Innovation and Creativity in the

Workplace

• Interchangeable in today's vernacular However,

• Creativity = capability or act of conceiving something

original or

• Unusual Innovation = the implementation of something

new

• Innovation is ultimately resultant of creativity!

Creativity vs. Innovation

• "Imaginative processes with outcomes that are original

and of value"...A process involving "many contributing

factors and an interaction of essential elements"...

• Value placed on creative employees has increased

• Creative ability manifests in different ways in different

employees

• Complex and mysterious

• Family, politics and world affairs can stifle creativity as

they misdirect focus Company policies, procedures &

culture “ when creativity is stifled, the organization cannot

function to its full potential”

• Study measured IQ, spatial, visual, social, and emotional

intelligence of infants and young children They reached

genius level up to age 4Results dropped after age 4;

parents and society send messages which cover up our

own natural tendencies for creativity

• 1. Create an atmosphere conducive to inspiration & success Fear of failure blocks creativity, but failure can lead to breakthrough2. Value contribution over time put in Measuring performance on results Employees might work better in an unconventional working environment (e.g. at night or alone)

• 3. Separating business from being busy Offering opportunities to "play" and engage in leisure activities Learning and stimulation closely linked with creativity4. The optimal physical environment Colours, decor, pictures & paintings, plants Music Floor plan Lighting5. Encouraging meaningful collaboration than "just getting it done“ Leave policies and typical company systems at the door Connection of team members and the free exchange of ideas is key

• Meditation area

• Inter-level Slide

• Nap pod

• Person

• Place

• Product (Outcomes)

• Process

• Tangible Environment Physical space = catalyst for

creativity Communal vs. private space

• Intangible Environment A non-creative environment is

spiritually dead and often oppressive

• Refers to outcomes of creativity Innovative ideas and

concepts

• People must be motivated in order to be creative, (Swede

1993)Higher levels of creativity come from intrinsic

motivation (from within)Extrinsic reward (including

encouragement) can work

• Extraordinary effort & dedication to doing the Persistence

in the face of difficulty Not only about inspiration, but

HARD WORK This can lead to creativity

• Need to be knowledgeable in a field to be able to make a

creative contribution to it. e.g. making creative theories in

quantum physics is quite different from that required for

creativity in music Foster skill by identifying key skills

needed and developing employees talents

• Without imagination, only reshuffling of information takes

place (nothing innovative or new)Fluency, flexibility and

originality To actively engage imagination: creative

writing, evoke curiosity & interest (e.g. with new

concepts), use creative thinking styles (e.g. problem

solving)

• Ability to face challenges, make mistakes and take risks

Perseverance in the face of obstacles OK with being the

minority Bosses should encourage risk taking,

confidence and office respect

• Triple Bottom Line

• Managers attitudes: consider as a long term investment,

not an immediate cost

• Social pressure - customers can force companies to

implement sustainable practices

• Triple Bottom Line – A Report- Detailed look at the

company's impact on communities worldwide, both

progress made and areas where the it remains

dissatisfied. - Key performance measurements -

Establishes sustainability goals that the company is

committed to meeting by a certain point in time

• BENEFIT - COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Firms will be at

a competitive disadvantage if they do not pay attention to

sustainability issues Lash and Wellington (2007)Widely

agreed that environmentally conscious and ecologically-

friendly business strategies can generate important

competitive advantages and superior financial

performance for companies Sustainability and efficiency

are not rival concepts (Tsai and Hung, 2009)Education at

different levels (market & consumer) stimulates the

adoption of sustainable practices and increases the

benefits obtained by such practices

• • Case example:- switch to 30 percent recycled paper, -change default printer margins on all college computers, -install printer management software on all college computers, - change default settings on all printers and copiers to duplex (double-sided copies)- install EcoFont on all computers and set it as the default font. The combined impact of these recommendations implemented in unison would reduce the college's paper and ink purchases and result in:- 39 percent cost savings over current methods, - 151 cases of paper (instead of the current 251 cases),- 26 laser ink cartridges and toner (instead of the current 30 cartridges).The environmental benefits of implementing these recommendations would be:87.3 trees saved,11.3 tons of wood saved,16,659 pounds of CO2 emissions prevented,57,753.6 gallons of water saved, 33,449.9 kilowatts of electricity saved, 6,985.7 pounds of solid waste prevented.

Thank you

Q&A

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