Running Header: CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION CHAPTER 1

Team Competency Project:

Creativity and Innovation Chapter

Charles Pregler, Wendy Cook, and Jill Geremia

LDRS807_VA: Organizational Systems, Change and Leadership

Fort Hays State University

Abstract
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The team was created from a Leadership in Teams and Collaborative Environments class

at Fort Hays State University. Each member from very different areas spreading across three

time zones formed this team that has the unique ability to work virtually while never meeting in

person. This we feel gives us an advantage over 9-5 teams, as we are able to be very fluid in how

we approach the following chapter. We are tasked with trying to convey how creativity and

innovation impact business, life, and future endeavors, particularly in a team setting. Using

several databases, including ABI/INFORM, Academic Search Premier, Business Source

Premier, Google Scholar, PsycARTICLES, and PsychINFO, we used the following search words

and phrases to gain our source material: creative competitiveness, creativity obstacles, diversity

and innovation, fail forward, innovations in business, methods of fostering creativity, team

diversity and creativity, teams and innovation, teams in the workplace. We have compiled our

research into the following chapter.

Learning objectives

Students will

● Understand creativity and innovation terminology.

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● Learn about the history of innovation and how it has evolved throughout the years.

● Understand the role creativity plays in team effectiveness.

● Understand how top organizations are leading with innovation.

● Learn the obstacles to creativity and innovation within a team.

● Understand the role of diversity in teams to promote creative and innovative thinking.

● Learn the various methods team leaders use to capture creativity and support innovation.

● Learn what works in terms of fostering creativity and innovation in the workplace.

Fig. 1 Collins, M. (2014, December 22). The Creativity Paradox [Teamwork handshake]. Retrieved from
http://www.industryweek.com/corporate-culture/creativity-paradox.

Introduction

Creativity is one of the hallmarks that leads to original and innovative ideas and products

that set companies’ futures. When we define creativity in the business world, there is more than

just the need for originality. “To be creative, an idea must be appropriate--useful and actionable.

It must somehow influence the way business gets done--by improving a product, for instance, or
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by opening up a new way to approach a process” (Amabile, 1998, p. 78). Without creativity

there is no innovation. Innovation being the introduction of something new. This leads us to not

creating products we take for granted everyday: your cell phone, car, and computer are all things

that rely on companies pursuing creativity in their creations. In this chapter you will discover the

obstacles to creativity and innovation that teams can face and how leadership can help to

overcome them. Red tape, cost, people not backing projects are just a few of the challenges that

inhibit innovation and creativity. Upon completion of this chapter we hope to enlighten you and

enhance your knowledge of how teams, team leaders, and organizations can promote creativity

and innovation.

Creativity Competitiveness

Creativity competitiveness is what gives companies the unique edge in often crowded

markets that have many companies producing very similar products. Advantage, innovation, and

strategy can make all the difference to the success of a company. Markets are filled with copies

of similar products rather than original work. To create creativity or tap into a company's

creativity creation zone, we look no further than the individuals doing the work. This is exactly

what one case study provides to help us better understand creativity competitiveness among

businesses. “The case chosen is an example of an Italian manufacturing company which has

adopted a strategy of innovation through employee participation. Interviews were conducted with

a range of managers from production, HR and sales/marketing roles as well as line managers and

frontline workers in supervisory roles” (Sidiqui, Allinson, & Cox, 2013, p. 38). What was

discovered during the case study is that when you seek innovation through employee

participation what occurs is idea generation on a mass scale. Think of a think tank with X

amount of employees in it. They deliver the innovation and creativity that the company needs
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and wants to achieve market domination. In the case of the Italian company, Elica, it was

“producing 17 million pieces annually with a market share of 17% in the European market”

(Sidiqui et al, 2013, p. 48).

Fig. 3 [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.google.com/finance?cid=711013.

Looking at the above graph (see Fig. 3) captured from the Google Finance stock ticker on June

19, 2017, the competitive advantage of tapping into creativity clearly translates into market

gains.

While it would seem creativity would go hand in hand with competitive edge, it is not

always the case. Competition can be looked at as wins against your competitor. Sometimes a

win might seem to be in your favor, but during the competition more was lost than gained. This

is exactly what has been occurring with General Electric (GE) over the last ten years (see Fig. 4).

