Are you more of a creator or an innovator?
How creatively adept is your team?
Is your manager more of a visionary, luminary or mentor?
How innovative is your organization?
This free test shows you your company‘s creative and innovative potential.
Research projects at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (since 2012).
According to the IQudo Creativity Dividend Study*, creative companies more frequently achieve higher revenue growth and show significantly greater employer attractiveness. We were able to substantiate this correlation through research conducted at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). In total, 102 participants from companies in Germany took part in the IQudo study. Specifically, creative companies achieve sales growth of over 10 percent 3.1 times more often and growth of over 20 percent 4.5 times more often than non-creative companies.
* Walter, K.M.. (2024)
In 2016, as part of a Master’s thesis*, we surveyed 155 engineers at the car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz about workplace creativity. According to the findings, passion is the main reason for resourcefulness at work. 55 percent of the Mercedes-Benz engineers surveyed identified „love for their profession“ as creativity-promoting. Based on the study, conducted at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, we developed the innovation method Dual Thinking. With Dual Thinking, developers seek a solution based on both their passion and the user’s needs. This dual approach combines intrinsic motivation and empathy.
* Kind, T. (2016)
In 2002, Harvard Professor Teresa Amabile put forward the thesis that time pressure prevents creative thinking: „Quite simply, extremely high time pressure may engender cognitive strategies that allow no time to think creatively.“ On the other hand, there are always examples of individuals, teams, or companies that achieve creative solutions under enormous time pressure.
To investigate which factors influence creativity under time pressure, we conducted a qualitative study in 2022 in the form of semi-structured expert interviews.* We interviewed directors, creative directors, and editors about creativity under the gun. We wanted to know which factors have a positive or negative influence. The result of the expert survey: It’s possible to be creative under time pressure if certain conditions are met. Time pressure can even foster concentration and willingness to experiment. However, diverse, mutually inspiring teams, a culture of trust, and intrinsic motivation are crucial for developing creative solutions in high-pressure situations. More about Creativity and Time Pressure.
To determine where, when, and how the best ideas emerge, we’ve been conducting the IQudo Ideation Studies, since 2010. The initial study in Stuttgart (Germany) revealed that only 6.4 percent of respondents had their best ideas at work. By 2015, in San Francisco, with 502 participants from various industries, that figure had already risen to over 16 percent. Then, in 2016, at the car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz in Germany, over a third of the 155 engineers reported finding their best ideas in the office.
What’s particularly interesting is that not a single engineer attributed their brilliant ideas to office design. The factor of time also played a subordinate role, ranking second to last with just ten percent of mentions. This is even more surprising given that all respondents faced significant time pressure.
The three main parameters that foster inventiveness in the office include passion for the job, inspiring colleagues, and creativity demanded by management.
50 factors the IQCI Analysis considers for an idea to succeed.
Developing ideas for products is much more complex than putting colorful post-its on a whiteboard. Actually, having a great idea is just the beginning! Even the most brilliant idea can end up in the bin without a resilient visionary tirelessly championing it; without a diverse team to develop it to roll-out; without a courageous CEO providing fresh capital; and without a corporate culture that demands out-of-the-box thinking.
The IQCI Analysis evaluates 50 factors across four levels, ensuring idea workshops are not just inspiring, but also profitable.
Measuring KPIs is crucial. But how to measure creativity? The IQCI analysis transforms business creativity into data—structured across four levels, ten sub-levels, 50 factors, and 70 items resulting in one IQCI-Score.
Understanding each employee’s creativity profile and distinguishing between Creators and Innovators enables the ideal formation of complementary innovation teams.
Systematically analyzing creativity and innovation sends a powerful message to high-potentials: their creative input is truly valued.
Using the IQCI analysis, you can create customized training programs that more precisely target and develop the innovation potential of employees, teams, and management.
Measuring the Innovation IQ before and after training interventions helps to demonstrate the success of investments in fostering creativity.
The IQCI score indicates the company’s innovation capability. This can help minimize risk in developing new ideas and allow for timely optimization measures.
