Does creativity belong in organizations?

Some say yes, some say no, some say it depends on your understanding of what creativity is. Many arguments using too many words.  I like things simple.

To me creativity connotes new ideas, new decisions and new actions leading to a result that is novel, useful and surprising.

If creativity were to belong in organizations, then where would be the most likely place for it?

Where ever transformation occurs – product and service transformation, business model transformation and transformations of the activities of people, leaders and teams.

If you are wondering what to do for World Creativity and Innovation Week April 15 – 21, remember: New ideas, new decisions, new actions resulting in a product that is novel, useful and surprising.  Ideas from past years’ celebrations can be found here.

Inspiration for this blog post came from this quote: Creativity, innovation and initiative can be described as psychological processes that facilitate transitions into desired future states… Rank, J., Pace, V. L., & Frese, M. (2004). Three avenues for future research on creativity, innovation, and initiative. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 53, 508-518.

Marci Segal, MS, Freeing Leaders’ thinking so they can create new futures.