“GE lost 40 percent of its share value in the last ten years” (Denning, 2012, p.15 ).
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Fig. 4 Denning, S. (2012, April 25). David Brooks [Competitiveness Vs Creativity: GE vs Apple]. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2012/04/25/david-brooks-competitiveness-vs-creativity-ge-vs-
apple/#261ab4801461.

Why is GE, a company known for its innovation and creativity, suffering a downward

trend? The answer is in the competitive behavior. GE is driven by budget. This is a large way to

win in competition with other companies. Whoever can sell the most with the lowest cost

survives. This is not always the best way, as GE is demonstrating. Focusing on profit can mean

losing the creative edge. A more effective approach is how Apple handles competition. “For a

start, what it means, as Steve Jobs once explained, is that the people who are at ‘the white-hot

center of the company’s daily life’ are the salesmen, the accountants and the money men. They

are the ones who can ‘move the needle on revenues’, not the the engineers, the designers and the

creative people who add real value to customers” (Denning, 2012, p. 19). This focus on

creativity and innovation, even during times of competitions with Microsoft, has led Apple to

dominate the market and increase share price during the same ten year span that GE lost value.
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Fig. 5 Denning, S. (2012, April 25). David Brooks [Competitiveness Vs Creativity: GE vs Apple]. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2012/04/25/david-brooks-competitiveness-vs-creativity-ge-
vs-apple/#261ab4801461.

Obstacles of Creativity and Innovation:

What gets in the way of creative thinking in the workplace

Key Terms: homogenous team, groupthink, downward norm setting, production blocking

Creativity is often thought to begin with a great idea, yet, take a moment and think about

how inspirational ideas are unleashed. There must be an environment that is conducive to

eliciting ideas and inspiring the novelty of thought while energizing the passion to pursue the

development of it. In order to cultivate an idea into something that is unique and useful begins in

the structure of the system and interaction of the team; these can make a difference in the ability

to generate ideas and to elaborate on a concept once it is created. When an idea successfully

moves beyond the initial phases and is ready for further development, being in an organization

that is open to innovation will be necessary to support the concept to its final stage of

implementation. Understanding the obstacles in the workplace that can get in the way of creative

thinking can help to create a setting that encourages and fosters creativity and innovative ideas.
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Differing values of what creativity can do for the company occurs at all levels. Some will

be motivated by improving process and hitting goals. While others want to propel the company

forward no matter the cost. It's a balance of cost versus benefit. One of the biggest obstacles

innovation faces is people not seeing immediate gratification to the investments. At the time of

writing this, the culture of western society has become more about immediate gratification. This

approach will simply not work when it comes to creativity and innovation. Much of the creative

process involves failure with very few wins. This holds true countless times in history with

various inventors. It is well known that Thomas Edison failed 1000 times before creating the

light bulb that we still use today. The attitude of Fail Forward, which we discuss later in this

chapter, embraces failure as a means to innovation.

Red tape is another key phrase that pops up when dealing with innovation obstacles. It is

the layers of company policy that inhibit creativity and innovation. One way red tape directly

affects innovation is through cost. Overall cost can be a major factor in whether an idea can

continue to be developed. Some of the best ideas simply cost too much to implement and get

stopped by companies because of it. Backing of projects is simply the idea generation cycle

being taken to the implementation cycle. If people do not back or continue to progress the idea,

innovation and creativity will not move beyond the idea phase. These key terms are all very

pertinent to the creativity and innovation within a company. Red tape, cost, and people not

backing projects are all critical links in innovation failure.

When we think in terms of a group of individuals, creativity obstacles begin with the

layout and structure of the team. The design of the team should be considered when developing a

setting that will open people to reimagining concepts and generating original ideas. The

backgrounds, skills, and size of a group can all play roles in how the team works together and
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encourages or stifles creative thinking and innovative ideas. Oftentimes, groups are constructed

with the intent of having like-minded individuals working together to reduce the possibility of

conflict. Homogenous teams are comprised of members who all tend to agree and think alike.

This is a huge obstacle to creativity. When we picture creativity we must think uniquely about

ideas. It is not possible to have as many original ideas when much of the group is vastly biased or

blinded in the same manner. “A revealing 2009 study of fraternity and sorority members

published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin offers a remarkable window into the

workings of diverse and homogenous teams” (Rock, 2016, p.2). During the study it was

discovered that adding an outsider to the group increased the group's chance of answering

questions correctly from 29% to 60%. It’s this type of diversity that can increase performance

and yield greater innovation and creativity from within creative groups. Homogeneity is very

much an obstacle because like-minded individuals tend to group together. Think of a high school

lunchroom: the people who play sports usually sit together while band members do the same.

