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A GovLoop Guide
Unleash Creativity by Rightsizing Productivity You face many constraints as an employee: time, resources, regulations and culture, to name a
few. And our productivity-obsessed work culture can make it easier to focus solely on navigating
these constraints than tapping into your creativity. It’s a completely understandable and universal scenario. You become so overwhelmed with your to-dos, it’s difficult to see the art of the possible.
The Cost of Killing Creativity But this isn’t great news for you or your organization. When efficiency comes at the cost of innovation, it:
• Degrades the quality of the result, solution or service • Makes work less engaging for employees • Squeezes people out of the agency Productivity doesn’t need to come at the expense of creativity. We spoke to Carlos Rivero, Chief
Data Officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia, about what it takes to unleash creativity despite constraints and to-dos. We distilled the following best practices from what our conversation.
For managers and supervisors… 1. Be a relief valve when constraints are pressing down.
2. Model a psychologically safe environment.
“My role as a leader is to serve my team and give
Everyone has a right to be heard, but they
they need to do. And sometimes, those resources
innovation and productivity faster than anything
them the resources they need to do the work are lifting constraints and catching bullets,”
Rivero said. For instance, the belief that people needed to be in the office was one constraint
that kept employees glued to their cubicles. But during the pandemic, employees have proven
they can be productive without that constraint.
So, Rivero doesn’t require them to be in the office. Everyone on his team works remotely.
If you’re a supervisor or manager, what are
some constraints you can help relieve for your colleagues?
don’t always have the opportunity. “That kills else,” Rivero said. Employees have ideas to
share, but when they’re not heard, or they don’t go anywhere, it chips away at their creativity and psychological safety.
A psychologically safe environment allows
people to share ideas without fear or secondguessing. Not every idea will be implemented, but to show that they value creative and
innovative thinking, leaders should explain why an idea may or may not work. This is where
communicating the mission is imperative.
Don’t stop letting people see the big picture and their contributions to it.
