Schools of Innovation: How Academic Organizations Foster Creativity

In the ever-important search for innovation, many companies are looking to their alma maters for ideas on how to motivate and inspire greater creativity in their workforce. While many might envision the university as a repository of aging professors and ivy covered buildings, the dynamic of the academic organization is replete with elements designed to stimulate the creative output faculty members. This paper reviews five such elements: Progress, Sabbaticals, Connection, Autonomy, and Lectures. Examples from the for-profit sector are also discussed.