1 Understanding creativity and innovation

Like it or not, the world is changing – and changing fast. In many areas of life the old certainties are no more, and new solutions to old, new and future problems are needed.

To survive, organisations have had to become more responsive and flexible enough to react quickly to environmental changes. Moreover, in high-wage economies, they have had to become creative enough to add value through continual innovation. For this, organisations, more than ever before, are relying on the creativity and innovation of the people they work with, whether employees, contractors, or volunteers.

Next you will look at what the related, but quite distinct, concepts of creative and innovation mean in practice.