What does creative thinking look like in the workplace? Many of us would consider it to be the graphics design department, perhaps a contemporary and stylish work space or a less formal dress code?
Creativity in the workplace means so much more than this and its concept involves everyone, not just staff who have roles traditionally perceived as being 'creative". Creative thinking is now seen as integral to an organisation’s success but what does is actually mean to your company?Creative thinking is the foundation for driving productivity through the organisation. Creative thinking will lead to new ways of problem solving, push new and innovative ideas forward and increase employee engagement. Drawing on the creative thinking of a whole team and not just one person will produce a wider range of ideas and solutions to organisational goals and the more diverse the knowledge pool is the more solutions will be presented.
Creative thinking in business is now a key factor in a company’s success and according to a study from Adobe and Forrester Consulting, 82% of companies believing there to be a strong connection between creativity and business results. Further results from the study showed organisations that “actively fostered” creative thinking out perform their rivals in revenue growth and market share.
How do you foster “creative” thinking in your business? Some employees may be reluctant to share ideas or feel unconfident in their ability to think “creatively” but by cultivating an innovative and creative workplace it will encourage new ways of thinking.
Best Practice Consulting advise a mind-set of “continuous learning” along with the belief that if you are not constantly refilling the creative pool it will run dry. BPS World have a strong learning and development culture within the workplace. The Stars programme was created to enhance internal learning and development in the organisation and each tier of the programme has clearly defined career pathways with an associate learning and development programme. We have implemented a blended learning approach with e-learning, on-line tutorials, workshops and 1 to 1 sessions available. The evolution of the Star programme is a clear example of creative thinking; the company have listened to their team’s feedback and nurtured an open environment for exchanging ideas. The success of this award-winning programme was built on collaborative “creative” thinking,
In recent months, the organisation has increased its learning support to its members and now provides LinkedIn Learning. LinkedIn Learning is an online platform that holds over 9,000 digital courses and its data-driven personalisation. This unlimited source of learning encourages team members to search out new information, ideas and knowledge, which results in keeping the creative pool full to the brim, bringing new ideas and productivity into the organisation.
One over-reaching benefits of creative thinking in the workplace is team building and team bonding which results in an increase in staff morale and retention. BPS World teams regularly meet and spend time working together to solve problems and increase productivity. A weekly meeting with the entire company fosters information and idea sharing and the use of video platforms allows everyone in the office to connect and contribute.
Blue Fountain Media stress that creativity in the workplace should be encouraged from all ends of the organisation as you set out to accomplish the objectives your organisation sets. The BPS World annual company day is a time where team members from all regions get together to share ideas on how to drive the organisational goals forward. Everyone is encouraged to participate and the day is incredibly beneficial in producing new ideas and team building, it is a relaxed and non-judgemental environment where everyone contributes and every idea is listened to and discussed. The impact of company day on the organisation is huge and many actions and processes result from the collective sharing.
Some of the most successful ideas start small. One of our company's greatest assets was developed from a sketch on a notepad. Our Marketing Director believed we needed a mechanism to improve internal communication within the organisation and from a simple sketch the idea for a bespoke system, now called Clubhouse, was born. Clubhouse is used as a social and learning platform and has been embraced throughout the organisation, it has become fundamental to our operations.
What is your creative idea? What does creativity look like in your organisation?
For further information on any of the topics mentioned here, please contact Joanne on joanne.lea@bps-world.com