What is Creativity?

Creativity vs Innovation

Creativity and Innovation are not the same thing.

Creativity looks outside what currently exists for ideas
while Innovation brings those ideas back into what currently exists by way of implementing them

Creativity

Myth: The belief that creativity lies only in the midst of artistic people such as designers, artistic and creative directors, and sales and marketing.

Fact: Every person in the workplace is creative in some way and with the right mindset and support this creativity can be developed for the benefit of the company.

There's no such thing as someone being non-creative. There is only More or Less Creative.

Why is Creativity important?

Creativity is the underlying factor of all innovative companies.
It is through creative thinking that new products are developed, clients are won, a competitor is out manoeuvred, and challenges are overcome.

Creativity starts with the mindsets of the leaders. It is here where it is either, supported and nurtured and lead by example or NOT. In many cases, unfortunately, it is not.
Why? From our experience it is seen by few as an essential part of business practice and if it is, it may be limited to certain departments. However ALL departments do need to understand the value of creativity whether they use it more or less than others.

Story Example: Working with a financial team of a large company

Many of the team really didn't believe they were creative and they had stereotyped themselves as being the boring accountants that no other department wanted to work with on projects as they were considered handbrakes. And this they didn't like.
However within the finance team was one member who had a completely different mindset. He had read books and done courses on creativity and ways of thinking and was not at all fazed by the others.
The others all thought he was a loose cannon and maybe too out there for them. But this person was always asked for by other divisions requiring a finance person to work on their projects.
It wasn't because he was a loose cannon but because he constructively added value to a project by being a team member. He was open to ideas and creatively sought ways to help their projects succeed financially rather than being bottom line focused and controlling over the financial aspects.

We don't recommend Creative Accounting but yes accountants too need creativity as a skill/tool.