“An arbitrary harmony, an expected astonishment, a habitual revelation, a familiar surprise, a generous selfishness, an unexpected certainty, a formable stubbornness, a vital triviality, a disciplined freedom, an intoxicating steadiness, a repeated initiation, a difficult delight, a predictable gamble, an ephemeral solidity, a unifying difference, a demanding satisfier, a miraculous expectation, and accustomed amazement.”
George M. Prince, The Practice of Creativity, 1970
Creativity is a term used to describe the ability of an individual or group to think outside the box, come up with innovative solutions to difficult challenges, and take risks that are deemed necessary. It involves the generation of new ideas and insights as well as the application of existing knowledge in building something new. Creative thought often results from creative thinking processes such as brainstorming, generating associations between disparate concepts, or combining existing ideas in novel ways.
Creative individuals display several personal characteristics, including inquisitiveness, risk-taking attitude, open-mindedness, resilience and higher-than-average problem-solving skills. Creative teams benefit from having diverse perspectives, a broad knowledge base and a combination of different personalities.
Innovation consulting leverages creativity to identify opportunities and create unique solutions for businesses. Innovation consultants are expected to possess a deep understanding of business models and industries, be well-versed in data analytics and research methods, and be familiar with emerging technologies. They need both technical expertise and a creative mindset to develop effective strategies for their clients’ success.
When it comes to innovation consulting, creativity is essential for framing problems differently as well as coming up with solutions that have not been explored before. For example, by using data analysis tools combined with research on customer needs, one can uncover insights that result in more efficient use of resources or even completely transform industry segments. Similarly, by introducing technology-based solutions, one can enable the delivery of services faster or at a much lower cost while increasing customer satisfaction at the same time.
Creativity has become increasingly important in today’s rapidly changing world, where technological advancements have opened many opportunities for innovations across industries globally. With competition becoming ever more fierce, businesses must embrace creative thinking approaches within their organizations and when working with external partners such as innovation consultants. By doing so, they can remain at the cutting edge of development, thus gaining a competitive advantage over their rivals and driving sustained growth over longer periods of time.