by Julian Ryder, Founder + Chief Creative Officer
Walk into a space where creativity is the natural expression of the people who work there and you immediately sense the presence of something special. No one has to tell you creativity is present, you just know it. It might be the way people are interacting with each other or the physical layout. It might be artwork on the walls or a shift in your mood. One thing is sure, with creativity comes a kind of energy that touches the creative spirit within all of us.
We find creativity thriving in technology firms, ad agencies and product development companies. We find it in organizations with names like Apple, Netflix, SpaceX and Infiniti. Creativity is linked to increased innovation, performance, productivity, profitability, customer satisfaction, happy employees, brand loyalty and much more.
At the heart of an organization thriving on creativity is it’s people. How they work and interact with each other, how they relate to the company and the freedom they have to do their jobs. It all plays a role in what it means to be creative.
In our work we inquire into the dynamics of groups and how they work together toward a common goal. We ask people to challenge conventional ways of thinking and acting and to consider new ideas that may seem foreign at first. We examine how people speak and listen to each other in the work place and introduce new ways to communicate for creativity. New models for collaboration are designed and new opportunities to take creative action emerge.
The foundation for an organization thriving on creativity is human commitment. Commitment to communication. Commitment to collaboration. Commitment to creativity. The ticket into this game is to put something at stake. Something that would make stepping out of the comfort zone worthwhile if it came to pass.
Want your piece of the creative pie? Start by identifying creativity as something missing in your organization. There’s no possibility for creativity to show up until you recognize it’s missing