The Importance of Creativity and Innovation in Business

The assignment highlights the significance of creativity and innovation in modern business, emphasizing the need for individuals and organizations to develop these skills to stay competitive. It outlines the three stages of idea generation, commercialization, and diffusion and implementation, providing examples and references from relevant studies.

Running head: INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY MODULE
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
The aim of this paper is to identify five key learning points from the innovation and creativity
module. Out of the five learning points, two of them have been discussed in detail, listing their
importance, advantages and disadvantages and the relevance it has on an individual. The paper
also discusses the steps that are to be adopted by an individual in his first employment on leaving
the third level and draws its conclusion stating the relevance of these steps for the individual.

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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
A......................................................................................................................................................3
1. Pixar’s view on the importance of teams..............................................................................5
2. Da Vinci’s technique of innovation......................................................................................6
B.......................................................................................................................................................7
1. Generation of new ideas and their mobilization...................................................................7
2. Experimentation....................................................................................................................7
3. Evaluation.............................................................................................................................8
4. Commercialization of ideas..................................................................................................8
5. Diffusion and implementation of idea..................................................................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References......................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
Creativity and innovation are two important processes that are necessary for any
individual or business to form new ideas or solutions of relevance. This paper aims to identify
five such important learning points from the module, and explain two of them in detail as well as
their relevance to an individual. Apart from this, the paper also aims to discuss the various steps
that need to be followed by an individual in his employment on the completion of the 3rd level of
education.
A.
The process or idea of creating something new or unusual is considered as creativity. The
process of implementation of something new is known as innovation. Creativity and innovation
are two important qualities which are necessary for any business organization and is of great
significance to an individual. Creativity helps in the formation of a new thought or idea and
innovation is the implementation of that thought in practical field.
The analysis of the innovation and creativity module reveals numerous learning points
out of which, five of them can be stated to be the most important. They are as follows:-
 Convergence and Divergence thinking- Divergence thinking refers to the process of
thought that is utilized for the generation of creative ideas after the exploration of a
number of solutions. Convergence thinking on the other hand, is the exact opposite of
divergence thinking. It is a problem solving technique that has the presence of accuracy,
logic, speed and other characteristics and a conclusion is reached regarding whether the
problem could be solved or not. In other words, convergence thinking is more logical and

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focused on the result however; divergence thinking is more focused on exploring the
numerous ideas and outcomes.
 Pixar’s view on teams and their importance- According to Pixar, teams are not only
important for completing a given task but act as an important source of new ideas and
creativity. This is achieved by following certain internal practices in the studio. In order
to utilize the creative potential of teams in an effective manner, employees are motivated
to not be afraid of failure and be open to feedbacks and criticism, free flow of
communication and collaboration with other employees is encouraged (Gilson 2015).
 Knowledge push as a source of innovation- The knowledge push form of innovation is
the process of gaining or forming new thoughts, ideas and opinions after the research and
analysis of information from various sources. It emphasizes on the importance and use of
scientific research, involving the use of a large network of individuals sharing their
creative ideas. Dyson, 3M and Corning are some examples of companies that make use of
knowledge push as a source of innovation.
 Morphological Matrix- The morphological matrix can be considered to be a tool which
is utilized for the generation of numerous options. The morphological matrix helps in
providing a well structured approach for the generation of unusual or unique options as
possibilities or solutions.
 Da Vinci’s technique- Leonardo Da Vinci’s technique of innovation makes use of a
number of important steps in order to help in the process of creativity and innovation. It
puts more stress on independent thinking. It implies the use of both creative and logical
thinking together, as well as observation skills to tap into new areas of innovation and

