Innovation vs. Creativity: Why the Debate?

August 12, 2010 | by Tracy Betts | Posted in Web Strategy

I have been following the discussion on author Vijay Govindarajan's blog post over at Harvard Business Review with fascination.

He states that most organizations' real innovation problem is execution, not creativity.

In a down economy, creating greater value is high on everyone's minds:

• I have heard our association clients talk about finding "innovative" membership models;
• Our Corporate clients discuss "innovating" through new product offerings;
• and our Government clients looking for "innovative" ways to reach out and serve constituents.

Balance Interactive is currently working with an expert who is leading us through "365 Days of Innovation."

We are still in the beginning stages of the innovation process, but it is very clear to me that being truly innovative goes way beyond creativity.  Creativity is an essential piece of innovation because without creative ideas there is nothing to act on. 

But as Govindarajan points out, it's easier for most organizations to come up with the idea than it is to implement that idea. 

Understanding the innovation process is especially important to our client projects. It is our job to help foster innovative ways to reduce costs or communicate with customers on the web. It is also our job to help clients understand the mechanics of how to implement those innovations and to carry them out in a way that shows results.