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Creativity and Innovation: What Is the Difference?

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Encyclopedia of Creativity, Invention, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Synonyms

Creative process; Creative thinking; Innovative thinking; Innovativeness; Invention

Introduction

Innovation is again the buzzword du jour (Kanter 2006). As such, many well-meaning practitioners use the words creative process, creativity, and innovation interchangeably, which sews the seeds of confusion and does not help the field flourish. There is a need for rigor in language, a need to be clear about what it is that people lead, research, seek, teach, and facilitate. As practitioners and researchers march down the path of making the study of creative thinking, creativity, and innovation more deliberate, repeatable, useful, and accepted, mixing words that have different meanings creates confusion which makes it more difficult to fully understand the topic at hand. When one presents research on “innovation,” when they really mean a “creative process,” it jeopardizes the acceptance of both by causing furrowed brows and making it easier to raise objections that derail the...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Creative Leadership, 1 Leadership Place, Greensboro, NC, 27410, USA

    Dr. Jonathan Vehar

Authors
  1. Dr. Jonathan Vehar
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Correspondence to Jonathan Vehar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Information Systems & Technology, Management, School of Business, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Elias G. Carayannis

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Vehar, J. (2013). Creativity and Innovation: What Is the Difference?. In: Carayannis, E.G. (eds) Encyclopedia of Creativity, Invention, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3858-8_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3858-8_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-3857-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-3858-8

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