According to Adobe’s global research on creativity, 8 out of 10 people believe that creativity is crucial to economic growth. However, only one out of four people feels they are fulfilling their creative potential. The other three reported that their workplaces push for productivity over creativity.
Creativity is the capacity to analyze methods or practices and figure out how to enhance them. It is indeed an asset, a vital component of a company’s growth strategy. The progress of any business depends on creativity. Change is a constant in every sector, so businesses that promote ingenuity can embrace change and drive innovation.
Encouraging originality also helps employees feel more fulfilled and engaged in your organization. Gallup mentions three factors that employers need to provide in promoting creativity: expectations, time and freedom to be creative in the workplace. Here are four ways you can help your workers tap into their creative geniuses and combine them to boost morale, productivity and profitability:
1. Reward New Ideas
Offer incentives for novel ideas. Incentives can include public recognition, gift cards, profit-sharing or other tangible rewards. Employees are more likely to invest their creativity into your business when they are assured of an immediate return.
2. Allocate Time for Everyone
High-level managers usually schedule time for thinking creatively because developing the business’s vision is a major role for them. Building a culture of creativity throughout your company requires that every worker has time on the clock to devote to creativity and collaboration. While you won’t be able to assess the profitability of this in monetary terms, you can observe the level of team engagement or how many ideas arise.
3. Mix Up Think Tanks
When people have been working closely for a long time, they tend to think along the same lines. Studies show that creative groups thrive with a mix of familiar co-workers and newer members. This arrangement provides a productive combination of stability and freshness to the collaboration process.
4. Follow Through
As a business leader, you need to develop a system for evaluating new ideas for practicality and alignment with business goals. Those who offer unfeasible ideas should understand thoroughly why their idea won’t be pursued. A culture that treats each idea respectfully can foster creative energy.
