The words innovation, invention, and improvement are often used as alternatives for creativity – but there important differences between these concepts.
Creativity refers to any “out of the box” thinking – where assumptions are challenged and changed then the implications are explored. The classic “thought experiment”. It was one of those that led Albert Einstein to the radical idea that our perception of time as separate from space was inaccurate. He asked the question “If I was sitting on a light beam what would I see?” Creative thinking happens inside the head – and creative play happens when groups engage in creative thinking together. Children do it naturally and spontaneously – in the playground. In the classroom play is discouraged – that is where work happens. So as educated adults we separate work-time from play-time and creativity at work is lost. But far more than just that is sacrificed. Creativity is fun – so when we forbid creativity we exclude fun.
An invention is a novel combination of known parts. Invention is an act of design that arises from new insight which comes from creatively challenging assumptions and playing with ideas. Inventions are not accidents – they require deliberate, conscious activity. Inventions are creativity converted to action. And creating an invention is hard work! Inventors are often depicted as driven, hard-working, loners who the rest of society do not understand – but groups can be much more inventive than individuals. Have you ever wondered why children have so much fun when working together to build a sandcastle on the beach or a den in the forest?
Innovation is when you actually do anything new. It does not need to be novel or inventive – just new for you. Anyone can be innovative and everyone is. Adopting a creative-play mode of thinking at work may be innovative; it may lead to a new insights; which may lead to new designs and new inventions. It is also fun to do – especially as a group.
Improvement is what happens when the output of the innovation-creativity-insight-design-invention process is implemented in practice. The improvement is the measured change in a valued characteristic of a system. An actual improvement. Not just the thought of improvement, or the talk of improvement or even the walk of improvement. The the hard evidence of improvement – the evaluation.
This innovation-to-improvement sequence requires time. And one of the important habits that an effective Improvement Scientist must cultivate is patience. Improvements take time to cook – especially when they come from disruptive innovation. That is innovation that challenges deeper held, unconscious, assumptions. Such as “Time is Absolute”.
But patience alone is not enough – it is necessary but it is not sufficient.
The effective Improvement Scientist understands that sustained benefit is more than just a good idea. For a good idea to become established practice then many other people may need to change some of their assumptions, beliefs and behaviours. To achieve that sort of requires other skills – of which personal mastery, respectful challenge and pragmatic assertion are essential.
But there are traps for the unwary and the inexperienced. One danger is for the impatient Improvement Scientist to give their innovation away to the first investor that shows interest. An experienced Improvement Scientist is a serial innovator who can generate good ideas at will. Many must be put on the shelf and wait for the right time – like Cheddar cheeses slowly maturing in an ancient underground river cut cave.
And when the time is right for the seed of innovation to germinate then the Improvement Scientist must step up, be assertive, and state what, declare why and show how.