Creativity in the Workplace
16/06/09
Creativity in the workplace is proven to boost staff productivity and satisfaction, and help improve company performance.
In fact, creativity and innovation are essential for the growth and survival of any business. Embracing creativity can be the difference between success and failure.
For many though, the art of using the creative right side of the brain was lost somewhere in their teenage years.
Education, cultural inhibitions and modern society teach us that logic and analytical reason are more important, and this is reinforced in the business arena - especially so in the professional services sector like law, accountancy and banking.
As a result, business leaders and managers get too bogged down by logical processes and results.
By combining structured thinking with creativity we can use ‘whole brain thinking' - a more powerful and complete way of thinking.
Being able to connect the two can lead to better communication, more innovative problem-solving, effective ways of developing new products or services, and improved teamwork.
Companies such as Apple, Dyson, Microsoft, Google and Tesco don't sit still, plan and build on what's already in the marketplace. They use ‘whole brain' thinking to come up with completely new - and possibly, at the time of concept, outrageous - ideas.
In a highly competitive environment, it is essential to create a point of difference to be seen and heard above the noise.
But how can we help to encourage creativity? Employing a person that's only using half their potential and talents is not very productive.
By freeing up an individual's innate creativity and innovative abilities, companies can benefit from better decision-making; more inspired solutions; imaginative planning; improved results; and a more engaged workforce.
Everybody within an organisation should be encouraged to be creative. A creative work culture fosters openness and dynamic and constructive debate within business.
To embed creativity within a company it is best to nurture it from the top and allow it to cascade down. If senior personnel don't buy in, then staff will quickly get slapped down and not be given the chance to air their ideas.
Stifling creative thought is the easy option, particularly as permitting people the space to be creative might be seen by many to be time wasting.
Encouraging innovation and imagination allows an individual to experience their thoughts, feelings, ideas and suggestions, which can provide clarity on issues or solutions.
A simple way to start the process of developing a creative work culture is to hold regular ideas sessions that involve individuals from different departments and different management levels.
Give employees permission to be creative and praise ideas regardless of how irrelevant they may seem at the time.
Offer rewards for good ideas and make sure that people are kept informed on what's happening, even if the idea's been put on the back burner for a while.
And try suggestion boxes for those not involved in the ideas sessions.
Once the process of opening the channel of communication has started, businesses can look at other ways to foster creativity and embed this culture into their organisation.
It could just simply be reading a poem or discussing a picture before a meeting to trigger the creative thought processes.
Or organise a workshop that allows people to connect logical thinking with inspirational thinking and to explore their feelings in a non-threatening environment.
Art, drama, singing, writing stories, music and poetry can all be used to help unlock creativity.
So be bold and think the unthinkable. Open up the creativity in everyone and sit back and reap the rewards in business.
And remind yourself often of what Einstein said - that you can't solve a problem using the same kind of thinking that created it.
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Richard Hawkes is an executive coach and runs Unlimited Potential, a coaching and leadership development company. He also leads a think tank of top businessmen with Vistage, an organisation dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and enhancing the lives of chief executives.
David Adams is an associate executive coach with Unlimited Potential and a performance poet. He specialises in unlocking creativity in business people through poetry. David also leads a Vistage group.
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