November 10, 2023

For this Assignment, you will continue your role of a consultant who has been brought in to help the leadership of a company struggling to evolve in the current market. You will presen

Note: This is a three-part Assignment that is submitted over the course of 3 weeks. This week, you will submit Part 2. You will submit Part 3 in Week 3. Additionally, you will continue using the same document for each submission (renaming it each time you submit). In this week’s submission, you will re-include what you originally submitted for Part 1, you will complete Part 2, and you will leave the placeholder language for Part 3 as is.

For this Assignment, you will continue your role of a consultant who has been brought in to help the leadership of a company struggling to evolve in the current market. You will present a report to the CEO in which you analyze the relationship of creativity and innovation to business practices. For your reference, the scenario that was introduced in Week 1 is included here again.

The company’s CEO, Gabriel Marron, has been resistant to change for the past 25 years, and the company recently began losing market share to other competitors. After months of being in denial, the CEO is finally open to considering the idea of implementing innovative approaches to reclaim the company’s former position at the top. Gabriel admits that it is simply not in his nature to value innovation. Sticking to tried and true methods has always worked favorably throughout his career, but you are being brought in because that is proving to no longer be the case. In your report, you will draw the connection between creativity, innovation, and business practices.

With those thoughts in mind, construct Part 2 of your report to the CEO with the following section, being sure to incorporate appropriate business examples (as indicated), as well as citations for relevant academic resources from the classroom, the Walden Library, and/or other appropriate scholarly sources to support your work.

To prepare for this Assignment:

Return to your Module 1 Assignment Template to complete Part 2 of your report.

BY DAY 7

Submit Part 2 of your analysis of the role of creativity and innovation in business, in which you address the following in a 3- to 4-page business report (excluding references):

Part 2: Incorporating Innovation

What does it mean to incorporate innovation into business practices (as opposed to innovations made through product or service offerings)?
How can leaders create a work environment that fosters innovation? Be specific, including what factors are most conducive to facilitating innovation and developing an innovation mindset.
To support your assertions, do some research and locate at least two examples of organizations that reflect an innovation mindset and employ (or employed) innovation in their business practices. For each example, do the following:
- Describe the organization (including what type of company it is, what sector/industry it is in, etc.).
- Provide specific examples of how the organization employs (or employed) innovation in its business practices.

Refer to the Week 2 Assignment Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this grading rubric to assess your work.

Module 1 Assignment:

The Role of Creativity and Innovation in Business

Prepared by: Yaina Delgado

Date: 11/05/2023

Walden University

WMBA 6020: Fostering a Culture of Innovation

Part 1: Incorporating Creativity

Answer 1

The ability of people to come up with new and creative ideas for processes, materials, or products is referred to as creativity in the workplace. Companies can use this creativity to develop ideas and a more positive, team-oriented work environment. Thinking creatively also entails asking questions and looking at problems from different angles. These qualities can help various teams collaborate and brainstorm more effectively. There are two examples to support this claim: creativity in leadership and creativity in marketing (Lee et al., 2019). Creative leadership is one area where this is clear. If there is a barrier to innovation inside a company, it may originate from the highest levels of leadership. When corporate leaders exhibit creative conduct, their staff members are inspired to think creatively. On the other hand, they act as a metaphorical roadblock to innovation when they oppose it.

Creative leaders use innovative methods in their relationships and at work. For example, they may start meetings differently and more intimately by asking attendees to share personal stories and business-related updates. This fosters a better sense of worth, loyalty, and motivation by communicating that they value their workers more than their cash contributions. It is an approach to "making appreciation easy and contagious," and it works well. In the area of creative marketing, there is another example. Imagine an ad campaign that aims to promote a new model of automobile. A traditional, unimaginative strategy may produce a feature-rich print or banner ad with a stock image of the car and many features (Kremer et al., 2019). On the other hand, a unique strategy for automotive advertising can entail making a captivating short film in which the vehicle assumes the role of the main character in a short action film. Marketers may consider going so far as to incorporate their cars into a future motion picture.

