By V. B. Velasco Jr., Ph.D.
Creativity. A lot of companies say that they want it, but not all of them do a
good job of fostering it. It’s not hard to see why. It's because creativity
often appears unproductive. It can require dissociating one’s self from one’s
normal work, and it frequently requires periods of quiet contemplation. Such
activities aren’t physical in nature and they don’t look like “work.” As a
result, companies often expect their employees to simply buckle down and
produce, instead of fostering an environment that allows ideas to mature and
percolate.
This is a terrible shame. Sometimes, the worst thing you can do is to crank out
results without giving ideas time to develop properly. This is true in any
creative endeavor—engineering, programming, ad design, artwork, script writing,
you name it. In contrast, when a company has creative-minded people and the
right kind of environment, the results can be magical.
Consider Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest creative
geniuses of all time. While creating The Last Supper, which was arguably his
greatest masterpiece, Leonardo would first spend half of each day in quiet
reverie. Only after this period of contemplation would he start painting. To
the casual observer, it might have seemed that Leonardo was just goofing off,
but in reality, he was allowing critical ideas to take shape.
I also speak from personal experience. I once had a job writing software for a
firm that developed traffic control systems. The managers expected everyone to
get his job done, but they did not resort to clockwatching or micromanagement.
The result? I was able to produce some of my finest work, and well ahead of
schedule. The higher-ups were so pleased that when I received another
employment offer, my immediate manager and one of the vice-presidents tried
urgently to get me to stay.
It’s easy to see why companies might not want to give their employees completely
free rein, though. Without the right system of checks and balances, this type
of freedom becomes easy to abuse. While a truly creative person can use these
period of reverie productively, a less conscientious worker mighty simply use
them as an excuse to goof around. It’s not always possible to distinguish
between the two.
So how can a company provide a creative environment that also keeps people
accountable? I’d like to offer the following suggestions.
First, set the right example. That is, don’t simply expect your employees to be
creative. Instead, show them how you personally apply creative thinking
techniques and how this yields results. Spend time in contemplation and mild
diversion, but also show them the work that you produce. The goal is to help
employees understand that it’s not enough to simply pursue periods of playful
reverie or quiet contemplation; rather, they are to use these periods to
deliver creative results, just as you do.
Second, involve your employees in your own creative processes. Ask them for
input on the work you produce. Pull them into brainstorming sessions, even if
it’s only to provide an outsider’s viewpoint. Ask for their wild ideas, or ask
them questions that are designed to engage their imaginations—questions like
“If you were a customer, which of these designs would you prefer? Which would
be more likely to make you buy a product?”
And third, keep the lines of communication open. Encourage employees to openly
brainstorm, voicing their thoughts out loud – if not to you, then to other
employees. This helps keep people accountable. It distinguishes employees who
are actively dreaming from those who are merely daydreaming or otherwise
wasting time.
Of course, this approach can only work if employees are on board with the whole
creative culture. On the one hand, they must understand that a measure of
contemplation and playful diversion is important; on the other hand, they must
also know that thoughtfulness and diversion are not the ultimate goals, and
that their efforts must yield results. Employees also need to understand that
voicing wacky, half-baked ideas is a natural and productive part of the
brainstorming process and not something to ridicule. Employees who don’t grasp
these concepts can sap morale and discourage others from pushing the limits of
their creativity.
About the Author:
V. B. Velasco Jr., Ph.D. works for a biotech firm that provides
ELISPOT readers and other immunology
research devices.
