MEANING OF INNOVATION :

Innovation is a new idea, device or process. Innovation can be viewed as the application of
better solutions that meet new requirements, inarticulated needs, or existing market
needs.This is accomplished through more
effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are readily available
to markets, governments andsociety. The term innovation can be defined as something
original and more effective and, as a consequence, new, that "breaks into" the market or
society.
While a novel device is often described as an innovation, in economics, management science,
and other fields of practice and analysis innovation is generally considered to be a process
that brings together various novel ideas in a way that they have an impact on society.

INNOVATION AND CREATIVE THINKING

The 12 steps are:
1.
2.

Define your problem.

Define and visualize the ideal solution.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Gather the facts: specific and general.

Break the pattern.
Go outside your own field.
Try new combinations.
Use all your senses.
Switch off let it simmer.
Use music or nature to relax.
Sleep on it.
Eureka! It pops out.
Recheck it.

MEANING OF GROUP THINKING:

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which
the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or
dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a
consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints, by actively
suppressing dissenting viewpoints, and by isolating themselves from outside influences.
Important of creativity thinking:
1. Suspending advocacy of your own idea to push for another persons concept.
2. Putting your own idea to the same test you apply to an idea from someone else.
3. Combining two different ideas and making them better (not muddled) as one idea.
4. Letting someone else take ownership of your idea in order to build support for it.
5. Displaying the patience to wait for someone else to say what needs to be said so all
you have to do is agree.
6. Sticking to your guns amid challenges to a creative idea which makes solid strategic
sense.
7. Always looking for new creative skills to develop in yourself and those around you.

Strengthen Your Innovation Instinct with Six Thinking Hats:

Successful organizations are equipped with employees who are skilled at creative and
innovative thinking. They have a well developed Innovation Instinct. They understand what
innovation is and what it's not. They are equipped with practical tools designed to uncover
fresh new solutions. In this hands-on interactive session, we'll explore how to strengthen your
Innovation Instinct with the time-tested tool, Six Thinking Hats.

Power Session Objectives:

In this fast-paced, hands-on session

Understand what this world famous Six Thinking Hats tool is all about, and why it's a
terrific tool to strengthen your Innovation Instinct.
Uncover how to break the idea-killer habit.
Appreciate the essential role gut instinct and intuition play in the creative process.
Experience a quick sequence for productive idea evaluation.
Understand why it isn't fair to a new idea to look for the problems first.
The essence of innovation:

Give your customers the ability to do what they cant do, but would have wanted to do if
only they knew they knew they could have done it.
-Daniel Burrus, Technology Futurist

Innovative Benefits Group

At Innovative Benefits Group, we believe in delivering more than you expect. More
personalized service. More dynamic approaches. Our company was formed in 1996, we are
privately and locally owned, and this structure allows us to go beyond ordinary, and to remain
focused on your needs, and your needs alone. We will become an extension of your Human
Resources department, aiding you in every step of the process. You can put your trust in us,
and trust you'll receive service immediately.
Components Of Creativity

Fluency the ability to generate quantities of ideas

Flexibility the ability to create different categories of ideas, and to perceive an idea
from different points of view

Originality the ability to generate new, different, and unique ideas that others are
not likely to generate

Elaboration the ability to expand on an idea by embellishing it with details or the

ability to create an intricate plan

3M's Seven Innovation Components:

This post is the third about my trip to 3M. In the first post I examined 3M's culture,
informed by its midwestern roots. In the second post I reviewed the concept of
forward mapping and some of the opportunities and challenges of 3M's
innovation exchanges. Today I'll recap and review the

components that 3M

believes make up its innovation success.

The seven factors or components of successful innovation, according to 3M, are:
The relationship of innovation to corporate vision and business model
3Ms culture, which Ive addressed previously
Access to multiple platforms or technologies
Networking
Individual expectation
Measured Accountability
Connection to customer need

The Four Most Powerful Types of Creative Thinking:

1. Reframing

Image by stuartpilbrow
Reframing opens up creative possibilities by changing our interpretation of an event,
situation, behaviour, person or object.
Think about a time when you changed your opinion of somebody. Maybe you saw them as
difficult or unpleasant because of the way they behaved towards you; only to discover a
reason for that behaviour that made you feel sympathetic towards them. So you ended up
with an image of them as struggling or dealing with problems rather than bad.

2. Mind Mapping

Image by Philippe Boukobza

When you make notes or draft ideas in conventional linear form, using sentences or bullet
points that follow on from each other in a sequence, its easy to get stuck because you are
trying to do two things at once: (1) get the ideas down on paper and (2) arrange them into a
logical sequence.
Mind mapping sidesteps this problem by allowing you to write ideas down in an associative,
organic pattern, starting with a key concept in the centre of the page, and radiating out in all
directions, using lines to connect related ideas. Its easier to splurge ideas onto the page
without having to arrange them all neatly in sequence. And yet an order or pattern does
emerge, in the lines connecting related ideas together in clusters.

3. Insight

The word insight has several different meanings, but in the context of creative thinking it
means an idea that appears in the mind as if from nowhere, with no immediately preceding
conscious thought or effort. Its the proverbial Aha! or Eureka! moment, when an idea
pops into your mind out of the blue.
There are many accounts of creative breakthroughs made through insight, from Archimedes
in the bath tub onwards. All of them follow the same basic pattern:
1.

Working hard to solve a problem.

2.

Getting stuck and/or taking a break.

3.

A flash of insight bringing the solution to the problem.

4. Creative Flow

You know that feeling you get when youre completely absorbed in your work and the
outside world seems to melt away? When everything seems to fall into place, and whatever
youre working with ideas, words, notes, colours or whatever start to flow easily and
naturally? When you feel both excited and calm, caught up in the sheer pleasure of creation?
How to Develop 5 Critical Thinking Types

They can understand and appreciate the current state as well as see
possibilities. When dealing with todays issues, they operate from a broad,
long-term perspective rather than focusing only on short-term implications.
And they can gather information and make decisions in a timely manner.
Most of all, strategic leaders know how to strike a balance between
visualizing what might or could be and an effective day-to-day approach to
implementation. They can look into the future to see where the company
needs to go and what it will look like once they get there. And they can do
this while making sure the right things get done on a daily basis.
This type of strategic leadership requires five different types of thinking.
Knowing when and how much to utilize each one is the hallmark of great
leaders.
1.

Critical thinking is the mental process of objectively analyzing a

situation by gathering information from all possible sources, and then
evaluating both the tangible and intangible aspects, as well as the
implications of any course of action.

2.

Implementation thinking is the ability to organize ideas and plans in

a way that they will be effectively carried out.

3.

Conceptual thinking consists of the ability to find connections or

patterns between abstract ideas and then piece them together to form a
complete picture.

4.

Innovative thinking involves generating new ideas or new ways of

approaching things to create possibilities and opportunities.

5.

Intuitive thinking is the ability to take what you may sense or

perceive to be true and, without knowledge or evidence, appropriately
factor it in to the final decision.

Until recently, most leaders could get by with critical and implementation
thinking. But in todays hyper-fast world, conceptual, innovative and
intuitive thinking have becoming increasingly important, especially in
industries where frenetic change represents the rule rather than the exception.

CREATIVE AND INNOVATION THINKING SAMPLE IMAGES: