘connects’ for a double benefit; not only for the people but also for the ones who are bringing about this creativity to the fore in the first place (Carter, 2004). This is similar in the manner that the products and services are now being fast-tracked to bring up significant features and changes, which were unheard of in the past. Innovation is such an ‘in’ thing that it makes look everything else as a fad. The innovative discussions will surely continue in the times to come and the creativity regimes will also back these up no matter how trying or tough the circumstances turn out to be at the end. The essence of creativity and innovation are therefore to cultivate harmony and goodness across the board, without any shortcoming that could have been exposed in the past. All said and done, creativity and innovation are the lone saviors of hope and development as these touch quite a few salient aspects, and bring down a number of others so that the connected feel does not go stray (Filippetti, 2011). This is indeed a very important aspect of understanding the nuances behind creativity and innovation, and how the same work to best effect to deal with the underlying issues of change and development in the long run scheme of things. Bibliography Amabile, T., 1996. Creativity in Context: Update to the Social Psychology of Creativity. Westview Press Bohm, D., 2004. On Creativity. Routledge Carter, R., 2004. Language and Creativity: The Art of Common Talk. Routledge Dartnall, T., 2002. Creativity, Cognition, and Knowledge: An Interaction. Praeger Filippetti, A., 2011. Innovation modes and design as a source of innovation: a firm-level analysis. European Journal of Innovation Management, 14(1) Fredberg, T., 2009. Exploring the field of open innovation. European Journal of Innovation Management, 12(3) Johne, A., 1999. Successful market innovation. European Journal of Innovation Management, 2(1) Ortt, J., 2008. The evolution of innovation management towards contextual innovation. European Journal of Innovation Management, 11(4) Rosell, C., 2009. The value of an individual innovation: When ownership of complementary inventions is fragmented. Advances in the Study of Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Economic Growth, 19 Sawyer, R., 2006. Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation. Oxford University Press Read More