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creativity. It states the significance of bringing about a change in the thought pattern and
forming a creative or innovative idea.
Out of the given five key points of learning from the module, Pixar’s view on teams and
knowledge push innovation can be considered as the most relevant for an individual. The
explanations of both these points are stated below:-
1. Pixar’s view on the importance of teams – Pixar is a successful movie studio
and the company has experienced financial success from the movies it made. The
success of the movies is greatly credited to the creative and collaborative teamwork
in the creation process. Pixar teaches us that working in a team can have a great
impact in the formation of new ideas if the entire team functions as one and follows
certain guidelines. Pixar’s view focuses more on research and development activities
which is greatly important in present times (Somech & Drach-Zahavy 2013). Pixar’s
view greatly encourages the exchange of information between team members and
employees. The preferred mode of communication is direct and face to face,
encouraging the employees to speak up and criticize the decisions or steps that are to
be adopted (Strazdas, Cerneviciute & Jancoras 2016). Ideas and thoughts are formed
not only within groups but are accumulated from sources outside the group as well.
Although Pixar is known to hire talented employees, yet individual contributions are
not given more importance as working in a collaborative form with a great deal of
communication taking place within the team (Gilson 2015). In the present times,
Pixar’s view is greatly significant for individuals since it stresses on teamwork, the
practice of which is prevalent in almost all business organizations (Rodríguez-
Sánchez et al. 2017). Apart from this, individuals are also motivated by teaching

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them to accept criticism as a way to evaluate what went wrong and what
improvements could be made (Alcántara). It also helps individuals understand that
the process of creativity requires time and patience. A good idea is not formed
suddenly or in a rush and it takes time to build on it. Lastly, it talks about the
importance of possessing an eye for detail as it would help in forming a product of
great appeal for the consumers, as was the case with successful films like Wall-E,
Toy Story 2, Up and so on (Fiascone & Christensen 2014).
2. Da Vinci’s technique of innovation- Leonardo Da Vinci’s technique of
innovation can be considered to be another important source of innovation for an
individual. According to Da Vinci, independent thinking is an important quality that
must be possessed by an individual. The presence of independent thinking adds to a
great deal of diversity in the thought process and helps bring about a change in the
way an individual thinks. This technique states that an individual must break away
from existing assumptions regarding a problem and instead, making use of
techniques like reverse brainstorming, the six thinking hats, SCAMPER, the
utilization of different media forms and other techniques to explore the different
aspects of a problem and form a solution (Shlain 2014). Da Vinci’s technique allows
an individual to break free from the established parameters of creativity and
innovation, tapping into uncanny areas for acquiring new thoughts and ideas.
According to Da Vinci, the use of proper observation skills and connecting of two
irrelevant subjects into one are some great sources of innovation, that help formulate
fresh new ideas. Da Vinci also stated that existing solutions to problems should be
analyzed and deduced which would help in the formation of a solution better than the

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one before. Most importantly, Da Vinci’s technique talks about the importance of
connecting creative thinking with logical thinking since it has often been observed
that a creative idea may sound good but is actually unfit for application in reality
(Csikszentmihalyi 2014). Therefore, the use of Da Vinci’s techniques of creativity in
innovation would help an individual to form unique thought patterns and ideas,
possess a sharp sense of curiosity and maintain a much-needed balance between the
mind and the body, having a great relevance in today’s competitive market.
B.
The education system in Ireland comprises of three levels, namely primary, secondary
and higher levels of education. The higher level of education is also known as the third level.
The steps that should be taken by an individual in his first employment after leaving the
third level, in order to apply his creativity and innovation are as follows:-
1. Generation of new ideas and their mobilization- This refers to the formation of an
idea may which may be a result of an existing idea or solution. An example of this can
be seen in Apple’s creation of the iPod, the idea of which originated from the already
existent mp3 player in the market. However, Apple’s innovation was the iPod created by
it had a capacity of storing more songs than an average mp3 player. Similarly, existent
ideas can be tapped into and changed, to aid in the formation of new ideas (Serrat 2017).
2. Experimentation- It is the process involved in the testing of an idea and understanding
if it is applicable in the practical field. Prototypes are used to examine and evaluate the
outcomes of the idea or thought and necessary changes take place accordingly (Anderson,
Potočnik & Zhou 2014).

