What is creativity?
In a New York Times article from 2/26, three researchers write about, yes, thinking outside the box. In “When Truisms Are True,” they talk about which conditions fostered the most creativity. Taking a walk along an unprescribed route yielded far better results than following a marked route.
How innovative are we?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/opinion/sunday/innovation-and-the-bell-labs-miracle.html
In his article “True Innovation and the Bell Labs Miracle,” Jon Gertner argues that, to qualify as innovations, the work must be lasting. In the words of Marvin Kelly, Chairman of the Board of Bell Labs, an innovation must do a job “better, or cheaper, or both.” The type of innovation he had in mind “creates millions of jobs and a long-lasting platform for society’s wealth and well-being.”
This graphic provides a much better idea of this line of thought.