You Don’t Need to Outsource to Innovate

Only 41% of people describe themselves as creative.

And in professional teams, this often leads to a belief that new ideas need to come from somewhere else.

Consultants, agencies, contractors.

It seems safer to hire in external experts to come up with new ideas and fresh thinking. They can bring their own perspective and see the same problems in a new way.

The result is often impressive on the surface - a polished report or flashy prototype - but over time, those solutions can fall out of step with the real needs of the team.

Hiring in external support only patches over the problem, it's a temporary solution, and it often doesn't create.

Change comes from within

Organisational change is difficult to achieve when people feel as though something is being done to them, not with them.

For things to truly change, and solutions to truly stick, we can't hire someone external to bring their own solution. The solution needs to be co-created with the people who know the problem best - the ones who will be living with the solution long term.

At Big Echo, we know creative thinking and innovation are achievable for everyone.

Because deep down, we are all creative - and we are often the best people to solve our own challenges, we just need the training and confidence to go about it.

When that happens, teams design solutions from the heart - ideas that are authentic, values-led, and built to last.

Recently, our founder Tom Parson joined Dr Rachel Connor on her Stories of Creative Courage series to explore this very topic: how creativity connects us, empowers us, and helps us lead change from within.