Diversity of thought can boost innovation says WTW

WTW Senior Innovation Coach & Culture Lead Constanza Lobo-Guerrero Rodríguez discusses how diversity of thought boosts innovation and cultivates business growth.

The key to unlocking innovation is building teams of both creative and rational thinkers who collaborate through the innovation process, cites WTW.

Innovation requires both rational and creative thought

"Do you think innovation is equal to creativity?" asks Constanza. "Creativity is about generating original, unimaginable and inventive ideas and concepts. Innovation is about implementing and executing them — converting those creative ideas into a successful business or something customers will want to buy (products or services) or adhere to (methods, strategies, theories, etc.).

"But if creativity is the precursor of innovation, can only creative people innovate? Does that mean that others don’t stand a chance when it comes to innovation? Again, the answer is no. Innovation requires both rational and creative thought to succeed."

The key to unlocking innovation

Constanza shares that people often think of themselves as being either rational or creative, but the reality is we all have a bit of both.

"While we may be predominantly one or the other, we all have two hats: the rational hat and the creative hat. The key to unlocking innovation is building teams of both creative and rational thinkers and encouraging them to wear both hats through the innovation process in a term we like to call rational creativity.

Constanza explains how to build the perfect rational creative team: "Look for profiles with different backgrounds and incorporate both people who know about the topic and those who do not to include complementary perspectives. By incorporating creative and rational profiles and negotiating ways of working, the team will feel comfortable in a changing and flexible environment.

Recognizing effort and contribution

"It is also critical to remind team members of the roles they each play on the innovation process. We should never forget the big picture and recognize the effort and contribution of each person to keep motivation high and progress underway. In essence, rational and creative thinkers are not just complementary but critically necessary for innovation to succeed. We should all work on nurturing both sides of our brain to apply rational creativity and unlock the power of innovation," says Constanza.

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