The Role of Creativity in Business
Creativity is most often associated with the arts or within inherently creative industries. This is understandable as artistic fields of work do necessitate some level of creativity. However, creativity should not be relegated solely to the arts. All businesses can benefit from creative, outside the box thinking. Creative thinking can give businesses a competitive edge, can increase productivity, and often leads to innovative solutions. Creativity is particularly important for small businesses who are often forced to be creative in their approaches due to a lack of resources.
When D&G was starting out, there was an imbalance in resources between us and the larges. However, through determination, courage, and outside the box thinking we were still able to compete with larger companies and have now grown to where we are today. Had we not been creative in our approach to business, we likely would not be as successful as we are today. This article by Workplace from Meta describes two key factors that make creativity at work important for your bottom line. The first is that creativity drives employee engagement and wellbeing, and the second is that creativity drives growth.
So how does a business harness the powers of creative thinking? There are a number of ways to foster creativity at work. In this week’s article we will go through some of the ways that businesses can cultivate a creative work environment leading to innovation, increased productivity, and increased success. ?
1.?????? Create the Right Environment
In order for creativity to blossom in the workplace, it must be encouraged from the top down. Leaders in the company can promote creativity by valuing new ideas and being open to new solutions. Sending a message to the workforce that creativity and innovation are welcome, making time and space for creativity, promoting collaboration, and promoting risk taking are all ways that the stage can be set for employees to practice creativity in the workplace.
2.?????? Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a tool that can be incredibly effective if done properly. In many instances brainstorming does not lead to any tangible outcomes, but that is largely because of the way that brainstorming is conducted. In any brainstorming session, it is important to utilize multiple modes of communication. Some individuals may not be as vocal during brainstorming sessions but still have ideas that could be valuable for the group. Using spoken word, written communication, or something like a group document where all parties can contribute may help generate more ideas. Group exercises are also a great way to incorporate more creativity into brainstorming sessions.
3.?????? Giving Room to take Risks
Risk taking can be challenging for some companies because it sometimes requires challenging established processes, procedures, and ways of working. Taking risks in business can also impact profit growth if a risk does not work out the way a company hopes. However, creativity requires some level of risk taking so any business looking to be more creative must accept some level of risk. It is important to strike a balance between being too risk averse and too risk tolerant. Too risk averse may lead to missing out on a number of opportunities to grow the business and find innovative solutions, and too risk tolerant could put the business in jeopardy.
4.?????? Promote Big Picture Thinking
Big picture thinking can spark new ideas and new ways of approaching a problem. This is perhaps most important in smaller group settings or individually when faced with a problem but is still an effective tool for fostering creativity in the workplace. If a team or individual is too bogged down in the details of the problem or project, the big picture can get lost. Taking a step back to think about the broader context of what the problem is or what the project is allows for new ideas on how to approach the problem.
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5.?????? Foster Cross-Departmental Collaboration
Collaboration is a key component of any creative or innovative solution. Collaborating with teammates brings in new perspectives and ideas, but what about collaborating with those outside of your usual team? Sometimes hearing the perspectives and ideas of teams in different departments can spark creativity by allowing for a diverse range of perspectives and approaches. Someone from the Marketing team for example may benefit from the ideas of someone in the finance department. Engaging in cross-departmental discussions can be incredibly useful in cultivating a creative workplace.
6.?????? Support Passion Projects Where Possible
Of course, it is important to ensure that the work that needs to be accomplished gets done, but another way to foster creativity at work is to give employees the time and space to carry out their passion projects. When enabled to pursue passion projects at work, employees gain ownership and autonomy which will increase their levels of engagement and their creativity. Don’t underestimate the power of passion projects.
?All in all, creating the environment at work for employees and leaders to be creative will lead to more innovation, more productivity, more employee engagement, and can lead to business growth. Apart from the business benefits of being creative at work, creativity can strengthen work relationships, improve employees’ sense of belonging, and ensures that employees have ownership over their work and their ideas. Thinking outside of the box is an important tool for any business because creative thinking allows businesses to find opportunities in challenging situations. Daunting problems become more manageable when teams are able to come up with creative solutions, generate unique ideas, and harness the powers of creative thinking.
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