Creativity and Innovation (sure, and AI).
Getting that uncomfortable feeling. Building confidence and morale.
Last month, I partnered with one of the big four accounting firms unpacking an innovation, creativity, and sustainability-focus problem for a global CPG company.
The problem was intricate and fascinating. I was delighted to be involved. During one of the offsite days, I presented a keynote titled Disruption and Innovation and How to Make Creativity a Part of Company Culture.
The presentation went well; however, there were two slides that I could see the audience feel uncomfortable and unsettled - and these slides became a focal point for following discussions.
The first slide that made people squirm was a quote from Jeff. Innovation is the lifeblood of a company. If you're not innovating, and your competitors are innovating, you are going backward in business. In shareholder and quarterly results meetings, investors should ask, "How are you Innovating?"
The second uncomfortable slide concerns the single key challenge large businesses face today. The competition brands face does not come from similar companies; competition comes from the internal challenges of a company - inhibiting people from creating, innovating, and growing. The phrase, "We have done it this way for years," is a red flag to a company's outlook.
But how can individuals and organizations foster Creative Innovation? The answer lies in a systematic approach that encourages creativity, embraces risk-taking, and fosters a culture of experimentation.
There are several ways to build a culture of innovation.
Tops-down. Pushing change from the highest levels
Bottoms-up. Creating space for Principles and non-managers to kindle change
Organization-wide
From experience, #3 drives a more profound, sustained, and morale-building approach - and organization-wide means it is not Creative or Innovation for innovation and creativity's sake. When it is organization-wide, there is a business purpose behind the efforts.
The first step toward Innovation is cultivating a positive culture that is:
Curiosity and exploratory.
Solution-focused (Ensure there is a clear problem statement).
Has a method and process to let ideas rise to the surface.
Importantly, the leadership team must be willing to listen and have the power to green-light innovation without the idea going further up the chain.
Creativity and AI.
AI will change how creative teams work. But it’s not doom and gloom.
AI is coming to creativity, and it’s very exciting yet very unknown. If anyone claims they know the answer, you can immediately call BS.
This CNN video discussing WPP AI commitment explains a lot. And it is worth 10 minutes of your time.
A few things:
1: As CNN mentioned, AI doesn’t create new; it works from existing. Thus, new and human ideas are still needed.
2: AI works from pre-conceived ideas; therefore, creative production is the first to be disrupted, not creativity.
3: If we will also see different ads, rendering time per consumer is a huge stumbling point. The lag (processing waiting time) is not something platforms (Amazon, Peacock, Google, etc.) will allow, as it means a bad customer experience.
A lot more to come and unpack.