It’s human nature to sit with those you know and interact with, seeking the familiar. Thus,

groups must learn to break free from this behavior and travel outside of what is comfortable. If

we are to be successful in innovation and creativity we must get the greatest mix possible.

Homogeneity is what limits individuals and leads to conformity of thought, known as group

thinking. Groupthink is “the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that

discourages creativity or individual responsibility” (Dictionary.com, 2017). By creating a

diverse group with members of varied backgrounds and experiences, a group is less likely to

conform to the simplest, obvious solution and push each other to more challenging solutions.

Diversity is critical to group creativity and will be discussed further in the next section.
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It is also important to note that “It’s difficult to overcome differences in values, no

matter how well-intentioned colleagues may be” (Rock, 2016, p.22). Keeping that in mind in the

development of teams can prevent unnecessary conflicts of values that make a hostile

environment for creative collaboration. There is nothing more challenging within a group then

having toxic individuals who overshadow the rest of the team. It can be as simple as having an

individual during a group discussion block or inhibit other people from offering ideas, known as

production blocking (Thompson, 2003, p. 107). Production blocking greatly dilutes the

possibility of generating ideas, whether it is fear of rejection or just the lack of opportunity to

speak, it often leads people to self-censor their ideas. Another common concern that is a hurdle

for creativity is the size of a group. It might be considered that the more individuals working on a

project would lead to more creative ideas and more opportunities for interchange, brainstorming,

and innovative perspectives; however, having a large team makes communication more difficult

and often leads to downward norm setting and social loafing. Social loafing is the “tendency for

people in a group to slack off” (Thompson, 2003, p. 100). When there are many individuals in a

group, team members are more inclined to think that their contributions are not necessary and are

less likely to engage or contribute to the group, again leading to self-censorship. Alongside this

tendency is downward norm setting which is when a group will match the performance to the

least productive member (Thompson, 2003, p. 107). By having individuals pull back from their

involvement, others will follow suit leading to a norm of low-involvement and low-contribution.

Neither of which will foster a creative, inspirational environment. If you add a member to the

group who is toxic, it can begin to pull down the rest of the group.

If you want to build teams that come up with creative ideas, you must pay careful

attention to the design of such teams. That is, you must create mutually supportive groups
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with a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds. Why? Because when teams comprise

people with various intellectual foundations and approaches to work—that is, different

expertise and creative thinking styles—ideas often combine and combust in exciting and

useful ways. (Amabile, 1998, p.82)

When creating a team, it is important to consider the individual members involved in the group,

from the number of people involved to the background and values that they will be contributing.

Establishing a team conducive for creativity is just as essential as surrounding that team

with a welcoming environment. One issue for poorly designed teams is that managers are under

production deadlines. To create teams that can come up with useful innovations often comes at

the mercy of production. The top down approach to encouraging and supporting innovations

within the company means allocation of time and resources to facilitate creativity. Organizations

that are looking for creative performance and innovative ideas need to go beyond setting up

teams that generate ideas; there needs to be support for those teams throughout the process of

developing and implementing the idea. Creating an atmosphere that removes the common

obstacles for creative ideas and innovative thinking can make all the difference for those ideas to

come to fruition to the benefit of the organization. Is the organizational structure designed to

evaluate critically or to inform with helpful feedback? (Perry-Smith & Mannucci, 2017, p. 58).

Is it clear on the goals of the company and the expectations of the team’s efforts? What type of

motivation is offered? Are those who have the authority, willing to provide the resources and

time needed for development and implementation? How these questions are answered could

lead to the end of a creative idea.

By creating an environment that is critical of originality, one that questions the nuances

of an idea or the reimagining of old concepts, can make those involved in the process become
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easily discouraged and lose their drive to pursue the full development of their product. This can

happen too when an organization provides a team with all the possibilities of being creative and

innovative, yet what is expected or desired is not clear enough to guide the team to produce

something that is desirable to the organization. Ideas that are generated fall flat before there is

time to cultivate them to worthy innovative products. Perhaps the team has overcome these

challenges and is ready to embark on the development of their product, other obstacles that can

create burnout or distrust is the limit given on time or resources. It is true that some level of

scarcity can breed additional inspiration (Amabile, 1998, p. 82); yet, continually not having

ample means leads to frustration and a feeling of non-support for the effort that is put into the

project. Without a supportive system, there is little hope for any creative idea to go beyond the

early stages of development.

