A workplace that’s creatively stagnant is one that’s not going to very rewarding for staff. In the long run, it’s likely to suffer a competitive disadvantage, too. After all, you can’t address the novel problems that come your way without at least a little bit of novel thinking.
Fostering creativity in the workplace isn’t always easy, however. In practice, it requires a range of strategies, which cover everything from recruitment to training to workplace culture.
What not to do
Certain kinds of environment can actively hamper creativity. If there’s a fixed way of doing things, and staff aren’t given the freedom they need to explore new ways of approaching day-to-day challenges, then they’ll be forced to persist with existing methods – even if those methods aren’t effective.
If you’ve ever had to work in a place where staff are afraid to challenge one another, or to present their own ideas for common problems, then you’ll have experienced this. In the worst cases, manufacturing defects can go completely unreported right up until they arrive on the production line, because of a culture of silence.
Promoting Open Communication
For staff to feel comfortable voicing their opinions, they’ve got to understand that their opinions will not only be taken seriously, but often implemented. This works in both ways, too – managers need the skills and the inclination to present information to their subordinates.
Ideally, an open-door policy should be maintained by team leaders, so that staff don’t have to wait for an opportune moment to raise a potential issue.
Unburden your Staff
Staff who are burning the candle at both ends are unlikely to find time to think creatively – even if creative thinking would actually reduce their workload. If you are asking staff to perform a whole range of administrative tasks, then the situation becomes even worse. Consequently, outsourcing things like payroll will allow staff to focus more on what they’re good at: coming up with solutions to the problems faced by your firm.
Make the Office a Creative Space
The right environment can help to promote creative thinking. In many cases, this is a simple matter of putting the mind at ease. There are several aspects to your workspace, including temperature, colour, lighting and ambient noise. Optimising each of them will help you to promote creativity. This goes especially for indoor plants, which are proven to have a whole slew of benefits.
Diversify the Workplace
If everyone making decisions in your workspace is from the same background, then you’ll fail to see creative solutions that might be obvious to someone from a different background. Diversity of sex, gender, race, and social class will help you to raise a broad range of questions during a project, and help you to cover your blind spots.