What is Innovation?

This article explores the contributing factors to what makes actions innovative. For us at Epicenter Innovation, “innovation” is a concept that we’ve deemed so important to creating change that we measure people’s propensity to innovate through the Resilience Innovator® Type Assessment (RITA). And, of course, it’s part of our name!

What is Innovation?

“Innovation.” It’s a buzzword in the worlds of business, tech, and creativity. But what is it exactly? And what are some of the key ingredients to becoming more innovative so that you can focus on generating novel solutions for the problem that you, your teams, and your communities face? Let’s dive in.

A traditional definition of “innovation” is that it’s a process of creating new and improved ideas, products, or processes that can help people and their organizations stay competitive and relevant. When approaching problems under pressure, innovation becomes even more important. So how can we approach problems in a way that promotes creative thinking and new solutions?

Four Ways to Promote Innovation

1. One of the most important aspects of innovation is the ability to think critically and challenge assumptions. This means being open to new ideas and questioning the status quo. By taking a critical and analytical approach, we can often identify the root causes of a problem and find innovative solutions that would otherwise have gone overlooked.
2. Another important aspect of innovation is the willingness to take risks. Innovative ideas often come from individuals who are willing to think outside the box and try new things. This means being open to failure and learning from mistakes. By taking risks, we can often find new and creative solutions to problems.
3. Having a diverse team is also key to innovation. A team that is diverse in terms of experiences, skills, and perspectives can help to challenge assumptions, identify new opportunities, and generate unique and innovative ideas.
4. Finally, innovation is often the result of collaboration and teamwork. By working together, people can share ideas, build on one another’s strengths, and support each other through the creative process. Collaboration allows individuals to combine their talents and resources in order to achieve greater results.

How Can You Become More Innovative?

Innovation is crucial for creating stronger and more resilient people, teams, and communities. When approaching problems under pressure, it is important to think critically, challenge assumptions, take risks, and collaborate with a diverse team. How do you know how innovative you are and how can you become a more innovative leader?

We built RITA to answer these questions. RITA is a psychometric tool that gives individuals the opportunity to explore their level of innovation, their strengths surrounding the concepts, and ways to improve and grow their innovative tendencies. Check it out here!