Published in The Voice, Vol. 17, No. 3, March 2004 (Rockford Chamber of Commerce) DOES CREATIVITY MATTER TO YOUR BUSINESS? (CREATIVE THINKING AIDS BUSINESS BOTTOM LINE) By: Iren Kleppe We may think of creativity as a quality for artistic endeavors only—but how about your business endeavors? Does creativity matter to your organization’s bottom line? Think about it: Creative thinking is applicable to a wide range of areas within your workplace. Consider areas such as strategic planning, decision making, idea generation and brainstorming, problem solving, conflict management, multicultural relations… the list goes on. The ability to see things from a different perspective, to generate alternatives and solutions, and to foresee obstacles and opportunities does indeed have many applications and can make a difference in your organization. Looking at the larger picture, it could affect not just your capacity for innovation and progress, but also your productivity, competitiveness—and maybe even your organization’s survival: “As the world leaves the Information Age—and enters the Imagination Age—those that succeed will be strong in imagination, innovation and creativity.” Susan VanWeelden, Dean, Center of Commerce and Economic Development, McHenry County College In the current economy with overseas competition wreaking havoc to manufacturing, creativity could be an essential factor in getting your organization out of the slump. “Samethink” and relying on Yes-Men certainly will not. According to Roger Von Oech, “when things change and new information comes into existence, it’s no longer possible to solve current problems with yesterday’s solutions.” At this point, people “can either bemoan the fact that things aren’t as they used to be, or they can use their creative abilities to find new answers, new solutions, or new ideas” (p. 3). Factors that typically prohibit creativity include groupthink, sacred cows, complacency, resistance to change, negative thinking, forcing, fear, stress, and pressure. And, as it turns out, the conditions we work under today are prohibitive to creativity. Fewer people taking on more hours, more tasks, and more problems under greater stress and pressure are sure creativity killers. The result could be a downward spiral of increasing stress and pressure leading to less creativity where nobody has the capacity to come up with new ideas, change directions, and ultimately help lift the company out of the depression. “Almost no one claims to get their best ideas at work,” states Michael Gelb of his research (p. 160). According to Gelb, “many of us spend our days working hard in a focused, ‘left-brained’ fashion. We sometimes get so involved in projects that we begin to lose perspective” (p. 161). Ask yourself: When were you last creative or came up with a really innovative idea or solution? If you are like most people, it happened unexpectedly: In the shower, sleeping, driving, walking, or maybe even while cleaning. They key factor is that you were away from work, by yourself, and that you had stopped thinking about work and let your mind wander freely. Through his research, Gelb found that “most people experience their breakthrough ideas when they are relaxed and by themselves” (p. 160). Gelb notes that “the spaces between your conscious efforts provide a key to creative living and problem solving. These spaces allow perceptions, ideas, and feelings to incubate” (p. 158). “Neuroscientists estimate that your unconscious database outweighs the conscious on an order exceeding ten million to one. This database is the source of your creative potential.” Gelb therefore recommends that we make “space for incubation” (p. 160) and that we take breaks every hour or so to increase our “enjoyment and effectiveness” (p. 161). Another consideration is that “creative thinking requires an outlook that allows you to search for ideas and play with your knowledge and experience” (Von Oech, p. 4). Note the word “play.” Von Oech cautions that
“knowledge alone won’t make a person creative” but that “the real key to being creative lies in what you do with your knowledge” (p. 4). Besides playfulness, other key factors that foster creativity are curiosity and an open mind. Surprisingly, applying randomness can also help you come up with new solutions. According to Von Oech, this is because it forces you to think differently and to let go of your preconceptions, habits of thought and behavior. What can you do to encourage creativity within your workplace? Should you demand that your workplace institutes naptimes, meditation breaks, playtime, or exercise during paid hours? It’s up to you, but I certainly recommend taking a break, relaxing, and letting your mind wander from time to time. You may also find that you process better when you’re outside walking by yourself. That’s how it all came together for me and I came up with my new marketing campaign. A note: Is creativity for top management only? Consider what happened when the Danville Quaker Oats plant, in the process of implementing self-directed, commitment-based teams, allowed people on the production line to use their creativity for problem solving and for coming up with new ideas: One of their production line workers came up with the idea for a new, topselling granola bar which benefited the organization on a nation-wide scale. Sources: Michael J. Gelb, How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day, 1998, Roger Von Oech, Creative Whack Pack (the book), 1993, and Creative Whack Pack (the deck of cards), 1992. You say you’re not creative? Creativity is a quality we all have, the difference is in how you use it and whether you allow it space and encourage it to grow. All in all, using your creativity has to do with living a more balanced life—using more aspects of yourself. A more balanced life is good both for productivity in business as well as your overall wellbeing as a person.