What are creativity, innovation, and design, and how are these concepts important to meeting the objectives of an organization? To understand these concepts they must first be defined. Webster’s dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com) defines creativity as the “Ability to produce something new through imaginative skill, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new artistic objects or form. The term generally refers to a richness of ideas and originality of thinking. Psychological studies of highly creative people have shown that many have a strong interest in apparent disorder, contradiction, and imbalance, which seem to be perceived as challenges. Such individuals may possess an exceptionally deep, broad, and flexible awareness of themselves. Studies also show that intelligence has little correlation with creativity; thus, a highly intelligent person may not be very creative.”
I would define creativity as the innate ability to look at a problem or situation and think of a new solution or approach that may not have been thought of before. Creativity comes in many forms depending on one’s aptitude or proclivity to certain topics. Some people are artists, and can create objects of great beauty in an number of mediums; some people have an aptitude for mechanical devices, and can create their own machines or tools to perform different tasks; some people have a superior sensibility for business and financial matters, and have a great deal of success in various fields of business or make great fortunes on the stock market.
Webster defines innovation as “the introduction of something new” or “a new idea, method, or device. In technology, an improvement to something already existing. Distinguishing an element of novelty in an invention remains a concern of patent law. The Renaissance was a period of unusual innovation: Leonardo da Vinci produced ingenious designs for submarines, airplanes, and helicopters and drawings