Answer 2

inspiration is a motivating condition that immediately stimulates artistic expression. Second, inspiration increases the productivity and efficiency of artists. Thirdly, more inspired people create more creative works, and inspired people are more creative themselves. Last but not least, inspiration has broad effects. Because inspired works embody the spirit with which they were made, inspiration is contagious. It is important to think about whether comparable processes take place in other contexts, such as the spread of inspiration via internet media and scripture (Oleynick et al., 2014). Work and inspiration go hand in hand and are complementary. Laziness is the reverse of work, not inspiration. Lack of inspiration is the antithesis of inspiration, not effort. Being able to exert both inspiration and effort is great. The former is our energy source as we convert original concepts into inventive solutions. The latter is a resource we voluntarily use to get through the less delightful parts of the creative process.

Answer 3

Fostering innovation within the workplace is an essential component of a company's success. According to an IBM study, creativity is seen by 60% of CEOs as the most important leadership trait for company success (Ramos et al., 2018). There are multiple attributes to foster a creative environment, such as "Nurturing Creativity in the Workplace by Creating an Open Environment (Hermida et al., 2019)." Workers have to feel free to express themselves and make their opinions known. Managers who create dedicated spaces for creativity might inspire team members to feel comfortable coming up with novel ideas. For example, setting up focused brainstorming sessions with the team can promote expansive thinking and reinforce the idea that no idea is bad. "Embracing the Possibility of Failure" is another important attribute. It is critical to let staff members know that when they contribute creatively, management expects to expect flawless ideas or finished projects every time.

Team members must be allowed to take chances and make plans that might not work out as planned without worrying about the repercussions. Companies and managers learn from mistakes, and prudent failure helps avert disastrous mistakes (Ramos et al., 2018). "Celebrating Innovation" is also an important attribute that suggests giving staff credit for thinking beyond the box, even if the projects they suggest do not work out, or their ideas do not produce the desired outcomes. During meetings, verbally acknowledge new ideas or proposals that have come up. During performance reviews, managers must highlight new ideas that have come up from the staff. It is important to Celebrate a project's accomplishments with the team and acknowledge the workers who contributed to the process (Hermida et al., 2019).

Answer 4

When two well-known ideas come together for the first time, innovation frequently results in original solutions to issues. Great ideas are usually the result of a combination of already existing ones rather than being completely original. This is where brainstorming's power resides, as it brings people from different backgrounds together and allows them to combine ideas (Higgins, 2023). Design thinking works well because it promotes teamwork, bringing together individuals from different departments to offer their unique perspectives, skills, and problem-solving knowledge. Combining these components can result in the development of creative and innovative solutions to problems.

References

Hermida, Y., Clem, W., & Güss, C. D. (2019). The Inseparable Three: How Organization and Culture Can Foster Individual Creativity. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02133

Higgins, M. (2023). Council Post: The Benefits Of Incorporating Design Thinking Into Business. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/11/05/the-benefits-of-incorporating-design-thinking-into-business/

Kremer, H., Villamor, I., & Aguinis, H. (2019). Innovation leadership: Best-practice recommendations for promoting employee creativity, voice, and knowledge sharing. Business Horizons, 62(1), 65–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2018.08.010

Lee, J., Suh, T., Roy, D., & Baucus, M. (2019). Emerging Technology and Business Model Innovation: The Case of Artificial Intelligence. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 5(3), 44.

Oleynick, V. C., Thrash, T. M., LeFew, M. C., Moldovan, E. G., & Kieffaber, P. D. (2014). The scientific study of inspiration in the creative process: challenges and opportunities. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8(436). https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00436

Ramos, M. A. W., Paulo S. Figueiredo, & Pereira-Guizzo, C. (2018). Antecedents of innovation in industry: The impact of work environment factors on creative performance. Innovation & Management Review, 15(3). https://www.redalyc.org/journal/5375/537559314003/html/

Page 5 of 15

Module 1 Assignment: The Role of Creativity and Innovation in Business

Prepared by: Replace this text with your name.

Date: Replace this text with the submission date.

Walden University

WMBA 6020: Fostering a Culture of Innovation

Part 1: Incorporating Creativity

Replace or remove this text. Add or remove headings as necessary.

[Heading]