How to Nurture Creativity in Your Organization

Nurturing creativity in any organization is a very pertinent issue. It leads to increase in productivity and also adds value to the product brand.

1.What do we mean by creativity

Before going in detail, let us understand what do we mean by creativity? The creativity is the ability to produce new things using skills or imagination. The famous synonyms of creativity are inventions, creativeness, imagination and ingenuity. On the other hand, creative mindset is the one that sees information practically from the world around it and relates it to their experiences and existing knowledge in order to create. Also, a creative mindset gives a new meaning to your approach, your life, creative endeavors and almost everything you do. As per seducation.wordpress.com, a creative mindset opens up a plethora of opportunities and possibilities. Once the process of creative thinking becomes a part of one’s life, they are able to relish the creative process and embrace innovative thinking. <!– wp:shortcode –> [thrive_leads id=’28640′] <!– /wp:shortcode –> As per academia.edu, the definition of creativity was given as below: “ Creativity is a process, in a completely new manner and something original comes into existence, a form of behaviour, in which a person insists routine answers, tolerates and even seeks out the ambivalence, insecurity and vagueness that may serve as a basis for a new order.”

2. Why nurturing creativity is vital for any organization?

Photographer: Jon Tyson | Source: Unsplash In modern day, creativity is emerging as a major tool to drive and enhance business. This makes nurturing creativity more imperative to suit the changing business scenarios. As per the book,” Flight of Creative Classes”, written by Richard Florida, in United States of America alone, 50% of the money is earned by creative people, which constitute only 30% of the workforce. Thus, being creative is no more a whimsical, fanciful proposition .Rather, it is now the order of the day and a major business tool. A creative person Nigel Colin(reference ezinearticle.com), in his articles “How to lead your creative people: why that is important and what to do about it”; avers that being creative is the only way to drive and sustain business, in modern times.

3.The challenges before leaders with respect to nurturing creativity in their organizations.

It must be borne in mind that if you think that recruiting creative people is the only way to enhance the output in your organization, you are grossly mistaken. Even the self-driven, highly creative people need be managed, for full utilization of their creative potential. Further, the entire workforce in organization may not be creative. A survey was conducted to know that how many people understood that creativity must be nurtured at workplace. It was found out that 90% of them replied in affirmation. Another question put to them was “Are they creative at work on a day to day basis.” Surprisingly, only 17% of them replied in “yes”. It means 83% of the people admitted that they did not use creativity as business tool to further the business interests of their organization. Hence, it is clear from the above that a major chunk of the workforce (83%), is supposed to be non-creative. The real challenge before leaders is to change the mindset of these 83% people, so that they are in tune with the business interests of their organization, by adopting creative attitude. Also, efforts must continue for driving the maximum potential of creative people in the organization. The next question arises whether the non-creative people in an organization, which consists of majority, 83% as above, may be transformed into creative group. The author is of the opinion that the answer to this question is a big “yes”. Creative thinking is the ability to create something out of nothing. It is important to understand what creativity really means before we start talking about nurturing creativity in our organizations. To begin with, let’s take a look at some definitions of creativity. According to Wikipedia, “Creativity is the process of generating novel and valuable ideas. It involves coming up with original concepts, products, processes, or works of art.” Creativity is defined as the act of creating something new or unusual. Creative thinking skills are the ability to use imagination to solve problems. Creative people have the ability to develop their own ideas and then turn them into reality they are able to find new ways of looking at things. This skill helps them to make decisions quickly and effectively. Creative thinking techniques involve  a creative process of developing a new idea or product. It begins by brainstorming. Brainstorming is when several people share their thoughts on a particular topic. The aim of this exercise is to get all the possible ideas flowing. After brainstorming, the next step is to select the best ones. This is done by eliminating the ideas that do not seem to work. Finally, the selected ideas need to be developed further so that they become a real product. Innovative ideas are  very important as they help us to improve our lives. For example, innovation is required to produce clean energy sources like solar power. Innovation is the process of making changes to existing products or services. It includes any change made to an old product or service. Innovation is a way of improving the quality of life. It is important because it makes life easier and safer. <!– wp:shortcode –> [thrive_leads id=’28638′] <!– /wp:shortcode –> The key takeaway of being creative is to think outside the box. Being creative requires you to come up with new solutions to problems. You need to think beyond your usual boundaries. When you are creative, you will find many opportunities to grow your career. If you want to nurture creativity in your organization, here are some tips:

1. Encourage employees to express themselves freely.
2. Give them time to explore their interests.
3. Provide ample resources.
4. Create clear goals.

