Creativity in Business
Creativity as a powerful business tool
We think too small like a frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well. If he surfaced he would have an entirely different view. (Mao Tse Tung)
Like the frog, many of us have a limited view of our environment. This may not be a problem for the frog but for us the imposition of constraints can hold back growth or prevent us attaining our objectives.
Why not use Storytelling to make scenario planning more effective, improve corporate communications, remove conflict or aid team building? Try substituting 'yes and ...' for 'yes but ...'. Try these top tips.
Creativity can be used every day for events such as meetings. Why not rewrite the 'Meetings Handbook' to include Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats or include relaxation or visualisation as part of everyday working life? There are many ways of using creativity, however we believe that a good starting point is to:
- Measure the current creative climate within the organisation (How? see our toolkit ...)
- Create a toolbox of essential models and techniques
- Develop creative leaders and managers
- Form creative teams
- Explore alternative techniques for change and problem solving
- Use an external facilitator or catalyst to help kick-start the process
As a bare minimum we believe that you should be looking at the following areas within your business or organisation. The list is only a small subset of the areas that we look at when carrying out audits.
Contact us now to find out how we can help you.
Strategic BarriersPreferred ways of decision making, solving problems, using finance, assessing risk. |
Organisational CultureCharacterised by individuals feeling empowered, constructive personal relationships and a sense of time and space to 'play' and learn. There should also be a feeling that the organisation acts as a whole with high intrinsic motivation amongst employees. |
Corporate CultureCulture that is espoused by those in senior positions. If the organisation is in balance then organisational and corporate culture will mirror each other. Espoused values should centre on trust and freedom and open communications with tacit and explicit knowledge being valued equally. |
LearningTime should be allowed to prototype, to learn not to repeat our failures and to capture experiences for reuse later. Most importantly, all of these processes must be systematic. Quite often knowledge is seen as a source of power and the ability to learn and share might require a shift in HR policies within an organisation. |
Process and StructureCreativity must be'"un-managed' i.e. a framework is required but without prescriptive manuals or procedures. It must be part of the organisational fabric. This will impact upon HR policies and also the way in which the organisation is led and managed. |
Leadership and ManagementStrategic direction is set by those at the top. Often there are no concrete objectives and a strategy emerges quite by accident. A creative organisation must know where it is supposed to be going and what resources it has to do the job required. Research has shown that significantly over-resourcing a project has no effect and neither does under-resourcing. |
Creativity is not about being 'wacky', just removing the blocks that prevent staff and organisations from fulfilling their potential. Can you afford to ignore it?
For details of our ongoing seminar and workshop program please look here or contact us directly.
Providing Business Creativity and Innovation services throughout the South West, Wales, UK, Mexico, Taiwan and the Far East
Areas of expertise: business creativity, innovation, alternative thinking, innovation management, strategy creation, innovation measurement,
creativity at work, organisational creativity.
Products and services: consultancy, innovation programmes, innovation capability audit, creativity workshops, innovation workshops, creativity training, innovation management, innovation awareness training, project management, coaching, mentoring, facilitation, professional, speaking, ebooks.