To achieve success, it is essential that an organization is able to develop a culture of creativity in their workplace. What does a creative workplace mean? It simply refers to a working environment where employees can confidently use their imaginations to solve the problems of the organization. There are four simple things you need to focus on.
Creating a culture of creativity in your office
1. Foster individualism
To be creative, a person has to have an independent mind. Someone who constantly thinks of how others will judge him cannot be creative. Instead, all their thoughts will be derived from a need to appease others. So ensuring that individuality is promoted at the workplace instead of blind obedience to authority is a must. Let employees make their own opinions and express their ideas without fear of being shamed for it.
However, they must do so within the limits of their assigned task or else there can be chaos in your organization. For instance, a software engineer must have the freedom to experiment with the various ways by which he can improve the software he is working on. But the employee should not interfere in the affairs of the project manager or quality controller and start advising them on how to do their tasks, as this can end up creating feelings of hatred.
2. Reward creativity
Rewarding creative employees is not only an excellent way to encourage them to continue with their way of thinking, but is also a good method to inspire others to start thinking creatively. This sends out a message that creative thinking is accepted and honored. Employees will start looking for ways to improve their jobs and generate new ideas that contribute immensely to the growth of the organization. Though a reward that is monetary in nature will produce the best result, it is not the only thing you can do. Just a simple memento given in front of colleagues is enough to inspire many employees to work smarter and creatively.
Rewarding creative employees is not only an excellent way to encourage them to continue with their way of thinking, but is also a good method to inspire others to start thinking creatively. (Image: via Pixabay)
3. Tolerate mistakes
Being creative does not mean that everything will go your way. Employees might make some mistakes in the process. It is a natural consequence of experimenting with various ideas. Do not be rough in such times and rebuke them unnecessarily as this can make the employee stop being creative at all. Instead, let them known that it is okay to make mistakes. And if you can teach them how they went wrong and provide advice on applying their ideas correctly, they will be inspired by your behavior.
4. Personal projects
While the employee is obliged to perform the jobs you have assigned them, do not be too strict about it. Let them take some time off and indulge themselves in personal projects. People think their best when their mind is invested in something that they are truly invested in.
For instance, your software employee may be tasked with the development of a financial software. If someone seems interested in testing out a new and improved code for a transaction system that is not at all connected with the job, allow them to pursue it for about four hours per week. This will keep their mind motivated as they get access to the company’s tech infrastructure to test their code, inspiring them to continue with their creative pursuits.
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