What Box?  How to Inspire Employee Creativity

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Is “thinking out of the box” simply an over-used phrase?  Creativity is vital to the health of an organization.  Unfortunately, few employers actually know how to provide a stimulating environment for employees that encourages innovative thinking. 

When the American Management Association (AMA) asked 500 CEOs “What must one do to survive in the 21^st century?” the overwhelming response was “Practice creativity and innovation.” However, only 6 percent felt that their organizations were successful in being creative.

Robert Epstein, Ph.D., former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today and workplace creativity author, believes that this creativity deficit could be highly detrimental to American business.  “It leaves employees frustrated and disgruntled, and can easily send a Fortune 500 company into Chapter 11,” explained Epstein in the Psychology Today article, “Cashing in on Creativity at Work."

Organizations recognize the need for creativity.  In the article “Creativity: It’s not Just for Artists Anymore,” Carol Lloyd explains how creativity in the workplace is now finally starting to catch on.  “Corporate America is just realizing that the human animal is a creative animal.  And a creative environment feeds into whatever work you’re doing.”  However, creativity isn’t without its own complications. “Encouraging creativity in the workplace will result in employees who are independent thinkers.  The corporate world wants it both ways.  They want creative thinkers, but ones who don’t question the practices in place.  It’s an interesting time.”

The companies that will ultimately succeed are the ones, according to Epstein, that embrace creativity.  “The paradox of ‘positive turbulence’ (caused by ‘out of the box’ employee thinking) is one business leaders today cannot afford to ignore: the energizing, disparate, invigorating, unpredictable force that often feels like chaos is the same creative energy that can provide continuous success and organizational renewal.  Without such risk-taking, without embracing uncertainty, many of today’s leading businesses will be tomorrow’s failures.”

Those who successfully practice creativity and innovation are reaping the rewards. According to Watson Wyatt, employers who value creativity and innovation are more than twice as likely to report excellent financial performance than organizations that do not.  

There can be roadblocks on the path to fostering a creative environment.  “Within organizations, particular departments have been labeled as ‘out-of-the-box,’ such as Research and Development, Marketing, Human Resources, and Creative Services,” said Robert Alan Black, Ph.D., Creative Workplace Consultant and Founder of RAB inc. – Cr8ng People, Places & Possibilities.  Other departments, such as finance, administration, and shipping, for example, may resist creative thinking.

So how do you overcome the concept that creative thinking is just for “creative types?” And how do you help inspire your employees to think creatively?

In his presentation, “Mind Candy,” Dave Fletcher, Founder and Creative Director of maxi-media design firm, the mechanism, lnc., suggests that employers “Keep an open office atmosphere. Just like a creative brainstorming session is an open forum of ideas, the office should be a place that fosters creative thinking and energy. Treat all employees as equal members of the team from the top down, and take on all suggestions with equal weight. Innovative ideas can come from unexpected places when you give all employees the opportunity to contribute.  People spend nearly half of their life in an office - you've got to give them ample reason to be an advocate of your practice.”

There are a number of ways for employers to jumpstart their organization’s creativity quotient.  Here are a few suggestions:

Brainstorming: Frequent brainstorming brings together a variety of people with diverse knowledge, experience, and ideas in an open, receptive environment.  In the Innovation Tools article, “When Brainstorming, Don’t Give in to Limited Thinking,” group innovation specialist Jeffrey Baumgartner stresses the importance of being open to all ideas, no matter how unusual.  “Ideas that do not make it into the ‘good’ ideas realm are often rejected immediately.  By doing this, it is squelching your imagination and restricting the creative potential of your ideas. Instead, when generating ideas, make a note of all of your ideas, regardless of whether they fall in the ‘good ideas’ realm or the ‘limitations’ realm. When you are trying to find good ideas, do not reject the ones that do not immediately meet your requirements. Rather, consider how you can modify those ideas so that they do meet your requirements. The result will almost certainly be more creative ideas and a more dynamic way of looking at problems.”  After brainstorming sessions, follow up with employees and tell them what action will be taken.  Let them know that ideas are welcome anytime.  Encourage them to keep their ideas flowing.

Environment: Jim Krause, author of Creative Sparks, suggests that minor changes to your environment can help inspire creativity.  Rearrange your furniture, rotate the art or items on your walls and shelves, and / or change your lighting.  Fresh surroundings can lead to fresh ideas. 

Games and Exercises: Creativity skill building games and exercises are a great way to stimulate creativity and imagination.  There are a wide variety of books on the market, such as Epstein’s Big Book of Creativity Games, with games and exercises to develop creativity workshops or to invigorate training sessions.

Your organization may also want to take the lead by celebrating Creativity and Innovation Day, a global celebration of imagination, and bright ideas, on April 21st.  The first Creativity and Innovation Day celebration occurred in 2002 in Canada. The celebration has steadily grown to include schools, universities, businesses, communities, and individual families in more than 50 countries.  Participate in creative activities and games, invite employees to share their skills and talents with co-workers, and hold lunchtime creativity seminars to mark the day.

Business Week Online asked Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer, “How do you manage for innovation?” His response was, “We hire people who want to make the best things in the world.” Undoubtedly, your organization has employees that “want to make the best things in the world” too.  By creating an environment that encourages innovative thinking, you give employees the opportunity to meet their goals, as well as your organization’s financial goals.

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