Ask anyone to name a creative person, and they’ll probably give you a well-known name from the world of the arts: a musician, painter, a filmmaker. And it’s true — great artists are all really creative people. However, creativity isn’t only in the arts; it’s a very important skill for many types of work.
In the world of business, supporting creativity helps your company grow, as it can lead to innovative solutions to on-the-job challenges.
Related: 10 Ways to Build a Creative Company Culture
The importance of creativity across the company
According to a McKinsey study, the most creative companies deliver better business results. This shows how important it is to intentionally build a work environment that encourages and supports creative thinking.
This type of thinking is relevant in nearly every department of a company. For example, in software development, creative problem-solving can lead to innovative features that improve the user experience. In finance, creative approaches can optimize budgeting and streamline processes. In R&D, it can drive efficiencies in code or uncover time-saving solutions to complex problems. In HR, it can lead to new, more effective organizational structures.
By embracing creativity across all functions, you empower all your employees to think outside the box and make a meaningful contribution to the success of the company.
Encouraging experimentation with the “fail fast” methodology
In many workplaces, there’s a risk of shutting down creative ideas that challenge the current way of thinking. To encourage a creative environment in your business, I suggest adopting the “fail fast” methodology. This encourages your employees to experiment and come up with creative ideas that they can test quickly. In my experience, a two-week test is an ideal timeframe to quickly get a sense of whether or not an idea has potential.
If an idea works out or shows promise, you can take it further and scale it. On the other hand, if it fails, you’ve minimized any damage. This method isn’t just about reducing risk; it builds a culture where mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn and develop, and creative ideas are supported.
It also shows your employees that you trust them to explore their ideas, giving them a strong sense of ownership and pride in their work and motivating them to keep coming up with new suggestions to improve your business.
In fact, research from BCG shows that organizations promoting a culture of experimentation see higher levels of innovation. Companies like Google have successfully implemented similar methodologies, leading to groundbreaking projects like Gmail. If you give your employees the freedom to explore ideas without fear of failure, you’ll set your company up for success — according to data from Deloitte, high-growth brands are more likely to have a creative culture.
Related: 4 Ways to Drive Growth-Unlocking Internal Innovation in Your Organization
The importance of multi-functional teams
In a different study, Deloitte analysts show the link between multi-functional teams and innovative approaches. Bringing people with different backgrounds together increases the perspectives in any discussion and can help you get to creative solutions for business challenges.
I’ve seen firsthand how multidisciplinary teams solve problems better and faster and also come up with more creative ideas. It’s an important part of building that creative culture in your company. This is why, for key projects, I like to work with a squad model, bringing together representatives from different functions: R&D, Product, Marketing, Design and more. With so many different perspectives and areas of expertise around the table, it’s easier to find creative solutions to any challenges.
Creating the conditions to support creativity
Other aspects of the work environment also matter. Think about a child — they’re naturally creative and love exploring their environments. They enjoy being physically playful but need tools to do so: pens, paper, clay and other arts and crafts materials.
But it’s not just true for children. Professional artists also need the right paints, brushes and canvas to fulfill their creative potential. And it’s exactly the same for your employees — they need the right tools to support their work. To really encourage creative freedom, you need to invest, whether it’s in physical tools (a particular piece of hardware or sound equipment) or digital tools (subscriptions to the most advanced software).
The extent to which you can do this depends on your company’s life stage, but from personal experience, I’ve seen how the right tools make a huge contribution to unleashing creativity.
Related: Why Leaders Must Encourage Their Employees to Explore Their Creativity — and How to Do It
Every company has the potential to be creative
Throughout human history, creative ideas have been the driver of business impact. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, you can embrace creative freedom at your company and use that creativity to help you grow.
But you need to be intentional. Build a culture that celebrates experimentation and welcomes ideas from every team member. Take your projects forward with multi-functional teams, and give those teams the right tools.
Do all this, and you’ll empower your employees to approach challenges with fresh insights and innovative solutions. They’ll feel more valued, enjoy their work more and be even more motivated. It’s a virtuous cycle.
With better and faster problem-solving and happier employees, you’ll soon see the business impact.
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