Obstacles of the group structure, dynamics within a group, and those of the system the

team is working within can all affect the ability to think creatively, pursue an idea, or to

successfully implement the innovation. What is needed is a successful way to address these

inhibitors and create a culture of creativity and innovation, within the team and the organization.

Team Diversity and Creativity: The role of team diversity in successful creativity

Key Terms: inherent diversity, acquired diversity, two-dimensional diversity

The value of diversity within a team can not be underestimated; “the debate and

unfamiliarity that come with diversity [are] important catalyst[s] for creativity and deep

thinking” (Rock, 2016). As noted by Beth Comstock in her 2012 article, “Want a Team to be

Creative? Make it Diverse,” “[G]roupthink [is] the creativity-killing phenomenon of too much

agreement and too similar perspectives that often paralyzes otherwise great teams.” In

fashioning this diversity the backgrounds of people, including the skills and values brought to the
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team, should be considered. Diversity is good when it can offer different perspectives that

challenge others’ ways of thinking, but when the skills and values of a member don’t fit the

project, it can be frustrating for all involved. There are two types of diversity to be considered:

inherent (natural traits that someone is born with) and acquired (traits that are gained from

experience). It is through a combination of these traits that a team can maximize their

effectiveness. Organizations that have at least three inherent and three acquired traits among its

leadership, known as having two-dimensional diversity, “out-innovate and out-perform others.

Employees at these companies are 45% likelier to report that their firm’s market share grew over

the previous year and 70% likelier to report that the firm captured a new market” (Hewlett,

2013). Diversity opens the door to more diverse customers, more innovative products, and more

profit. It does this by introducing perspectives and creating an environment that naturally

nurtures ingenuity, thus overcoming some of the obstacles of creativity. With a leadership that

supports creative cognition, levels of distrust between team and system are reduced. Members

may self-censor the obvious solutions and push to come up with more creative alternatives to

keep up with an organization that encourages “thinking outside the box.” With the increased

effort to collaborate, more effective interactions will result. The varied perspectives may

produce cognitive conflict, also called functional conflict, which is a valuable asset to creativity.

(Appelbaum, Abdallah, & Shapiro, 1999, p. 68). This type of conflict results from a healthy

debate of ideas based on thinking about problems from different perspectives. Avoiding

groupthink and conforming patterns of thought (Thompson, 2003) invites a refreshing, engaging,

and energizing experience to the innovative process. Diversity can “turn a critic into a

passionate advocate and supporter” (Comstock, 2014).

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[O]ur findings emphasize the importance of integrating team heterogeneity

considerations into the devices for selection of individuals for teams. Existing devices

rely at best on individual characteristics such as how to identify the best person for the

job or who will be more innovative (Tannenbaum et al, 1996). Our results imply that

team-level considerations should include enhancing functional diversity. Moreover, such

improvements in selection interventions will promote team information exchange, team

learning, and team negotiating as well as team innovation. (Drach-Zahavy, 2001, p. 121)

Diversity is a key component in setting the scene for creativity and innovation.

Role of Leaders in Successful Innovation

Through team composition, structure, and cross-department collaboration, leaders can

successfully foster creativity within an organization, promoting a culture where innovation can

thrive. By overcoming some basic creativity obstacles such as selecting team members who

bring the appropriate skills and expertise to the project and keeping a positive mindset, the team

will be able to spark their creativity. Carefully constructing the smallest group of diverse people,

can set the scene for cognitive collaboration that does not stifle but challenges the creative

thinking skills of the varied team members. A little cognitive conflict can “open communication

of alternatives [and] encourages innovative thinking and promotes creative solutions to

insurmountable problems” (Appelbaum et al, 1999, pg.68). Approaching a problem or need with

different viewpoints helps people think beyond the ordinary and reach for novel and innovative

ideas. The excitement that can be generated by tapping into the right-brain creative side of an

individual as they face complex tasks and problem-solve, intrinsically motivates individuals

(Pink, 2009). Unlike external motivation, such as monetary rewards, which tends to “narrow
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focus and restrict possibilities (Pink, 2009), intrinsic motivation is long-lasting and more

inspiring. Obstacles can be used as opportunities to excel.

