From Sustainability Constraints To Creative Action: Increasing Managerial Innovation By Simultaneously Solving Social And Commercial Needs

This chapter advances the proposition that simultaneously solving social and commercial needs, also known as sustainability constraints, results in greater product innovation. It presents a straightforward yet counterintuitive way to enhance managerial innovation. The chapter defines innovation as a two stage process: creativity as the first stage and implementation as the second stage. It links the two concepts and discusses their point of intersection, presenting presents arguments supporting a positive relationship among sustainability constraints, creativity, and implementation. The chapter also introduces some guiding questions managers can consider in order to include both social and commercial criteria in decision—making, a strategy for turning sustainability constraints into performance. Finally, the chapter covers situations when sustainability constraints reduce innovation.