Creativity, the forgotten key to innovation

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We continue our series about creative insights from our design colleagues. Meet Linda Bresäter, a senior service designer with wide-ranging expertise in the design spectrum. She specializes in customer-centric service design, employing design methodology to create everything from strategies and design concepts to customer journeys and insights.

And she had this to say about creativity. The structures and support for new ideas to evolve within an organization and society is a hot topic today that is being put forward as the backbone for an innovative organization. When I look back at projects I was involved in that had the same goal as today, ten years ago, something that stands out is the use of the word creativity. Today, the word “creativity” is not mentioned anymore; the word of today is “innovation.” It is the result of a natural process when you put more and more emphasis on the outcome and streamline the organization to reach the goal of finding that gold at the end of the rainbow. That is all good; we should see the result of the resources we invest, and ideas must have a smooth journey from paper to market.

Over the years, I have seen that the fear of the unknown is the biggest hindrance for new ideas to surface within a company. The fear of suggesting something that can be seen as stupid, the fear of getting too much to do, and the biggest of them all, the fear of everything unknown. Organizational structures are often built on a cultural mindset, always prioritizing to minimize risk. Risk minimizing is rewarded within the organization, and risk-taking is not. Sadly, in our fast-changing world, this effort towards risk-minimizing efforts increases the chances of the company needing help to adapt. The fear of failure goes from the floor to the boardroom, but it does not need to be like that. We have tools and processes for creating space for creativity and testing ideas before they hit the market. The craft of creating a creative atmosphere will force the organization to accept that trying and failing is a must on the way to success. You will learn new things, more from failure than from success stories.

You can let go of the fear of failing by accepting that failure is a natural part of an innovation process. Make room, both physical and mental, within your organization to value the power of all the “bad” ideas. The first step closer can be to download the Daresay Teamwork Kit, a collection of methods that helps teams build trust and deliver great work together. You can download and use the handbook, facilitator’s guides, sample presentations, and template posters with your team. Any group can become a creative and resilient team with the right mindset.

As a creative facilitator, Linda collaborates with users to uncover needs, experiences, and insights, contributing to developing new sustainable solutions. Over the years, Linda has accumulated experience applying design thinking within the public sector, working with clients such as Umeå Municipality, the County Administrative Board of Västerbotten, and Region Västerbotten.

If (when) your organization is ready to unlock the full potential of your team and cultivate a culture of innovation and adaptability, we would like to invite you to reach out. At Knightec,  we come armed with the experience, tools, and curiosity to help your organization take those visionary ideas and turn them into actionable plans.

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