Leaders should not limit this view of creativity to their teams but should seek to set

examples within the system itself as supporting innovation (Furr, 2014, p. 82). Creating a

collaborative atmosphere that is not critical or conformist, but open to ideas and informational in

its evaluative measures, is necessary for the innovation. Feedback should be encouraging and

realistic while allowing autonomy in the means of pursuing the development of an idea:

Autonomy around process fosters creativity because giving people freedom in how they

approach their work heightens their intrinsic motivation and sense of ownership. Freedom

about process also allows people to approach problems in ways that make the most of

their expertise and their creative-thinking skills. (Amabile, 1998, p. 82)

Opening channels of communication will help to reduce the anxiety often associated with the

process of bringing a creative or innovative idea into full implementation. With this ongoing

interaction, a better awareness of the time and resources needed will help the organization to

provide realistic and consistent goals. It is through this development of a supportive and

collaborative atmosphere that an innovative idea won’t be left in the early stages and team

members’ efforts will have a clear purpose.

Leaders must also be the cheerleaders within the organization to clear the path for

successful innovation to occur. As mentioned previously, red tape, or internal bureaucracy, often

crushes creativity and innovation. An innovative new idea often requires the support of multiple

departments to bring it to market, but as ideas travel throughout an organization, it’s common for

each department to tweak it back into something that conforms to current work. “[E]xecutives

must protect those doing creative work from a hostile environment and clear paths for them
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around obstacles” (Amabile & Khaire, 2008. p. 9). Without proper marketing, budget and

technology support, an innovation can burn out before the customers ever see it.

Methods of Fostering Innovation

Get Angry

“Innovation is Anger in a Fearless Mindset” – Unknown

Often innovation is the child of anger, not the put-you-fist-through-a-wall anger, but the

anger that drives you to see a wrong corrected, a bad decision turned around, the hungry fed, the

homeless sheltered, the first female president elected, or the first colony on Mars established.

From our deep emotions of helpless injustice and desires to correct the path, innovation is born.

As Graham Young, a leader in implementing innovative strategies, tells us, “There’s no point

tip-toeing around the fact that everyone gets fed up from time to time. But neurological research

hints that anger might lay the groundwork for creativity and can be harnessed to solve problems”

(Young, 2015). In other words, if you don’t like it, do something to change it.

Anger is often rightfully associated with irrationality, as professionals in any work

environment would attest, losing emotional control, especially displaying anger, will only

damage a team and possibly escalate a problem. It is best to walk away, take a break, and find a

healthy outlet for the anger to allow your creative problem solving to take over. Young offers

these suggestions:

1. Find an activity that takes you away from what’s making you angry and lets you

release it. Exercise is a common outlet, but anything that distracts your mind through a

form of physical movement can work well, from a brisk walk to an interactive video

game. You can even try writing by hand as a last resort.

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2. Embrace the anger and use it to push yourself harder. Do this for the first 10 to 20

minutes. Don’t try to think positively yet. Run faster, punch harder—just keep moving.

You’ll probably find you can get into “the zone” much more easily when you’re angry.

Endorphins will begin to flood into your system, and you’ll gradually begin feeling better

and thinking more clearly.

3. Start thinking about things you want to do differently and problems you want to solve.

This is the period when creativity really begins to soar. Don’t force it, but while you’re

doing your chosen activity, focus on some of those obstacles and ambitions. Maybe it’s a

new project, a habit change, a career move, a trip you really want to take, or a new

business idea. Maybe it’s even the issue that got you mad in the first place. (Young,

2015)

So, how do we move anger into team innovation? Often when expressed constructively,

the frustration or desire to find a solution is a shared goal. With commonality comes the courage

to elicit change. A powerful example of mobilizing group anger into change is the abolishment

of slavery.

Slavery was not abolished by a bunch of laid back people who kind of thought ‘Oh yes

by the way that is not good.’ No, it required a lot of anger…Think of all the world

changers who did not fight with their fists but with their patient, perservant, influential

presence and speech. (Ste’phanie, 2016)

While work innovation is not often world changing, harnessing solution-directed anger can

positively impact the future direction, profits, growth, and employee retention of a company.

Anger is the one emotion that will give you the resilience (energy, perseverance,
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motivation, even in the face of obstacles) to bring about a new order that you perceive to

be fairer, or that solves a problem that you are concerned or feel close to. (Stephanie,

2016)

Hackathon, Hack Day, FedEx day and Workshops

Organizational-wide innovation days have proven to be a highly successful method for

fostering creativity through cross-departmental problem solving. Known by many names (hack

day, FedEx day, hack fest or what some would call a new-school workshop), a hackathon is a

day-long event in which regular work duties are put aside to focus on specific projects.

