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Creativity & Innovation

Creating an organisational culture which encourages everyone to think differently and try out new or better ways of doing things requires strong leadership and a willingness to support appropriate risk. Focusing on desired outcomes rather than prescribing how these should be achieved can be a good starting point.

Encouraging creativity and innovation may involve:

  • Embracing change while acknowledging and listening to different points of view and the anxieties of others
  • Using evidence and research to support innovation
  • Encouraging innovation through collaboration and partnership
  • Constructively challenging people, assumptions and organisational constraints which impede new and creative ways of working.

Creativity & Innovation Resources

  • Personal Skills A number of resources for personal skills development are hosted on Good Practice for leaders and managers including creativity skills and techniques. Registration or an Athens username is needed – but if you work in Social Services and don’t already have one, you can request one from Social Services Knowledge Scotland (SSKS).
  • Kotter’s eight step change model The eight step process of leading change.
  • The change curve Mindtools looks first at the theory behind the Change Curve then at how you can use it to accelerate change and improve its likelihood of success.
  • A risk worth taking An interactive learning resource which stimulates discussions about risk.
  • Creating a culture of innovation IRISS report on a project which introduced people to using creativity tools and encouraged and supported them to use them within their own organisations. Also includes a review of literature relating to encouraging creativity.

Examples from Practice

What Others Say

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Charlie Allan - East Ayrshire Council

"Leaders are clear about the standards required but not rigid in determining how people approach their work, allowing space for creativity and new ideas."

(Enabling Leadership Research, 2016, p21)

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