By Sue Mosby

Business editors write headlines about it, company leaders want to cultivate it, and many organizations make it a key initiative. Creativity is the elixir of business. And while many people talk about creativity and innovation, the reality is most don't quite know what to do about the concepts.

Analytical and Creative Balance
There are two very distinct thinking methods within a business: analytical and creative. Both are important, and they should be carefully looked at and balanced with the other. Whole-brain thinking allows creativity and innovation to thrive, keeping the organization from getting stuck within analytical systems.

Companies have typically been built for operational effectiveness, which can be a barrier to creativity and innovation. Leading and building cultures for operational effectiveness is different than fostering creativity and supporting a culture of innovation. Barriers often exist within traditional business cultures that hinder creativity and innovation. The top three barriers are:

• Organizations and/or employees are risk-averse or have a strong fear of failure. We are taught from the time we enter the educational system to search for the "one right answer" to a challenge. If we believe this theory is true and apply it to our world, we would have one car to drive, one restaurant to eat in and one book to read. In the corporate world, we sometimes exhibit this learned behavior by asking, or even requiring, a PowerPoint deck, or stacks of data to be compiled providing proof that a creative idea or innovation will work. Isn't this an oxymoron?
  
• Bureaucracy is alive and well within an organization. It is human nature to find and take the path of least resistance. When it is too hard to move an idea through a system, or it takes too long, we will naturally take the path of least resistance leading to operating in the "way we have always done it." Additionally, if we have to "sell" the idea all the way through the organization, we will have to be excellent salespeople to get the idea on the top of the "to do list" of all those we touch.
  
• Time to "think" is not in the schedule. Corporate calendars often look like a UPC bar code, with 30-minute time slots in between countless hours of meetings. Spending the majority of time in meetings keeps our brains engaged in numbers, facts and sequences, all of which are left brain actions. Our creative right brain is not stimulated to engage or be creative. Ask your employees where they do their best thinking. The answers probably include: taking a walk, driving or in the shower. All of these activities have one thing in common: they don't have numbers, facts or similar tasks to keep our left brain engaged. This lets our right brain take over. We daydream, imagine and see things differently-our mind "plays." 

Remove Barriers to Creativity
The good news is that these barriers can be removed. Innovative companies work to create an environment where the answer to the question, "Where do you do your best thinking?" is, "At work." Additionally, thinking creatively can be learned.

There is a process to thinking creatively. It is not magic or limited to only a rare few-everyone can think creatively. There are also numerous tools and techniques to support creativity. This is good news for organizations that excel at processes and tools. Creative thinking is a developmental process, so don't expect a transformation overnight. But do expect some results immediately.

It has been said many times, and still holds true: An organization's greatest asset is its people. A commitment and initiative to unleash the creative thinking of your people and create a whole-brain thinking organization will reap exponential returns.

Sue Mosby is president and a "Thinking Partner" with Infinium, LLC, a creativity and innovation consultancy in Kansas City. The firm is committed to serving as a catalyst to organizations to help them think differently and achieve creative and innovative results. You can reach her at (816) 471-2066 or .