Innovative Thinking: Why It's The Skill of the Future

With the pace of technological change, many jobs are at high risk of automation. Innovative thinking is a crucial skill for individuals and organizations to remain competitive. Innovative thinking involves creative problem-solving and the ability to come up with new ideas and novel approaches to problems. The article explores 12 actionable ways to develop innovative thinking skills. As an individual, one can combine two different ideas, generate lots of ideas, set constraints to boost creativity, collect and manage ideas, take time away from the desk, and adopt an experimental mindset. As part of an organization, encouraging team members to come up with solo ideas, always looking for ways to get better, learning from other departments, companies, or industries, getting specific about the problems customers face, being intentional about designing a creative work environment, and building a diverse team helps develop innovative thinking skills.