Traditionally hackathons have been used by computer coders, but the success of this method of

innovation has caught attention and spread into other departments and entire organizations.

Hackathons can be organized in a variety of ways and can be led internally or by hiring an

outside facilitator. Often an organization will let employees pitch ideas in advance to begin

laying some groundwork and doing any research needed. Workers from across the company and

at all levels are then encouraged to sign up to participate on any project of interest to them.

Again, some work/brainstorming may be done in advance, but on hackathon day the group gets

together to propose a detailed solution or new idea. At the conclusion of the work day, each

group presents their idea hack to the organization and one (or more) winner is chosen for the

project to be funded and implemented.

At their best, hackathons create a structure and process around idea development. Sure,

breaking out of the day-to-day routine can reinvigorate and inspire staff, but hackathons

also demonstrate to employees that innovation is not only welcomed but also expected.

Well-run hackathons lead to concrete ideas for new products and processes that can

improve the customer experience and increase growth. (Spaulding and Caimi, 2016)
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As mentioned before, with the freedom of no specific rules to follow, there are a variety

of ways to coordinate a hackathon. Hackathons can last a day, several days, or an entire week.

While some innovation experts allow for total employee autonomy, others suggest giving the

groups aspirational questions to consider. Some questions to spur impact-focused creativity are:

1) Does this idea improve the customer’s experience and/or expectation?

a. Does this idea solve a problem?

b. Will it give your customer something they need and want?

c. Will it solve their problems in a unique and different way?

2) Does this idea fundamentally change how you’re positioned competitively in the

market?

a. Will this idea put you ahead of the competition?

b. Will it disrupt the market’s idea about your organization?

3) Does this idea radically change the economic structure of the industry?

a. Will this idea disrupt the way value is created and monetized so that our

organization benefits?

4) Do you (your organization) have a contribution to make?

a. Do you have the experience and/or expertise to bring to the problem?

5) Will this idea generate sufficient margin?

a. Are the potential returns enough to justify the cost of pursuing the idea?

(McKinney, 2016, 198-199)

Frequently the winning idea in any hackathon ultimately delivers the highest

results/profits for the least amount of time/investment. Many ideas will be generated, but “just

because you can do something, it doesn’t mean you should” (McKinney, 2016, 199). Ideas that
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don’t “win” are not always scrapped; the group is asked to continue thinking of ways the

“losing” ideas could be improved and meet the needed criteria. With a few changes, additional

hacks may be tested by the organization.

Technology

As more and more big companies focus on innovation and build full-time innovation

teams, a new industry has emerged; Enterprise Software for Ideation. Brightidea.com,

Ideascale.com, inno360.com, Innovationcloud.com, and Innocentive are just a few of the heavy

hitters in the industry that boast such clientele as GE, Merck, United Airlines, Marriott, NBC,

The US Dept. of Homeland Security, The US Dept. of the Army, The US Air Force, Exxon

Mobil and Disney plus many, many more. The software offers customizable ideation channels

where general organizational improvements can be suggested or specific challenges can be

posted for improvement. Essentially this software serves as the suggestion box for our ever-

changing modern workplace. Anyone in the organization can log-in, see ideas, and offer

comments, improvements or submit new ideas. Innovation experts know it takes hundreds of bad

ideas to get to one viable idea. (Gallo 137). Therefore, in order to truly be innovative, an

organization needs this continuous ideation activity. Ideas can be “promoted” by users, then a

designated committee reviews ideas regularly, sorts, and scores them. Low scoring ideas get

archived; those scored to have potential get further review with the most viable moving into a

product/project test phase to measure their success. Technology always comes with a cost, but

when properly supported by an organization, the ROI appears to cover the cost and beyond.

Fail Forward

To be truly innovative, to try new things that haven’t ever been done before, one must

embrace failure. Failure, that thing we are taught to avoid from the time we are children.
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From a very early age, the message is drilled into our heads: failure is bad; failure means

you didn’t study or prepare; failure means you slacked off–or worse–aren’t smart enough

to begin with. Thus, failure is something to be ashamed of. (Catmull, 2014, p. 108).

So, how do we reprogram ourselves? Can we?

Innovation experts point to leadership.

[T]he managerial reactions that speak loudest to creative workers are reaction to

failure…managers must decrease fear of failure and [emphasize] that the goal should be to

experiment constantly, fail early and often and learn as much as possible in the process.

