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Foster Innovation through A Creative Work Environment

Seems like everyone's talking these days about innovation, creativity, and thinking "outside of the box." Tossing about buzz words is common practice; actually putting meaning behind the word and implementing the concept is another thing altogether. Fostering creativity in the workplace can bring about astounding changes in morale, quality, customer service, R&D and profitability. First, let's define creativity as it applies to business. Creativity is originality of thought and / or execution. It consists of ideas, concepts, solutions, strategies, visioning, and "big picture" thinking. It is the ability to see beyond the parameters of a situation and create possibilities where there were thought to be none. Creativity can be as simple as taking two very ordinary, mundane principles and blending them together into an exciting, innovative solution. Companies that nurture creativity in their employees find themselves ahead of their competitors in many areas: human resources, new product development, quality, customer service, sales and operations, to name a few. Conversely, when creativity is stifled, employees experience a decline in their self worth and their value to the company. Morale and productivity can be seriously affected. The work environment becomes stagnant and turnover increases. Internal perceptions of management and the company take a negative turn resulting in the need for internal public relations. When management thinks they have all the answers, they're usually wrong. One of the finest examples of creative thinking is taking place at GSD&M, a large advertising agency in Austin, Texas.* There, "war rooms" are filled with their clients' products, ads, earnings reports, stock prices, newspaper clippings, sales figures and other items - including red telephones for contacting the clients directly. In these rooms, creative juices are set stirring as competitive intelligence is digested and analyzed, providing ample food for creative thought and innovative marketing solutions. Surrounded by the clients' colors, products and messages, employees use the rooms for brainstorming, strategizing and debating ideas. As companies struggle to find their niche, develop their culture and define themselves in the competitive marketplace, it seems clear that those who adopt a creativity-based management philosophy will be the winners. Here are several ideas for enhancing creativity in your organization: 1. Empower your staff by encouraging ideas. Create an atmosphere that places high value and regard on cerebral contributions. Human resources are a unique and wonderful thing - they can't be replicated by computer spreadsheets or PowerPoint presentations. Your employees' brains are their greatest asset. Most important, every employee is highly capable of ingenious ideas, so don't exclude anyone from the creative process. 2. Conduct spontaneous brainstorming and strategic planning sessions. Creativity is serendipitous; it can happen anytime, anywhere. 3. Get weird! Run-of-the-mill creativity seminars will probably net little in the way of results. Instead, take your employees off-site and provide a plethora of unusual stimuli. Museums, galleries, the airport, the zoo, movie theaters, and libraries offer atmospheres that are highly conducive to creative thinking. Let your employees" "inner child" come out and play because that's exactly where creativity lives. 4. Solicit ideas via open communication and minimal bureaucracy. Too often, employees feel stifled by an organization's politics and red tape. And, sadly, many employees refrain from offering suggestions because of fear that they'll step on someone else's toes or, worse, be reprimanded. Instead, foster a collaborative working environment that is non-competitive, non-threatening and people-focused. 5. Can the "We've Always Done It This Way" mentality. This mode of antiquated, fear-based thinking will only drive your organization to bankruptcy. 6. Most importantly, find value in every idea - whether feasible or completely impractical. Today's "dumb idea" could be tomorrow's windfall.

Debra Davenport, PhD, is a Master Professional Mentor and the president of DavenportFolio, a licensed firm with offices in Los Angeles and Phoenix that mentors entrepreneurs and professionals. She is the creator of the Certified Professional Mentor® designation and certification program and the author of The Ten Commitments of Highly Successful People. debra@davenportfolio.com or (866) 232-6492.

 

 

     

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