Creativity Redefined for Innovation

The words creative and creativity have been hi-jacked by the world of
advertising. The word means something specific to those familiar with Mad
Men or Thirty-something advertising stereotypes. In these cases and the
cases of classic advertising creativity was visual, copy, or positioning
cleverness applied at the end of the new product process, when it was time
to market downstream.
The old view of the world buffers creativity from strategy or strategic
planning or research and development. These departments were once
reserved for eggheads, chemists, number crunchers, or analysts. If
creativity were enacted in these functional areas, the deliverables and
output would be suspect or suspended.
We are learning that creativity is anything that adds value and relevance to
its intended audience. Smart companies are finding ways to move away from
the Just-build-it-like-I-told-you model. They are discovering that the merely
deductive way of handling strategy or R&D has more limitations than
benefits.
To move more effectively downstream, companies are learning to be more
creative upstream. This move signifies that we have moved out of the
Industrial Era and into the Age of Innovation.
Upstream creativity means that companies immerse themselves with their
customers and seek to invent helpful products and services. Upstream
creativity means that the core business model is debated annually in different
formats and not just on a spreadsheet intuitive downloads, sketches of
new adaptations of the model, and market trends are role played as part of
the new process. Upstream creativity means that there are markers and
sticky notes in the boardrooms and executive chambers. Upstream creativity
is a dynamic process that adapts to grow, takes calculated risks, and expects
total engagement from its whole team.
The spirit of deep play can be found at such companies. The process of being
creative for the sake of the business is a thrill and a form of bliss; peak
moments in a career. Here, diverse project teams meet at the same table
without prejudice about roles. They are intently focused on surprising the
market by creating a new line of business that will change the game. They
journey together through the discovery, the birth of a new concept, the
drafting of a business case, and the path to market.
Inspired companies allow recursive thinkers to challenge, inspire, even
provoke anything too status quo that inhibits growth. Creativity means
looking through as many lenses of a prism of the same issue as possible.
Heres the bottom line. The world has changed. The economy is now led by
organizations that invent on a rapid, reoccurring basis.

In the Industrial Era, creativity was used as a means to differentiate products

downstream. Now, in the Age of Innovation, the only way to win in the market
is to get creative with the whole business: business model, R&D, distribution,
etc.
Creative once described people with drafting boards who reeked of ink.
Now, it is an honorific worthy of a pinstripe suit-wearing MBA grad in finance.
Welcome back, Creativity. You have been missed on many floors of business
for too long. Upstream. Downstream. All around. Creativity is good for
business and is worthy of praise.