The anatomy of creativity

Let’s admit it: Defining terms isn’t entertaining, but it’s essential. That’s why I defined the crucial terms creativity and innovation in earlier articles in my blog. To recap, the easiest and most impactful way we can define these two concepts is with the help of two equations: the Creativity Formula and the Innovation Formula.
When novel, meaningful and original ideas intersect, it leads to creativity.
When looking at these two formulas recently, an intriguing question came to mind: What do we get if we take action on an idea that only connects two of the three conceptual intersections that define creativity? Let’s explore these interesting constellations further.
1. Novel and Original Ideas + Action = Invention
What do we get when we implement an idea that is both new (novel) and unique (original) but does not make meaning or add much value? An invention that, while being the first of its kind, often provides a new solution to a problem that is typically impracticable. Hence, many such inventions do not find practical applications or significantly impact the market or society.
The Mono-Wheel car (also known as the Dynasphere), invented in Britain in the 1930s, is a fascinating example of a novel and original invention that has not found widespread, meaningful application in the mainstream transport sector.
2. Novel and Meaningful Ideas + Action = Imitation (Adopted or Copycat Innovation)
When we act on an idea that is new and valuable but not original, we imitate or copy another innovation. The term “Imitation” recognises the idea’s newness (novelty, at least for the imitator or imaging company) and its significant impact (meaning) while acknowledging that it’s not the first of its kind (and thus is lacking originality).
Another way to label this combination is the term “Adopted Innovation”. The notion of adoption highlights that the idea, though not original, has been embraced and implemented in a novel and meaningful way in a new context. As such, an imitation, or adopted innovation, takes an existing idea and replicates it with slight modifications, often to spread its benefits or capitalise on its success.
We may also refer to such an implemented novel and meaningful idea in a more derogatory way as a “Copycat Innovation”. This name emphasises the lack of originality, suggesting that the innovative effort primarily mimics an existing idea without significant modification or improvement, essentially riding on the coattails of the original innovator’s success.
Here is an example of a successful Imitation strategy: In 2013, Snapchat introduced “Stories”, a novel feature that allowed users to post photos and videos that would disappear after 24 hours.
After recognising this novel feature’s popularity and engagement potential, other social media giants like Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp began to incorporate similar elements into their platforms that added value to their users.
3. Original and Meaningful Ideas + Action = Adaptation (Adapted or Refined Innovation)
When we activate an original and meaningful idea, even if it isn’t entirely new, we might consider it an “Adapted Innovation”. Here, adaptation suggests modifying or adjusting an existing idea or product in an original and meaningful way that others appreciate.
Another way to refer to this situation is “Refined Innovation”, suggesting that we have polished or perfected the idea over time. It acknowledges that while the basic concept might not be novel, the original and meaningful execution of the idea sets it apart, offering a unique contribution that enhances or improves upon existing value differentials.
Adaptation, or refined innovation, describes the process of taking an existing concept and significantly improving or altering it meaningfully to meet user needs better or address newly emerging challenges.
The evolution of internet browsers and search engines is a classic example of Refined Innovation. Google was not the first mover in the search engine space but became the market leader by the beginning of the early years of the new millennium. Why? They innovatively refined earlier browsers (such as Netscape Navigator, Yahoo!, AltaVista and Lycos) and came up with a more meaningful approach to indexing the web: Google’s PageRank algorithm ranked web pages based on the number and quality of links pointing to them and not on how often a search term appeared on a webpage, as the earlier browsers did.
We arrive at true innovation when we act upon an idea that is simultaneously novel, original and meaningful (and thus caters to all three definition aspects of creativity). We’ve arrived at the desired destination on the right side of our innovation formula: Creativity + Action = Innovation.
That’s what Apple created with the iPhone and Snapchat with Stories, and it allowed them to enjoy a premium market position for a certain period before the copycats caught up. As Steve Jobs noted: “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
Dr Detlef Reis is the Founding Director and Chief Ideator of Thinkergy (www.THINKERGY.com), the creative breakthrough company in Asia. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Hong Kong Baptist University and an Innovation Advisor at the Institute for Knowledge & Innovation South-East Asia (IKI-SEA), Bangkok University. He can be reached at [email protected]