Boosting creativity and innovation
When we want to boost creativity and innovation in an organization, there is not only a need for creative people but there is also the need for an organization supporting an innovative culture (see also the blog: Innovation is built on the desire for success). A recent study towards the personal factors of creativity and innovation (da Costa et al., 2015), shows that the most important personal factor towards creativity and innovation is emotional intelligence. An organization culture that boosts the emotional intelligence of its workforce increases the capacity for understanding, using, experessing and regulating emotions, while also instrumental and coginitive capacities are reinforced.
A high degree of divergent thinking is also an important personal factor leading to creativity and innovation as it plays an important role in the creativity process. However in these creative processes there are limitations towards divergent thinking as also other factors are important such as the capability to convergent thinking.
Further there are many more personal factors that are important when it comes to improving creativity and innovation, such as: creative personality, openness to experience and intrinsic motivation. However to boost creativity and innovation in an organization it is important to build a well balanced team with a focus on emtional intelligence, a high degree on divergent thinking and a moderate pro-risk attitude.
Literature
da Costa, S., Páez, D., Sánchez, F., Garaigordobil, M., & Gondim, S. (2015). Personal factors of creativity: A second order meta-analysis. Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. (In Press)
Photo credit: Alexis Chouan / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA, Creativity Explosion.
Norbert Bol 