Innovations, by definition, change and improve the status quo. Mostly, they do so in small ways, such as a twist on an already existing idea. But when they do so in big ways - such as a new idea altogether - innovations can catapult the inventing company years ahead of competitors.
Those kinds of innovations - from the wheel to the assembly line, from the pen to the PC - are born of creativity. And many companies are allowing this critical wellspring to run dry. In Creativity, Inc., Jeff Mauzy and Richard Harriman marshal forty years of research into how creative ideas happen and how they become innovations to reveal a set of fundamental principles for infusing creativity into every aspect of an organization.
The authors argue that sustained leadership comes from making creativity a broad, enterprise-wide capability that is "on" all the time - to fuel day-to-day innovative responses, to imagine multiple future possibilities, and to develop the foundation from which fundamental, purposeful innovations can be launched. Through vivid examples from a wide range of industries, they show how companies can rework organizational climate, structures, and procedures to build systemic creativity in individuals, in teams, and at the corporate level.
The book's creativity framework - designed to be customized to a company's unique needs - walks readers through four interacting dynamics that make up the creative process: motivation, curiosity and fear, the making and breaking of connections, and evaluation.
Individuals will learn how to:
' Reclaim their own creative wellspring
' Exercise creativity in all aspects of their work
' Strengthen their ideas to address corporate response
Leaders of teams and organizations will learn how to:
' Build a climate that supports constant creativity
' Fuel daily creative response and long-term vision
' Develop a ready foundation for transforming ideas into innovations
Marrying practical strategies with theoretical research, Creativity, Inc. shows how entire organizations can embody and implement creativity and innovation.