5 Ways To Cultivate Corporate Creativity

by Kelsey Ruger on March 07, 2009

Whenever I speak or teach people about creativity the most common question I have receive is "How can I/my employees be more creative at work?" The short answer is you can't make people more creative. What you can do is create an environment that encourages and fosters creativity. How do you go about creating this type of environment? It's much simpler than you probably think. Here are 5 quick start ideas to help you start building the creativity quotient in your company.

Art involves creativity but creativity is not synonymous with art

Creativity is a mysterious concept for a lot of people. They see it as a skill that you are born with instead of a habit that can be cultivated. The first step in tapping your company's creative reserves is changing the way you view creativity. For most people the word creativity inspires images of orchestras playing a symphonic masterpiece, classic tales by William Shakespeare or great works of art. Rarely do we think of the programmer working on the next great piece of software or the amazing sale person who brought in 200K for the company this quarter. While what they do is different these people tap the same creative reservoir that Shakespeare, Da Vinci and Mozart has access to. Once you realize that creativity is not confined to artist, musicians and poets there is a whole world of discovery and innovation waiting for you.

Overcoming "I'm not creative"

The most common phrase I hear when I mention creativity in a business environment is "I'm not creative". Many people make the mistake of thinking that if their job doesn't involve creating something of an aesthetic nature that they aren't creative or that there isn't room for creativity in their job. The simplest definition of creativity is the process of generating new ideas and concepts, or new associations between existing ideas or concepts. Anyone can do that, right? I am a firm believer that you are what you think you are. The human mind is the greatest machine on the planet. It is capable of calculating complex equations, composing music, and creating artistic masterpieces yet when "logic" takes over this incredible machine can be lose all of its creative capacities. So, If you think you are creative there is a good chance you will be able to find ways to express it. Remember thought and action always overlap. What you think has a good chance of coming true.

Don't pigeon hole people

A quick survey of the people that work for me reveals an accomplished violin teacher, a choral singer, 2 DJs, a trumpet player, several photographers, a few really amazing artists and an interior designer in the making. Of those people only 2 are in what would be considered a traditional "creative" role. Sterotypes can be an incredibly limiting when it comes to creativity. Lots of how we feel and respond to the world is based on conditioned responses. Things we have been taught, things we have learned, and more importantly labels that we or others have applied. These labels can change how we make decisions and the habits and skills we develop. Your job is to ensure that your employees are aware that they have much more creative potential than their role might indicate.

Encourage Curiosity

Curiosity is the root of creativity. Being curious and asking questions can help you hone your creative skills. If you want to learn how to do this just take a look at any child you know. Children are naturally inquisitive. They don’t have to be taught to be creative, it just sort of happens that way. It takes a lifetime of experiences and organized education to kill that natural talent. Kids take chances where adults won’t because they understand that if you arn't prepared to be wrong you won’t be your most creative.

It's OK to play

I grew up with people telling me to stop playing around. I still have colleagues and friends who say "You guys sure do have fun". My response is usually "What's wrong with that?" One of the biggest roadblocks to creative thinking is the terminal seriousness that most companies have. As children we spend a lot of time playing games. We also learn to use pictures and storytelling to communicate our message and explain ourselves. As we grow older we are taught that this type of activity is frivolous and something that adults shouldn’t do. Most of us get beaten into thinking in a linear fashion as we progress through our educational system. By re-learning to play things as we did when we were children it helps us communicate, create and brainstorm more easily.

Any of these 5 steps can be a catalyst for creativity. Use them step by step or in combination with one another and you will be well on your way to developing the creative environment you've dreamed of.

Want more creativity tips? Check out my creativity presentation on Slideshare