Creativity and Innovation are Social, Study Shows

Creativity and innovation are fostered by our social interactions, says a study by Mark Marone, PhD., the Director of Research and Thought Leadership for Dale Carnegie and Associates.

“Innovation is social. The fate of creative ideas depends in large part on the communication and interpersonal skills of an organization’s people,” Marone writes.

LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Reports in 2019 and 2020 identified creativity as the soft skill most sought after by employers. Creativity will enable organizations to survive in an increasingly volatile and complex world.

Many companies try to identify creative candidates during the interview process, but simply filling a workplace with creative people is not enough. In order for ideas to lead to innovation, employees must feel comfortable expressing themselves and taking risks.

Team leaders can encourage creativity by connecting team tasks to the organization’s purpose, creating a climate of psychological safety and teaching essential creative competencies and processes. Senior leaders can promote it by effectively communicating the organization’s purpose, fostering diversity and supporting true empowerment and risk-taking.

“Through sincerely empowering people and supporting risk-taking, leaders can create a climate for creative initiative where everyone feels they have a part in advancing creative ideas and innovation,” Marone concludes.

You can read the entire study here.