Thought Piece
"At its core, innovation in the workplace is about examining the ways things are currently done with a view to finding new and better ways of doing them. Innovation may be as simple as doing something new to your workplace, even if it is already being implemented elsewhere. Creativity may be considered as "...an in-depth thought of a subject and an ability to come up with new and different viewpoints." T. Proctor, Creative Problem Solving for Managers, Routledge, 2005.
The words 'innovation' and 'creativity' are sometimes used interchangeably, perhaps because 'creativity' may appear too flighty in the business world. However, it can be said that creativity is the more fundamental process, or that of creating, whereas innovation is more about building on, or implementation. An innovator may apply a creative idea within an organisation. The contention is that creativity is of less use if it cannot be applied to existing systems, or if the organisation is not able to manage the flow of new ideas and either outcome would appear to be a loss of opportunity and a failure of leadership."
