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Creativity & Innovation

You may have your own ideas about innovations, but as a manager you should also be encouraging people who use your service, your staff and colleagues to think differently or try out new approaches. You'll need to be supportive of appropriate risk taking, and able to work creatively across organisational boundaries in the best interests of the person using your service. Focusing on desired outcomes, rather than prescribing how these should be achieved, may help you drive continuous improvement.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.

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).
  • Scottish Co-production Network The Scottish Co-production Network provides a locus for the sharing of learning and the exchange of co-production practice.
  • Everyday innovation report Research report which looks at how to enhance innovative working in today's economic climate.
  • In this together - Building Knowledge about co-production Developed by the New Economic Foundation. This report defines co-production and sets out examples of relevant practice to show the potentially transformative impact of co-production on all public services. Suggests that the co-production approach can change the way services are developed, delivered and change the way professionals work
  • A risk worth takingAn interactive learning resource which stimulates discussions about risk.
  • Kotter’s eight step change model The eight step process of leading change.
  • 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

Step into Leadership – Bluebird Care

"If you follow the line that the greatest innovation and creativity is needed at the greatest times of change, then we are in that position at the moment. So there is more need… for that now than there has been in decades because of the climate that we are currently in."

Blanchard, K (2006) Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager, London, Harper Collins

Manager: Leadership Capability Indicators
Corporate leader: Leadership Capability Indicators
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