Creativity and Innovation 

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Directory of workplace creativity training programs. Articles and information on employee innovation.
Expert Meeting Facilitators and Creativity/Meeting Training
Highly interactive & effective training for creativity, innovation and meeting management. Engaging & productive meeting & retreat facilitation.
www.ideaguides.com
Innovation in Slow Times
Workshops to Improve Your Team's Creativity & Problem Solving Skills
BottomLineInnovation.com
Business Strategy
Got Success in Business With Useful Business Strategy
bestpracticeinstitute.org
Creativity Training
Workshops, Videos, Assessment, Certification, Games, free ezine.
www.humanext.com
Think Out of the Box
Create a culture that sparks ideas Fun creative programs to open minds
www.leapfroginnovations.com
MIT Innovation Program
Learn how to manage innovation from concept to commercialization.
mitsloan.mit.edu/dsi
Keynote Speaker
International Author Wisdom of Alexander the Great
lancekurke.com
Managing Innovation
Acclaimed by Dr. Edward de Bono for our success in training others
www.debonogroup.com
ThinkShop, Inc.
Think forward to innovation. Idea generation & brand strategy.
www.thinkshop.com
The Best Innovation Kit
Cards, tools, workbooks in One Kit! Find the Best Kit For Your Company
www.ideachampions.com
Think Smarter.
The secret to creative thinking is no longer a secret...
www.foursightonline.com
Innovation Management
Empower your People. Capitalize on Innovation. Try Online Solution.
www.stormweight.com
Related Business Topics
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A-Z Creativity and Innovation Provider Directory
0-9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Creativity Will Give You The Edge!
Article by Ric Lobosco, from Allies Consulting Services.
www.alliesconsulting.com
B
BrainTainment Center - IQ Tests and Memory Improvement - What is your IQ?
Online destination for brain health, fitness and achieving peak mental performance.
www.brain.com
Agents of Innovation
Article by Carol Orsag Madigan, from Businessfinancemag.com.
www.businessfinancemag.com
C
Workplace Learning Conference May 7 - 9, 2000
Workplace learning consultants and speakers.
www.cew.wisc.edu
Gregory P. Smith's book on innovative leadership
Bringing Creativity and Innovation to the Workplace.
www.chartcourse.com
Grant Ingle - Employee Rights
Article - Grant Ingle is an organizational psychologist who specializes in developing programs of workplace innovation.
www.context.org
D
'Creativity in the Workplace'
A complete training session can be downloaded.
www.dxmarket.com
E
Edward de Bono - lateral thinking
Web site relates to most of Dr de Bono's work in the teaching of 'thinking tools', lateral thinking and the communications framework.
www.edwdebono.com
Workplace Creativity
Information on how to increase employees' creative potential.
www.employer-employee.com
Enchanted Mind
The purpose of this site is to create a daily experience of humor, inspiration and creative problem solving.
enchantedmind.com
Vantage Quest: Harmonics for Creativity & Personal Growth
Creativity, relaxation, meditation, and personal transformation enhanced with entheogenic harmonics that entrain altered states of consciousness.
www.enterquest.com
Equis
National commercial real estate services firm-headquartered in Chicago,Illinois.
www.equiscorp.com
F
Creative Incentives
Custom imprinted promotional products, advertising specialties, and premium incentives used for increasing sales and profits, motivating employees, introducing new products and services.
creativeads.freeyellow.com
G
Creativity and Innovation in the Workplace
Information on creative hiring tools, culture transformation and current creativity in the marketplace.
www.geocities.com
GoCreative Center
Global collaboration of creative people promoting the development new ideas through creative thinking, creativity, innovation, invention, problem solving, idea generation, professional creative people inspire ideas, team building, strategy devel...
www.gocreate.com
I
Expert Meeting Facilitators and Creativity/Meeting Training
Highly interactive & effective training for creativity, innovation and meeting management. Engaging & productive meeting & retreat facilitation.
www.ideaguides.com
Inspiration Software, Inc.
Developer of visual learning and thinking software for Macintosh and Windows. Products are sold to multiple industries. This company was capitalized by private investment.
www.inspiration.com
J
Creative thinking needs to be rewarded
Article from Joan Lloyd & Associates.
www.joanlloyd.com
Hoarding an idea can make it worthless
Article from Joan Lloyd & Associates.
www.joanlloyd.com
M
Innovation Research Centre
Management of Innovation and New Technology (MINT)* Research Centre Home Page.
mint.mcmaster.ca
Links to Creativity Web Sites
Creative websites for the workplace.
minorkey.com
O
Outward Bound Professional
Non-profit with mission to create positive lasting change in the workplace by helping organizations improve individual, group, and organizational effectiveness.
www.outwardboundpro.org
P
Prevail
Provider of programs and consulting in creativity and innovative thinking to translate visions and ideas into actionable, impactful strategies.
www.prevail.org
R
Creativity in Science and Engineering
Report - Copyright 1998 by Ronald B. Standler.
www.rbs0.com
Remarq
Online forum - promoting the use of creativity in all human endeavors.
www.remarq.com
T
Innovation Network
An association offering resources for personal creativity and organizational innovation.
thinksmart.com
Innovation in Slow Times
Workshops to Improve Your Team's Creativity & Problem Solving Skills
BottomLineInnovation.com
Business Strategy
Got Success in Business With Useful Business Strategy
bestpracticeinstitute.org
Creativity Training
Workshops, Videos, Assessment, Certification, Games, free ezine.
www.humanext.com