(Amabile & Khaire, 2008, p. 107)

When leadership sets the example and admits their own failures as well as doesn’t punish those

who fail, they create an environment of risk-takers. “Being too risk-averse causes many

companies to stop innovating and to reject new ideas, which is the first step on the path to

irrelevance…to be a truly creative company, you must start things that might fail” (Catmull,

2014, p. 118).

How can an organization take risks without gambling on epic failure? The industry

practice for “safe” failure is to run tests. To test is to fail forward, to fail fast, and to fail often by

taking small risks to limit damage. Testing a new product in a limited market or even asking

friends and family to test a new fundraising initiative on their social media sites can give an

innovation team a view to know if the product/idea is what customers want. One of the most

challenging tasks of an innovation team is killing its own ideas. When an idea advances all the

way to a testing phase and the test proves the idea was off-target, the team must let it go. This is

failing fast; recognize the reality and move on to the next test; the fail often.

Because innovation leaders are often too close to the problem to analyze results in a
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION CHAPTER 22
dispassionate manner, many will benefit from a partner who acts as a foil…someone who

is willing to ask the tough questions from a point of emotional detachment.

(Govindarajan and Trimble, 2013. p. 149)

The path from ideation to exploration to development to test is an emotional journey for an

innovator, and to admit that all of that time and energy invested has led to a dead-end is

heartbreaking. This is the role of the team leader, but also all members of an innovation team, to

look at their work objectively and call it off when they are fighting a losing battle.

The most significant stage of failure is learning from it. “Any business that experiments

vigorously will experience failure–which, when it happens, should be mined to improve creative

problem solving, team learning, and organizational performance” (Amabile & Khaire, 2008, p.

108). When the test fails, and the team recognizes they must stop pursuit, they must also dissect

the test, the product, and the program to find the mis-steps and learn so as not to repeat them on

the next test. “Failures in organizations fall into three quite different types: unsuccessful trials,

system breakdowns, and process deviations. All must be analyzed and dealt with” (Amabile &

Khaire, 2008, p. 108).

A Case Study on Creativity and Innovation

The following is a case study that comes from Phil McKinney, a leading advocate for

innovation and author of the book, Beyond the Obvious: Killer Questions that Spark Game

Changing Innovation. In 2010 he was approached by the U.S. Department of Education to apply

his “Killer Questions” technique to generate ideas to be considered in overhauling the

educational system in America. His process involved some of the essential components to

facilitating creative ideas and fostering innovation. It all began when he attended a conference in

San Francisco with educators and education leaders throughout the country. Together they
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION CHAPTER 23
wanted to look at ways to “innovate the educational system” (Berger, 2012, p. 5) and to better

prepare children for future jobs. Although there was an active conversation, many of the ideas

tossed around were far from original, making him wonder why education was so resistant to

change. The Department of Education was intrigued by his technique for stimulating innovation

and asked him to participate in the process. “Education is a hugely emotional topic, and the

objective is to change the ongoing conversation between school administrators, students, parents,

teachers, and taxpayers from criticism and attacks into a more productive dialogue that can

generate ideas” (McKinney, 2017, p. 208). This diverse team of people would have to use

conflict and varied perspectives to come together for a creative conversation to produce an

innovative idea. McKinney acted as team leader and used the technique of experimentation

through workshops, of trying out an idea within a smaller context to get the creativity flowing

and the ideas expressed. Then, with more tangible solutions, he would have his team look

objectively at the ideas to determine what is a plausible idea to pursue. Failing is part of the

innovative process. McKinney first reached out to a wide audience to elicit ideas, through his

blog, Facebook, and Twitter accounts. The ideas were varied as much as they were numerous.

This electronic brainstorming gave credence to the passion people felt toward the issue, and he

needed to harness that inspiration and filter the ideas through a team of people to better look at

the possibilities and their realistic implications. His goal was to generate twelve “Killer

Questions,” that is a “unique class of questions that cause you to look at your opportunities,

problems and area of innovation in a unique and different way…to uncover things which are

non-obvious and get beyond what your competitors are doing.” (Berger, 2012, p.1)

