Creativity and Innovation in R&D Organization
Segment III: From Creativity to Innovation
Dr. Rogelio V. Cuyno
Creativity and innovation are related. Creation precedes innovation. One cannot be innovative without creativity. But creativity does not always end up in innovation. Just to be different or change does not mean innovation. The product of creation could lead to innovation if it is useful or has additional value to the user compared to what exists. It is the user who decides what is an innovation. Creativity is creator centered while innovation is user centered.
Great advances in genetics and molecular biology, which is creativity, has given rise to improved crops such as maize, cotton, soybean, canola through genetic engineering. These improvements are now used by almost 20 million farmers in 28 countries. This is innovation and impact.
In Physics, electricity and magnetism, early works of Faraday, Maxwell, and Edison which is creativity has been passed on to generations of innovative scientists and engineers producing generations of new products, such as, computers, smart phones, and other electronic devices, are innovation and impact. It is innovations that change the world.
It was a creative person who invented the ballpen. There was chemistry, physics, and engineering that were at play to create this writing instrument.
Later, a number of variations emerged, each one functionally and aesthetically better than the previous generation from the perspective of the user. Each generation is an innovation.
Creativity and innovation are related. Creativity precedes innovation. One cannot be innovative without creativity.