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Guide author

Guide to Creativity and Innovation for Small Business

Creativity and innovation put you on the road to market leadership

By Donna Fenn

You have to be extraordinary agile to keep up with today's constantly changing competitive environment. The best way to ensure lasting success is to make sure that everyone in your company is encouraged and rewarded for thinking and behaving creatively. Create a culture of creativity and innovation and you will:
  1. Continue to deliver products and/or services that are valuable to your customers
  2. Establish yourself as a market leader
  3. Build a more vibrant and engaged workforce
  4. Become an expert at identifying and acting upon great ideas

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done


Encourage brainstorming and idea generation

Innovation is essentially the introduction of something new — the concrete result of creative ideas. With the right tools, everyone can be taught to think creatively.

I recommend: Ten Ways to Spark Creativity will help you jumpstart the process. Go to Invention-Help.com for some simple brainstorming tools; see Innovation Tools to for a four-step problem-solving process. Go to this page on Innovation Tools for creativity software reviews. To download free creativity software, go to Download.com. For fun and insight, take an innovation quiz on Innovation for Dummies. Try a creativity coach: check one out at Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching.

Listen to your customers

Your customers are often your best source of new ideas. Ask them how they'd like your product or service improved, but also master the art of observing them. Look for trouble spots; they're your opportunity for innovation.

I recommend: Follow the steps in Turn Customer Input into Innovation.

Develop systematic methods for evaluating new ideas

Consider all ideas, even the ones that seem a little crazy. But make sure you evaluate them objectively before investing time and money bringing them to market.

I recommend: For step-by-step advice on assessing ideas, go to Planware.org. Also check out The Innovation Managers Check-List.

Protect new inventions

Great ideas breed copycats. First, do a thorough patent search to make sure you're not infringing on anyone else's territory, and then register your own patent or copyright.

I recommend: If you have an idea for a new product, see The Inventor's Handbook to find out whether your idea is patentable. Go to The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to do trademark and patent searches. Access patent application forms on this page of the USPTO site. File a USPTO trademark application here.

Reward success (and failure!)

Employees need to feel invested in innovation, so reward them for suggesting great ideas that fly and for 'failing fast' with ones that don't quite get off the ground.

I recommend: Follow these Seven Principles for Successful Employee Recognition. See The Power of Positive Employee Recognition for specific recognition ideas.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

  • •  Customers can't always articulate their needs, so instead of asking them about your product or service, watch them using it and look for trouble spots.
  • •  Educate employees about the rules of engagement for brainstorming (i.e. no negative comments!).
  • •  If you've invented a new product, seek legal advice on patents and trademarks immediately.
  • •  Great innovation breeds copycats, so stay one step ahead of the competition by innovating continuously, not just once.
  • •  Prototype new ideas as quickly as possible to give them form and substance.

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Guide author

Creativity and Innovation for Small Business

Creativity and innovation put you on the road to market leadership.
You have to be extraordinary agile to keep up with today's constantly changing competitive environment. The best way to ensure lasting success is to make sure that everyone in your company is encouraged and rewarded for thinking and behaving creatively. Create a culture of creativity and innovation and you will: Continue to deliver products and/or services that are valuable to your customers Establish yourself as a market ... Read more
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