Creativity- Innovation and Invention

Creativity - is to develop new ideas. Thinking new things

Innovation - is doing new things. To apply new ideas.

Invention - is the creation of something radically different from existing situation

Innovation is incremental and evolutionary. Its main purpose is to make the existing situation (either process or product or any other factor of production) more efficient.

Creativity has been considered as something in born.  This is a misnomer.  Creativity is the ability to develop new ideas and to discover new ways of looking at problems and opportunities.  Creativity can be developed.  Before that process of improvement is adopted, barriers to creativity need to be removed at first.

The barriers to creativity are:

a) Focusing on being logical

Random thoughts are always welcome.  In the early phase of developing imaginative ideas logical thinking restrict creativity.  Logic is valuable to evaluate the creative ideas for implementation.

b) Blindly following the rules and procedures.

This attitude indulges to routine and restricts creativity i.e. thinking something different.

c)  Constantly being practical.

Practicality is conforming to cause and effect syndrome.  Suspend practicality in the initial stage of idea generation.

d) Viewing play as frivolity.

Playful attitude is the springboard for creativity.  The “child” in every man is the genesis of creativity e.g. Polaroid camera was invented when three years of daughter expressed her dissatisfaction that even after her photograph being snapped she has to wait till the development of the film. This prompted the father to invent Polaroid camera

e) Becoming overtly specialized

Specialization is the process of knowing more and more about less and less.  The emphasis on specialization brings about an ostrich like paradigm and thereby restricts imaginative thinking.

f) Avoiding ambiguity

Ambiguity is the arena where our concept is hazy. There lies the domain where new and specific ideas can be explored.

g) Fearing looking foolish.

The idea at the initial stage may look ridiculous or absurd.  The complex to be ridiculed and the hesitation to come out with new ideas is a constraint for creativity. The attitude to play safe all the time does not encourage new ideas.

h) Fearing mistakes and failure

Mistakes have temporary repercussions.  Once the mistakes are rectified and not repeated the beneficiaries gets the advantage of developing further new ideas.  Failure is the stepping stone for new achievements. It should be treated as a stimulus to be successful next time.

i) Believing  I am not creative

All human being are endowed with an imaginative bend of mind and rationality.  Creativity can be developed.  As a matter of fact to rouse the latent creativity to implement-able ideas have become a remunerative profession in the advanced countries. The procedure adopted in such exercises have given rise to develop new ideas which are feasible for implementation.

Steps for Enhancement of Creativity:

1. Preparation – To prepare the mind for creativity / idea generation
2. Investigation – To understand the problem or issue in hand
3. Transformation – To identify similarities and differences with existing situation
4. Incubation – To encourage sub-conscious mind to develop ideas
5. Illumination - To brighten up with the idea spontaneously
6. Verification – To validate the idea in real situation
7. Implementation – To transform the idea into reality