The new language for innovation is Arabic

– Professor Kanes K Rajah

here is a lot said about creativity and innovation in relation to products and services. Yet, at the heart of it all, lie people who either make innovations happen or who prevent any flourish of creativity from ever taking place.

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But how many of our senior managers or leaders actually understand or realise what creativity or innovation actually mean? In my study of various senior groups, including senior academics, I found that there are many who do not really know or understand these words. Or within such groups each has their own different interpretations of them, most of which are unlikely to explain high yielding outputs! So, to put the cat amongst the pigeons, I tossed in the word invention to obtain their understanding of what it is about and what little credibility any of these groups had evaporated!

I have a simple explanation for all three, which I find makes sense:

Creativity: Coming up with unique ideas which are fit for purpose (which means you can do something with them),

Invention: making these ideas workable either as new processes or products, and,

Innovation: Exploiting these inventions for tangible (i.e. money) or intangible benefit (i.e. improvement in the quality of a service or an experience for no financial gain).

However, these still relate to services and products. But what of people? This brings into focus the

60 Management Today | September 2011

recent developments in the Middle East. In a remarkable turn of events the region erupted in an impressive display of pro-democratic activity. No longer the fanatical call of Moslem extremists, but the cry for freedom by the masses, which rang out into the night sky of major Arabic speaking capitals. Down came despots and dictators, first with President Ben Ali of Tunisia and then President Mubarak of Egypt and change began to happen. With Colonel Gadafi of Libya, President Assad of Syria and Yemen under siege by the people, even King Hamad of Bahrain is being challenged by a popular uprising. Given the complex environment we now live in relative to even thirty years ago, old systems of government and governance no longer meet the needs and expectations of society. The new movement is about innovation in people.