Psychology of innovation

- Have you ever come across someone that you would describe as naturally creative? How exactly would you describe this creativity? This is something that psychologists have spent a lot of time researching and there is some key traits you can nurture and grow if you want to enhance your creativity and your ability to be innovative. Creative people rates highly on the personality traits of being open to change. The reason for this is in order to be creative and create innovative outputs, you need to be open to the idea that the status quo can be challenged. You also need to believe there may be a better and alternative way of doing things based on new developments. According to psychologists, creative people tend to have the ability to use psychological flexibility. In other words, they can generate a large amount of ideas, they can switch between perspectives, and they can find unusual associations between ideas, also known as divergent thinking. Those who are innovative also display exceptional problem solving skills and judgment. They view challenges as opportunities and look for ways to solve issues and create better ways of working or products or services. Their judgment enables them to understand which ideas will work in practice and which ideas shouldn't be explored. Ironically, those who have creative flair often tend to be playful and disciplined at the same time. The playful and humorous approach encourages an open exploration of ideas. On the flip side, when it comes to putting ideas into practice, it takes discipline and focus. These two faces of creativity are skillfully encouraged at Pixar Animation Studios. Individuals who apply innovation well are able to explore their imagination and fantasy with what if style thinking. When you think of innovators such as Elon Musk, this trait is clear. What great innovators are also good at is keeping one foot in reality. They explore boundless opportunities but when it comes to application, this has to be grounded in reality and towards possible. These two traits are commonplace for individuals who work at SpaceX. Another surprising tension of those that are creative is the ability to utilize introvert's and extrovert's personality traits. Often we're told you have to be one or the other. But this is an oversimplified way of looking at personality. Actually, innovators can switch between focused thinking and working alone to generate ideas and exploring ways to apply their thinking with others. When you're thinking about enhancing your own creativity, it's useful to know the key areas you can focus on. When creating an innovative team, it's helpful to consider types of personalities that collectively have the potential to create an effective team. You don't need each individual to have all of the traits associated with creativity. Working in a team environment means you can utilize different strengths and traits to create one effective group. Take some time to consider which of these traits you would say you utilize well. Consider how this impacts your creativity and ability to be innovative. Are there areas you'd like to develop? Now think about teams you frequently work within, can you identify these traits and strengths in other people?