To prepare for his workshop, McKinney chose a narrowed focus, one that provided a

goal, but without articulating creativity killing specifics: “to create innovations in education to
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION CHAPTER 24
better prepare our students for the competitive workforce” (McKinney, 2017, p. 215). By

looking at the who, what, and how of the situation, he was able to generate some initial questions

to pose to his workshop team before they met, allowing each member time to explore their own

innovative ideas. He encouraged each member to reach out to others to expand the perspectives

brought to the workshop. His questions involved looking at the underlying assumptions in

education, if the needs of who are involved in education are being met, what techniques and

skills are (and are not) effective and/or essential, and what approaches or methodologies are (and

are not) effective and/or inspiring. (McKinney, 2017, p. 211-215) By looking at the underlying

effective aspects of education, McKinney was able to get feedback that was “constructive and

supportive” (Perry-Smith & Mannucci, 2017, p. 59) and is necessary in the process of

elaborating an idea to one that is viable for implementation.

At the workshop, each team member shared without criticism the solutions that they had

collected, and together they discovered areas of the largest concern. From that point, each

person was to contribute twenty innovative ideas that addressed the goal of the workshop.

McKinney “advised the group to use the [his] tips about generating ideas (break large ideas into

smaller ones, try mixing and matching ideas to make a third” (2017, p. 216), and they then

proceeded to rank the ideas.

In this case, the objective was to create killer innovations for education to better prepare

students for the highly competitive job market. Accordingly, the ranking questions I

created were:

1) Will this idea change the student’s learning experience/expectations?

2) Will this idea change the competitiveness of the student?

3) Will this idea improve the structure of the education industry?

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION CHAPTER 25
4) Do we have commitment to make this change? (McKinney, 2017, p. 218-

219).

This workshop was his testing ground of formulating a nation-wide innovative process of

generating innovative ideas. The success of the workshop was that it has provided a template for

future discussions about education. In McKinney’s words, “We are shifting from an information

and knowledge economy to a creative one” (Berger, 2012, p. 5). His method harnesses

creativity, sparks innovation, and initiates a conversation that can enable implementation.

“Innovation is a skill that anybody can learn, anybody can practice, and anybody can become

proficient. Innovation is hard work” (Berger, 2012, p. 6).

Reflective Questions

1) How does your current situation help or hinder your creative capacity?

2) In what way can you implement what you have learned in this chapter to your life?

3) What do you feel the future holds for creativity and innovation in the workplace, the

marketplace, and beyond?

4) How can you increase the amount of creativity and innovation in your daily work life?

5) In what ways can you relate your current situation to the case study on Apple and GE?

6) What thought-provoking and perspective-changing (killer) questions can you ask to better

innovation at your current situation? (Think Phil McKinney case study.)

Conclusion

Innovation is the hot topic across industry today. From Fortune 500’s to non-profits, the

healthcare industry to education, everyone is striving to bring forth the next industry-shifting

idea. Focus on creative competitiveness is high as technology leaps ahead changing our world

and how we live and work daily.

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION CHAPTER 26
Successful innovation begins with creativity and both the fostering of a creative

environment as well as avoiding obstacles. Organizations must be diligent to create diverse

teams of both inherent and acquired diversity sets, work to break groupthink tendencies while

also balancing team size for maximum creativity output. Once ideas are fostered, leadership must

clear the path for innovation. A game-changing idea is only an idea until the proper

organizational support and funding is put forth to move it into a state of innovation. It is

leadership’s role in the creative process to be the advocate for their team's ideas, to be the

cheerleader to other departments, ensure funding is in place and then step out of the way as

momentum builds, only coming in when obstacles appear.

To foster creativity, anger, or a deep motivation to create change is needed. Group hack-

a-thons can be a successful method for cross-departmental collaboration and technology is

emerging quickly for companies willing to invest in ideation. Finally, to risk trying something

never done before, a collective embrace of failure is necessary. “Optimism takes hold when a

vision of something truly different is made to seem more promising than the status quo”

(Amabile & Khaire, 2008, p. 18).

What can team leadership do to foster creativity and innovation?

1. Create diverse teams: in people’s backgrounds and life/work experiences.

2. Clear the path. Remove obstacles as they appear, to empower your team to

success.

3. Encourage change. To grow, change must be embraced; often, this emerges as

anger.

4. Try a hack-a-thon day with your team. Set all other duties aside and allow all

ideas.
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION CHAPTER 27
5. Embrace failure and learn from it.

Fig. 2 Takpemongo, A. (2013, February 24). Innovation Foundations Course 101 - [Creative Problem Solving
Concepts]. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/prwpmp/innovation-foundations-course-101-
creative-problem-solving-concepts.
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION CHAPTER 28

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