Was Steve Jobs Innovative or Creative?

Steve Jobs: Innovative or Creative?

The difference between creativity and innovation is rather subtle. Indeed, the two words have in the past been used interchangeably. To determine whether Steve Jobs was innovative or creative, we would first have to define the two terms and highlight what each entails.

Creativity, as I have pointed out above is most times associated with innovation. In the words of Clegg (2009, p. 2), "from the origins of the words themselves, innovation would seem to be about newness, while creativity is about bringing something into being." Although it appears rather difficult to firmly put Steve Jobs in either category, upon closer analysis of his life and times, one would say that Jobs was more innovative than creative.

To begin with, in addition to seeking problems, innovators, according to McKenna (p. 237), "derive a challenge from seeking new and possibly unexpected solutions." Most of the products whose development Jobs spearheaded are indicative of his innovative spirit -- his desire to find new solutions for existing challenges. For instance, with regard to the iPod device, Jobs correctly identified an existing challenge in the music industry -- portability of music. With this, he proceeded to spearhead the development of a portable musical device that subsequently took the world by storm.

When it comes to the implementation of decisions, innovators, in the words of McKenna (2000, p. 237) "appear undisciplined with a low tolerance for routine work." From the onset, Jobs appeared 'undisciplined' in the conventional sense, with most of those who worked with him noting that he had a rather unique and different way of doing things. It is for this reason that Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari (one of the very first companies to offer Jobs a position), described him as "difficult but valuable" (Cassidy, 2013). Later on, at Apple, Jobs had a reputation of calling meetings as early as 7 AM and holding others well past midnight. It is not difficult to see that he was not a stickler for routine. Further, he was simply not satisfied with the success of a single device and it is for this reason that he kept pushing engineers and developers at Apple to come up with new products.