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3. Evaluation- It can be stated as the most important step since evaluation helps in
understanding the advantages and limitations of an idea and what changes can be made to
remove the drawbacks. It analyzes the impacts of implementing an idea in real life.
Discussions are arguments are important for evaluation as they help in adding new ideas
to the pool of thoughts. It is due to this reason that working in teams is given more
emphasis. Apart from these, the organization should also provide feedback and set up
proper screening and evaluation protocols to arrive at a desirable conclusion regarding
the application of a new creative idea.
4. Commercialization of ideas- This refers to the process of setting up a market value
for an idea keeping in the impact it may have on the market/consumers. It is mostly
concerned with the demonstration and persuasion of the idea and its benefits to the
consumers rather than focusing on the development of the idea.
5. Diffusion and implementation of idea- This process is concerned with the
acceptance of an idea in the organization and the numerous steps involved in
implementing the idea on a practical field. The presence of suitable resources along with
a proper marketing plan is recommended for attaining success in the implementation of
the idea. The diffusion and implementation process also sets up the possibility of
potential future ideas that focus on other subjects regarding market and consumer needs
(Wang & Miao 2015).
Conclusion
Therefore the conclusion can be drawn that the presence of skills in creativity and
innovation are important for individuals and business organizations in a similar scale. In the

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current competitive market, the formation and implementation of new ideas and innovations is in
much demand, and would help boost a company’s financial growth significantly. The rate of
competition is high and the consumers are in constant need of innovative products. Hence,
individuals today, are expected to follow the necessary steps in order to tap in to new sources of
creative ideas and contribute to adding more innovative and creative products into the mix,
satisfying consumer needs.

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References
Alcántara, J.E., FAIL BETTER: OR, WHAT CAN TEACHERS OF PREACHING LEARN
FROM IMPROVISATIONAL PERFORMERS AND FROM PIXAR?
Anderson, N., Potočnik, K. and Zhou, J., 2014. Innovation and creativity in organizations: A
state-of-the-science review, prospective commentary, and guiding framework. Journal of
Management, 40(5), pp.1297-1333.
Csikszentmihalyi, M., 2014. Creativity and genius: A systems perspective. In The Systems Model
of Creativity (pp. 99-125). Springer Netherlands.
Fiascone, R. and Christensen, M., 2014. Disney & Pixar: Building a Magic Kingdom of
Animation.
Gilson, L.L., 2015. Creativity in Teams. The Oxford Handbook of Creative Industries, p.50.
Gilson, L.L., 2015. Creativity in Teams. The Oxford Handbook of Creative Industries, p.50.
Rodríguez-Sánchez, A.M., Devloo, T., Rico, R., Salanova, M. and Anseel, F., 2017. What makes
creative teams tick? Cohesion, engagement, and performance across creativity tasks: A three-
wave study. Group & Organization Management, 42(4), pp.521-547.
Serrat, O., 2017. Harnessing creativity and innovation in the workplace. In Knowledge
Solutions (pp. 903-910). Springer, Singapore.
Shlain, L., 2014. Leonardo's Brain: Understanding Da Vinci's Creative Genius. Rowman &
Littlefield.

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Somech, A. and Drach-Zahavy, A., 2013. Translating team creativity to innovation
implementation: The role of team composition and climate for innovation. Journal of
management, 39(3), pp.684-708.
Strazdas, R., Cerneviciute, J. and Jancoras, Z., 2016, June. Factors influencing productivity of
teamwork in creative industries. In ISPIM Innovation Symposium (p. 1). The International
Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM).
Wang, G. and Miao, C.F., 2015. Effects of sales force market orientation on creativity,
innovation implementation, and sales performance. Journal of Business Research, 68(11),
pp.2374-2382.