Culture of creativity is a culture where ideas flow freely. In such a culture, there is no fear of failure. People feel comfortable sharing their ideas. Everyone feels free to ask questions and seek advice. Such a culture encourages people to learn from each other. As per creativityatwork.com, creativity skills may be learned and developed. Creativity begins with a foundation of knowledge, learning a discipline, and mastering a certain way of thinking.

4.Six tips for nurturing creativity in your organization

The author has pondered over the question and came out with the following six suggestions for nurturing creativity in an organization.

Photographer: Sharon Pittaway | Source: Unsplash

• Align the employees with business goals of the organization, followed by employees solving the problemsAligning with goals should be the first step. After that has been done, they must be asked to solve the real problems that the organization is facing. This may give a sense of belongingness, and also encourage them to give their best.
• Encourage the divergent thinking among employeesDivergent thinking with emphasis on convergence of thoughts, actions, ideas and anything else towards achieving business interests should be strived.

Photographer: Austin Distel | Source: Unsplash Allow people to do what they love to do This may be accompanied by job-rotation to fit the person in a place which utilities his talent and potential. Talent mapping may be resorted to, by organizations. Focus, focus and focus It is better to say “no” to 1000 things at a time. Rather, the main focus should be on the company goals. This may be achieved by making the life of employees, comfortable, so that they are able to contribute effectively. Focus means, focusing on the well being of employees. Let employees take risks by experimenting new ideas However, this should also be monitored, unless the efforts go in multi-directions, without any tangible results. Applaud the contributions of creative employees Contributions of creative employees are usually awarded by all the leaders. However, the emphasis should be given on changing the mindset of non-creative employees by motivational training, skill enhancing programs and work-culture-change initiatives. Change management is an integral part of every business. It can be a daunting task for the manager, but if you have a well-defined change process and are able to communicate it effectively, then your organization will benefit from the changes that you make. Change management is about more than just making sure that everyone knows what’s going on and why they should care. It’s also about ensuring that people feel engaged with their work and enjoy coming into work each day.

Frequently asked questions :

How Do You Build a Culture of Creativity? You can build a Culture of Creativity by developing these 4 pillars: 1. Leadership – To have a successful business you must have strong leaders. Leaders inspire others to follow them and lead by example. They set high expectations for themselves and for the rest of the team. 2. Vision – A clearly articulated vision defines the direction that the business is heading. It gives everyone a sense of purpose and provides a common understanding about why they are doing what they are doing. 3. Values – Values are the guiding principles of any organization. While values may seem obvious , it is worth noting that the values of an organization are rarely written down. Instead, they exist more in the minds of people who work there. 4. Talent Development – Every company needs to attract, cultivate and retain top talent. One of the most effective ways to drive talent retention and growth is through continuous learning programs. What are the 3 ways to increase creativity? There are three main ways to increase your organization’s creativity: 1. Focus on the big picture The first step towards increasing organizational creativity is to focus on the big picture. In other words, try to see things from the perspective of the customer. This will help create better products and services. When companies look at their customers’ needs and desires, they are able to develop innovations that are tailored specifically to those needs. 2. Encourage open dialogue When organizations allow for open communication, ideas flow much easier. Companies should make sure that all members of the staff feel comfortable enough to speak up. This also helps to foster new ideas. 3. Provide training Providing employees with the skills needed to effectively perform their job is crucial to the success of any organization. Employees need knowledge and skills so that they can carry out their duties properly. This ensures that the organization remains competitive in the market place. How to Nurture and Implement Creativity and Innovation in Business? Nurturing Creativity in an Organization is very important because without it we cannot succeed. Without creativity, our businesses would not produce anything new or innovative. We would just be producing the same old thing over and over again. In order to nurture the creative spirit within ourselves, we must start by being aware of our own creativity. There are many different types of creativity such as visual, verbal, musical, physical etc. The type of creativity that we use depends upon which part of our brain is activated. By activating one type of creativity, we activate another. For instance, when I am playing music, my mind goes into a state where I become focused and concentrated.

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