Difference between Creativity and Innovation

Creativity and Innovation terms are important concepts that play a vital role in problem-solving, idea generation, and also in various development places. Nowadays the world has become fast-paced, and technology is spreading its existence very rapidly, no one can predict how the world will be 5-10 years later, as many new inventions and modifications are becoming in a blink of an eye. So, if an individual wants to go along with the fast-paced world, then only the need for the individual is to be creative and innovative. In this article, we will go deep into the concept of Creativity and Innovation. Also, we will explore the difference between these two terms with unique parameters.

What is Creativity?

Creativity defines the power to create new ideologies, concepts, or solutions that are completely original, unique, and mostly valuable. Creativity allows the individual to think out of the box, by making the corrections between unrelated concepts and exploring unconventional solutions. The creativity concept is tightly bounded by imagination, curiosity, and the ability to see things from various dimensions and perspectives. Creativity can also be expressed as the fundamental point of human cognition which is suitable across different fields, like science, technology, corporates, etc.

Let’s understand the concept of creativity with a short and simple example:

Example:

A writer stands up with the very unique storyline or script and engaging characters for a novel that attracts and captivates the readers with its uniqueness, originality, and imaginative storytelling. In addition to the original story and engaging characters, the writer also creates narrative techniques, like non-linear storytelling and various perspectives. So this is the creativity, which is expressed by the writer in terms of the novel.

What is Innovation?

Innovation, in simple words, is the process of converting creative ideas into the implementation or practical to deliver value to people. This is considered an application-based activity that generated some useful value for institutions, organizations, and government bodies. Innovation can be simply new technology, products, methods/route of production, etc. Innovation comprises a fully complete lifespan of idea creation, its actual development, implementation, and commercialization.

Let’s understand the concept of Innovation with a short and simple example:

Example:

A business company innovates compact and fully portable solar consisting powered chargers for laptop devices, which provide a convenient eco-friendly solution for charging. Based on the success of this charger, the company also advances and innovates the advanced energy storage features in the device. So this is Innovation, which is defined in terms of practical implementation from creativity.

Difference between Creativity and Innovation

Basis	Creativity	Innovation
Definition	The process to create new and valuable ideas for organizations and governments.	The process of practically implementing creative ideas and actually delivering the intended values.
Focus	The main focus is applied to idea generation.	The main focus is applied to idea implementation.
Output	Output is seen in terms of concepts, ideas, insights, etc.	Output is seen in terms of new products, services, business models, etc.
Scope	Individual thinking and ideation are the main scopes of creativity.	Organizational and systemic change is the main scope of innovation.
Execution	Mental and imaginative execution is seen in creativity.	Requires action, practical implementation, and execution.
Emphasis	Emphasis is on originality, uniqueness, and novelty.	Emphasis is on market viability and applicability.