Like so many philosophical questions, one that has come to mind frequently is whether or not the ability to be innovative and creative is innate, or if it is a characteristic that can be trained. Instinct as well as a little bit of experience leads me to believe that it is possible to learn and be trained to achieve new levels of creativity. As a child, didn’t you do a craft or sport where practice helped you excel over time? Then why would it be different in other activities, such as writing; creating or innovating in whatever area you specialize?

Many experts in innovation and creativity have arrived at the same conclusion that we can all practice to become innovators instead of keeping our fingers crossed to have been born that way. In the following we present five behaviors that distinguish innovators according to Clayton Christensen, as well as Ken Robinson and Roger Martin’s point of view about the topic.

In order for a company to innovate, many times it requires the unification of various ideas: a combination of different insights that can be within our area as well as outside our sphere of knowledge. Clayton Christensen explains in his book The Innovator’s DNA that when innovators invest time and energy to find and test their ideas with a group of diverse individuals they acquire a radically new and enriched perspective. Discover in the following his 6 exercises to achieve a networked team that drives the exchange of ideas.