In this week’s edit, we look at why creativity is the most valuable skill. Although central to change, innovation and design, creativity is often undervalued while pragmatism, efficiency and logic are prioritised. But these qualities can – and should – exist in harmony. All aspects of business can benefit from creativity. 

In order to pursue a better future for all stakeholders on our planet, creativity is a fundamental building block. How can companies truly champion creativity as the essential skill that it is? And how can they harness creativity in pursuit of a higher purpose?

It’s time for employers and employees alike to value creativity for what it really represents: the path to a better future. 

This is our edit of the global conversation on purpose.

• The importance of innovation: why creativity is the most valuable skill (Entrepreneur). 
• “Fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology”: Sony boss Kenichiro Yoshida on the importance of creativity in enacting a company’s social purpose (The Financial Times). 
• Why products and services should be designed with humans at their centre (Creative Review). 
• Are carefree summers now a thing of the past? (The New York Times).
• What businesses can learn about innovation from Bowie, Beyonce and more (Harvard Business Review IdeaCast).
• Why undervaluing creatives is bad for business and what employers can do about it (Fast Company). 
• The line between checking in and micromanaging: how to be an effective remote leader (The Economist). 
• And finally, reverse brainstorming: a new technique to spur creativity in your team (Forbes).