Creativity and innovation are two buzzwords every organization is trying to embrace. Today’s competitive times made it clear that only innovative and creative organizations can grab sustainable advantage in the growing market. While creativity helps nurture the creation of new ideas, innovation practically responds to them and turns them into viable solutions. Innovation is ideally about changing behavior, which also means creating change in the organization. However, just an aim to bring forth change won’t suffice unless businesses make sure it is the “right” change that can – improve performance and create value-added services with a customer-first approach.

Four ways to ensure organizational creativity leads to meaningful innovation

If an organization’s product, process, or service brings about change in the current marketplace, it can claim to be successful in implementing creativity and innovation. Let’s quickly run through four important ways organizations can bring innovation to life.

  1. Create a plan Having an idea in mind is different from charting an execution plan. We all have had creative thoughts that fizzled out minutes after their birth, not because of the lack of intent but the absence of an action plan, a step-by-step procedure of execution. Like every other project you do, turning creativity into innovation also needs a detailed approach.
  2. Don’t lose momentum Innovation is like riding a four-wheeler on an elevated road. As businesses start transforming an idea into an innovation, hurdles come across trying to bring them down. This is when they must keep the ball rolling. If a team or just one resource steps away from the process, other groups must be ready to give the idea a new direction. Often, great ideas are dropped in between because there’s no one to bring them back up.
  3. Embrace discomfort Innovation is backed by constant change, and with change comes challenge and discomfort. To reach the other side of the tunnel, learn to accept discomfort and encourage the opportunity. If organizations can quickly learn to endure, they’ll be amazed at how quickly they can adapt to change.
  4. Practice Persistence Not every idea you get is destined to its end goal- innovation. Some may stumble initially, while others may make it almost to the end but fail. The key to an innovative organization is persistence, and one must be patient to commit to the same dedication toward the next idea that lands on their desk.