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How does one infuse creativity into the workplace?
With companies trying to "brand" themselves and employees often having little say about what goes on at headquarters, how does one infuse creativity into the workplace?
Do we "break the employers rules"? (and pay the consequences)
Should sections of businesses leave a small portion of their business open for creative experiment?
Are the creative choices and experimenting with new ideas worth the risk?
Are there employers that you know that leave room for creativity and personal exploration? ie: google
Robert Galway 20+
Silburn Clarke
The creative jiuces flows best when one is Intrinsically Motivated. Intrinsic Motivation is highest state of being a self-detrmrined individual, when interest , enjoyment and satisfaction drives you through your own choice, volition and internal sense of direction and control. For more check Edward Deci and Richard Ryan who developed the Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html
Varlan Allan 10+
Thanks for the vid recommendations. Hilarious as well because I just rewatched them last night around 2 am!
They are truly amazing findings. Then another question to you is; How do we teach the old dogs new tricks? (Change the ingrained believers' own ways of doing things?) Will the "old dogs" not wish to risk their companies hides for allowing more openness?
Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose are great motivators... but do these things make a person think more creatively?
How can employers improve the creativity of their employees? I think what you mentioned will be a positive attitude to creating a more open playground for the mind, but I don't know if this will exactly make employees more creative. I think as well as the motivators, we need more education for employees on what creativity means and the different styles of thinking. But it has to start with open discussion at company meetings and the "big dogs" have to lead by example.
Peter Han 500+
Good to see you started this conversation!
One of the most important barriers to creativity is fear of punishment, so take a close look at the reward and punishment system in place at work. One of my first employers was a huge and hugely profitable corporation which spent millions on recruiting campaigns aimed at fresh college graduates from the top schools. The recruiting brochures and posters and give away gifts all had the slogan that attested to giving new employees the power to succeed and be creative.
That was the fiction. The reality was accurately reflected in the informal (and never publicly acknowledged) motto "To err is human, to forgive divine. And neither is the company policy!" So within a few months, the new recruits quickly realized that mistakes were to be avoided at all costs. So creativity flees and hides.
So, my point is examine the actual reward and punishment system and determine if it rewards bold risk taking, trust, and learning. If not, all the advertising, training programs, recruiting, etc. will be frustrated, stymied, denied.
Best regards,
Peter
Varlan Allan 10+
Thanks for your insight. I agree that the company you are talking about is probably not the only one. And you raise the good question of, "Should there be some restrictions to the level of creativity within a workplace?"
I think this is debatable because there are some that will say creativity does not have boundaries, but I myself believe that it should when it comes to companies. I would call this a, "Focused" creativity.
Which as I pointed out de Bono speaks about this in regards to trying to accomplish a task. He also states that if there is no jumping off point, then things tend to go into the realm of illusion where the person thinks they are being creative but in fact their imagination has just gone wild!
Robert Galway 20+
Varlan Allan 10+
Allan Macdougall 30+
Ironically, creativity seems to be strangled when times are bad - just when it is needed the most.
It is perhaps necessary for creative people to go beyond such company strictures in some way, by working outside job descriptions, company mission statements, etc. However, this is an extremely risky strategy and is just as likely to end in disaster as it is to be regarded as a stroke of creative genius. An act of creative brilliance is the most likely strategy to change the restrictive mindset of a results-oriented business.
Isn't this what true creativity is all about? Thinking outside the box (or framework) and being willing to risk the things that don't work for those things that do?
dan philips
When I was working doing landscapes, my boss was strict about not going over budget. If it starts looking bad just hurry up and get done. One I remember is when the lady ran out of money, my boss wanted to pack up and leave, she had all ready paid for the material, so I told my boss that I would work for free to get it done. It was like my art work, and I wanted to finish it. I did, and that one landscape alone, got him five more in the area because they liked how it came out. Creativity, creating more money to create more creative genius.
Allan Macdougall 30+
Creativity seems to work far better when company stategies are informed by quality and end user needs rather than by quantity and the blinkered need for profitability.
End user satisfaction leads to profitability anyway. It just takes a bit longer.
Varlan Allan 10+
I completely agree with your choice of finishing up the job. And it leads to the question of, is the bottom line of profit the correct driving force? And when employees take matters into their own hands, simply for the love of their work, does that leave open the door for creativity? Could more companies use this kind of thinking to get a creative edge with projects they think have gone to waste?
I have one of my own stories to share as well Dan,
I remember a time at my job where I gave a girl 30 mins of free lessons to help her progress to another level. When my boss found out, he was furious and threatened taking it out of my pay. Luckily my secretaries told him that the parent was considering withdrawing their child but they said they were so happy to see someone actually cared about the progress of their child that they stayed on with us for one more year. Long story short, my boss didn't deduct my pay.
dan philips
It is hard to keep that creative edge when it comes to work. If people go to work gust to pay the bills, they won't care too much about the creativeness. Do this, get that, pick up pay check.
Most people spend half of their lives in that place we call "work," why not try to enjoy it.
All my jobs that I have done were mainly in creative fields. Landscaping was one I cherished, every one, different in size and design. If a plant or tree wasn't looking right just move to a new place, I had "choices."
But I had a job that was just your cut and dry, same thing day in and day out. Factory work is a fact of life for most people, and they don't usually like it.
Its hard to work indoors in a factory with no sun, no fresh air, no clouds, no birds. After a few months it was hard to stay focused.
But, what I did was get involved with different aspects of the job. I new what I was to do, but I wanted to learn what he does, or what she does. I would get caught up with my work, and go spend time helping others do what they do.
Not only did it mix the day up, I learned new skills. We have to do this just to cope with the boredom.
Creativity combats boredom!
Varlan Allan 10+
I completely agree with you on your points about changing up job descriptions and moving within the organisation. Like role reversals that allow all employees to understand the difficulties of others' jobs and maybe that would begin to open the minds of those "higher on the ladder". Compassion is something that is needed with creativity because we know creativity will lead down roads of success and roadblocks. Hearing you response also brings rise to the idea that maybe workplaces should do more sponsoring of education to further the skills of the employees. Learning helps hone skills and develop new ones giving employees a new challenge and chance to master new skills.
Iqtadar Raja
Iqtadar Raja
creativity is required when employees/company become satisfied with what its doing and the way it is doing
completely satisfied that what it is doing is perfect and nothing more can be added/done
that's the start of the end of the organization...only species that survive over time are those that respond to change more quickly.
Something we can do is to expose employees to creative environments/literature..e.g. Fortune magazine is good source...it always inspires to do more and keep thinking for progress
encouraging employees to use twitter to follow relevant industries.
one quotation of the day from HR..encouraging employees to think differently.
we should also keep hiring employees from competition/better resource...new entries also challenge old thinking pattern and help break the trends.
innovation clubs...innovation meetings challenging old rituals having employees from all departments.
(using more white spaces to make it easy to read :))
Varlan Allan 10+
As for the "hire the competition" now there are contracts about none-compete (ridiculous in my books). They should be "I don't want to be creative" clauses!