We can think of creativity as new ideas, questions and perspectives and innovation as new ideas that work. This implies that innovation is tested creativity. It takes creativity to move all the way through an Innovation process.
Assessing for a culture of innovation
There is a specific set of questions that can guide us in determining the kind of culture of innovation that an organization has or doesn't have. These include:
Are we talking about how we innovate on a regular basis?
How free people feel to propose ideas, work on ideas and question the status quo?
How much time do leaders invite in meetings to generating ideas on new experiments in the business?
Other venues where people are invited to regularly bring in examples from outside their industry of current innovations?
Are we asking our clients and customers the big questions about their dreams, wishes and ways they want to grow their business?
These are just a few examples of questions that can help spark growing culture of innovation. A culture of innovation does not occur because of speeches and expectations by senior leaders. It does not occur through spending time consternating over strategic weaknesses and threats.
What to do with new ideas
In every organization, new ideas emerge in a variety of forms: as problems, opportunities, solutions, breakthroughs, questions and disruptive possibilities. In an idea friendly culture, there can certainly be more new ideas than capacity to explore, learn from or fulfill them.
In the triage of ideas, there are some basic options.
Implementation
Some are action ready. We just need to implement them as they are. We have the optimism, resources and talent to put them into practice.
Experimenting
Some need to be tested in iterations from minimal viable products to fully formed and implementation ready forms.
Development
Some need to be developed through the 5 Growing Ideas strategies into more functional, problem-free, constraint-responsive approaches
Research
Some have promise and any number of open questions including technical, operational, financial, marketing and strategic questions.
Dependency cue
Some can only happen after other conditions, resources or talents are available. We keep an eye on these as possibilities open up for them to move forward.