What is innovative thinking?
By definition, innovative thinking is “the ability to come up with new ideas and novel approaches to problems.”
Employers value innovation. It is a very sought after skill in today’s workforce. Companies seek out individuals to hire that have an innovative mindset to generate new ideas.
Innovative thinking builds solutions. It involves using new methods and new approaches to solve existing problems.
Students must master these skills to become innovative thinkers.
Innovative thinkers are:
- Creative – Like an artist, they have a vision and a creative mindset.
- Unique – They forge a path that’s new in their own style.
- Problem solvers – Innovators find clever solutions, exploring every possibility.
- Detail oriented – Every detail is taken into consideration through critical thinking.
- Curious – Innovators ask many questions, looking for unconventional ideas.
- Collaborative – Communication is key with group involvement to common goals.
How To Teach Innovation
College students and future entrepreneurs need to learn to be innovative in order to compete.
Startup Wars has the goal of aiding their students in building their innovation skills to become truly creative and innovative thinkers – by using innovation lesson plans.
So how can you learn to become more innovative?
Well, there are innovation process steps that a student or individual can learn to take to think more innovatively.
Startup Wars defines these steps:
Find Creativity: How to come up with innovative ideas? The first step is to carve out time to relax and think.
“Creativity is the residue of time wasted.” -Einstein.
It’s easier for a person to be creative when they are relaxed. A good mood and demeanor aid a student in the process of creativity. Put simply, creatively can not be forced.
For idea innovation, set aside time to relax, spend time with creative people, take in art and culture, and daydream ideas.
Observe The World: Innovators have sharp eyes.
“You can listen to what people say, sure. But you will be far more effective if you listen to what people do”-Seth Godin
Watch others to learn. Clever ideas can and do come from almost anywhere. Most successful business ideas were born from an innovative individual that observed a problem and creatively found a solution.
Value innovation strategy through strategically surrounding yourself with unique individuals that fuel your creativity.
Network and Communicate: Successful innovators love working with others to find a solution to a problem.
“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself” -Henry Ford
Employees that are driving innovation communicate effectively. They also find ways to develop a diverse network of contacts, giving them the upper hand in being innovative. Creativity and innovation involves teamwork.
How To Improve Innovative Thinking
So how can you improve your innovative thinking process?
There are many new innovation techniques and innovation methods to explore.
For students, education is the best resource. Real life experiences, like those from Startup Wars, help develop the creative process.
College students need to develop their innovation tools and techniques through steps. So what are these tools and steps?
Innovation tools and technique steps:
- Find the opportunity (the problem that needs solving)
- Discuss possible solutions (research and experiment)
- Determine and develop the best solution
- Deliver the solution effectively
Startup Wars utilizes simulation to teach this to their students.
Stay Creative
If you are already out in the workforce, one way to improve your skills is through creative thinking training and workshops. Online schools, like Udemy, offer creative thinking training and more to help you develop your skills.
An existing business can utilize innovation frameworks to guide their employees in innovation techniques. These frameworks give a business structure to aid a business in observing and prioritizing their options through scenarios.
Frameworks were created by innovative business leaders and consultants, drawing from their real life experiences.
Startup companies and organizations can and should set aside innovation resources (money) to help develop innovative ideas, educate employees with exciting classes – such as design thinking skills classes, strategy and innovation programs, and more.
