The Creative Innovation Toolbox

by Berghs School of Communication

Communication is a great tool for unlocking innovative solutions to both the present and future challenges we face. We believe that one of the keys to successful communication is to integrate strategy and creativity. Berghs offers courses in strategic communication, PR, creativity, design, project management, and growth – and the creative process combines various competencies while granting space for a variety of perspectives. By working with process thinking, we teach students how to be both creatigists and streatives!

The problem often provides the gateway to a truly great idea. Employing a strategic process with clear-cut insights unlocks much more creativity than working without one. Today, it’s all about innovation and the ability to elevate ideas to innovative levels, where they become useful and beneficial. Creative processes, with small innovative steps.

Scandinavian values gone global!

Why is Sweden ranked so high on
innovation and creativity?

Why does Sweden rank so high when it comes to innovation and creativity? At Berghs, we describe it as the power of co-created magic! Springing from a strong set of Scandinavian values – all quite basic and applicable to any creative innovation process – this power shapes the way we both think and act. Add these Scandinavian perspectives to your way of working – not just as an afterthought but as the base foundation upon which all else is built.

#1 Sustainability

Go Greta! It’s no surprise that a Swedish student has taken on the mission of waking up the world to the climate crisis. Or that Scandinavians in general place a great deal of importance on balancing our work and private lives, and sharing home tasks in order to help our relationships last. Sustainability in every aspect of our lives play an important role in the way we innovate today – and tomorrow.

#2 Equality

Sweden is one of the oldest democracies in the world. Democracy itself extends to our companies and creative processes. A voice is only as strong as the power of the idea that “hen” (the Swedish non-gender term for he/she) brings to the group. Gender, race, job title – they’re all irrelevant in the bigger scheme of things. Always aiming to include everybody and maximizing positive impact is a great driver for successful change.

#3 Openess

In Sweden, transparency is the default. It’s entirely natural to approach the Prime Minister and say hello, and we all speak openly with one another in industry forums, helping each other to improve. Being a small country far up north, we think on global terms when innovating and adapt to new products and services quickly and easily, whatever their origins. For Swedes, hierarchies are few, meetings are many, and openness is a top priority.

#4 Fika

When it comes to the few Swedish words that have achieved global status, we are perhaps most proud of FIKA. The infamous concept of sitting down with a cup of coffee and pastry around 3pm is so much more than a chance to simply top up your physical batteries. Tone of voice, sense of inclusion, and desire to talk something through to make it better are all essential aspects of fika-time. Fika prioritizes conversation, placing it as a key tool at the center of any process. Try it! Make genuine dialogue a key prerequisite for creating and encouraging your own innovative social climate.

#5 Trust

We don’t all have to especially like one another, but trust is another matter. Swedes maintain a very high level of trust with one another, which creates a strong foundation for collaboration and scraps unhealthy, unproductive silos. Trust also paves the way to faster innovation processes and a higher level of psychological safety in new teams and task forces. Given the world we live in today, trust just might be the biggest asset of all when accelerating your creative innovation process.

Creative Innovation Tools

How can we tap into our own creativity and that inherent in an organization? The following are important principles and methods we practice at Berghs with our students.

Tool 1