Creativity results when curiosity, imagination and knowledge collide, generating ideas and making connections between what we know now and desired future outcomes. Some could argue that those with greater knowledge are the most creative; however, without curiosity, there is little creation. Clearly, both are needed to generate ideas, patterns and combinations that can lead to new and innovative products and services.
Innovation often starts with a question, a challenge or a series of events that prompt action. Innovation and creativity lead to change and, to enact change for the better, we need to analyse where we are now and evaluate where we would like to be.
With so many lives lost, livelihoods threatened and the economic situation, it is hard to find positive messages from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it could be argued that the situation with COVID-19 has accelerated change, and driven creativity and innovation in the health service at a pace unseen in recent times. It has compelled staff, at all levels, to challenge the old normal and find new standards that enable care for our patients in safe and accessible ways.
Some innovations have been reflexive, tearing down the hierarchy and red tape that bound health and social care, resulting in leaner and more agile systems that enable faster and more pragmatic decision-making. Decision-making has been reinvigorated with change being adopted at scale and pace, often as a result of iterative processes where embryonic ideas are developed into usable solutions, further generating new ideas.
Creation starts with discovery: becoming aware of, or stumbling across a novel thought. If we are honest, we mostly shelve these ideas, forgetting them as soon as they occur or discounting them as something that would not work, or that would take time and effort to develop. The day job and life simply get in the way, competing demands take priority. The pandemic has enforced a pause on services, leading to a greater focus on invention. ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ is an often used quote that means that need is the pressing force behind creativity and innovation. If the need, technology and science exist, a solution will emerge. Perhaps one of the problems in today's commercial world is scalability and the need to establish a return on investment. However, not all innovation needs cash nor do we all need to be Einstein, Bell or Newton to create solutions to identified problems. We simply need a shared purpose, energy, belief and engagement. After all, the best solutions are effortless to adopt, they fill a gap and are seen to add value to the end user.
If a discovery helps us to work, feel more engaged, productive or valued, we find innovative ways to embed it in practice. Innovation can, in turn, inspire new ideas that yield further productivity, ultimately helping other staff and service users. This is how creativity in the workplace thrives.
‘It could be argued that the situation with COVID-19 has accelerated change and driven creativity and innovation in the health service at a pace unseen in recent times’
Creativity and innovation are not the same: the former relates to generating new ideas; whereas innovation is the application and adoption of that idea. In many ways they are a collaborative enterprise.
The field of tissue viability has long adopted innovation and this editorial focuses on strategies to increase our creativity and innovation. Here is a list of points to consider.
The pandemic has allowed teams to focus on the ‘now’ instead of chasing the next big idea. It has forced local innovation at all levels, challenging what had been done. Perhaps, during this time of reset and reflection, we now need to evaluate what we want to keep, what we need to stop doing, and whether there are unintended consequences of the changes that have been made. In doing so we will ensure patient safety and fuel the next wave of creativity and innovation.