Often, we think of creative people in the artistic sense. When we in the Innovation Network look at creativity, we think more about how well people are able to make new and different thinking connections. The concepts are the essential elements of an innovation and they offer a road map or pattern of how innovation is operationalized in an organization. The bigger the challenge and passion behind it, the more energy the innovation effort will have. A second element is customer focus.
Innovative companies understand their customer better than their competition does.
A third element is creativity. Everything starts from an idea and the best way to get a great idea is to generate a lot of possibilities. The fourth element, open communication of ideas, information and feelings, is the lifeblood of innovation. Organizations whose systems restrict the flow of communication risk atrophy and death. While someone may have a creative thought, it usually takes a team to get the idea implemented.