Is it possible to create a work environment where creativity among coworkers is maximized? In this post we will discuss ideas from Terese Amabile’s Harvard Business Review article “How to kill creativity“. The author starts by asking managers of companies whether or not they believe there are parts of the job that they wouldn’t want employees to be creative with. While some say that there are, the ultimate conclusion is that even in areas like accounting where you wouldn’t expect much room for expansion, creativity and design thinking are necessary in order to keep innovation present. If there is no creative thinking, then it is hard to make things more efficient or less complicated for the worker. It is only through taking the time to be creative and analyzing things that we come up with solutions to problems, a.k.a innovation.
Another point the author brought up that I’d really like to hone in on is that money doesn’t drive creativity. Much like in Simon Sinek’s Ted talk, Amabile talks about the attempts and failures of entrepreneurs who seemed to have all the capital in the world, but lacked the passion that was needed to take their idea to the next level. Without motivation, expertise can only take you so far. If you add creative thinking to capital and motivation, then you have a recipe for success no matter what industry you are a part of.
Terese also talks about strategic management as far as personalities and expertise go. It is important to remember fundamental aspects of organizational behaviors if you are going to manage a team on your entrepreneurial venture. The biggest and often best ideas will all require a team at some point, that is inevitable. It is important to know how to act as a professional on the job and always practice social skills to help bargaining/negotiating in business. Having coworkers/employees in the business could be a blessing or a curse, depending on how you delegate tasks and treat them. In order to let people under you grow, you need to give them free reign in terms of creativity, while also making sure that they are completing assignments in correlation with company goals and missions. It is only through this philosophy that you can have employees with great productivity and innovative ideas, a.k.a the best of both worlds.
Image Retrieved from Wonderfest
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