Like it is said, creative thinking is the art of designing solutions to challenges by force of reasoning and imagination. Living in a dynamic world of the present, the challenges presented to man are not static and these calls for being creative and therefore the activities of the mind must go through deep thinking approaches that are creative.
Hagel and Singer’s ‘unbundling the corporation’ bring us to an understanding of how business that faces the changes of time must seek to clarify the nature of business they are in. Many managers will go through painful decisions but innovation in entrepreneurship demands them to realign their businesses. ‘Block by blockbuster innovation by Kanter designs a systematic approach that managers can use to generate all levels and kinds of innovation. Even when a company has the technology to come up with a new innovation, blockbuster products do not just spring from work or life without making any changes within resource allocation, looking at risks and uncertainties and the whole process of doing business.
Design is now becoming a central part in production and business. How do companies think of design centricity? This is the question by Jon Kolko in his ‘Design thinking comes of age’. A great innovator needs to incorporate incredible designing into creative innovations and ideas to perfect his final product. Roger Martin on the other hand cautions business people not to get blinded by numbers. In the new challenge in business schools, he is keen in teaching managers how to look beyond statistics and instead use factors like trust and empathy when making vital business solutions. The media has led business people into thinking that they can achieve success and innovation without paying the full price but the truth is most business that have this mentality end up in failure because they opt for a normal and safer life while trying to reach their maximum as discussed by Barry Shaw.
All these authors give us a direction on how to achieve and apply creativity and innovation but I would say there is no universal recipe for innovation but every business situation has a different approach according to its interest, area of specialization and the type of teams they have. I would say and suggest that creativity should revolve around these questions;
- What should I improve or change on my product is I am to use in in five years?
- What would happen if I change my system, products or the social relationship with my clients?
- How will I go about a million dollar investment improvement?
These questions would help bring a perfect innovation and creativity.