How to not kill creativity in organizations
Creativity often challenges established norms, which may create tension in traditional organizations. One could say there’s a “dark side” to organizational creativity: creativity takes time to unfold - time being a scarce resource.
In corporate environments driven by structure, processes and the quest for optimization, there might not be room for this. Without a supportive culture, employees may suppress ideas, limiting the organization’s capacity for innovation. How are employees affected? They may feel they have little room for creative expression in such environments. (The title of this article refers to Prof Theresa Amabile’s classic article from 1998)
But when creativity, in particular “mini-C” creativity that is inherent to everyday learning and experiment, cannot thrive, neither can innovation and creative problem-solving. Academics, particularly management thinkers, often view creativity as the spark for innovation.
COuntermeasures: Encouraging “Mini-C” Creativity
So what is the remedy? Make space for “mini-c” creativity—the form of creativity inherent in personal learning and experimentation. This empowers employees to find fresh approaches to complex problems.
How do you help “mini-c” creativity unfold? What does it take? What are best practices?
Google’s 20% Time policy stipulated that employees could set aside time to work on “passion projects”. The result? Employees came up with product ideas such as Gmail and Google News. This is one of the most common cited examples of successfully making room for mini-c creativity to unfold.
Safaricom pursued a similar path. Its M-Pesa, a mobile payment service in Kenya, was the result of giving employees a space to activate their problem-solving abilities. Initially an experiment to address local banking issues, M-Pesa was born from a small, creative initiative that allowed employees to explore a concept outside their regular tasks.
Both examples show that when you provide opportunities for “mini-C” creativity to unfold, it can lead to impressive results. Gmail has 1.8 billion active users (Your Story). It creates revenue for Google. In a similar vein, Safaricom brought in over USD 885 million in revenue in the financial year leading up to March 31,2022, with M-Pesa (Statista).
Photo by Patrick Perkins on Unsplash
The case for Playfulness and Experimentation: Post-ITS
Take 3M’s famous post-it notes—an accidental discovery from a failed adhesive experiment in 1968. Scientist Spencer Silver accidentally created a low-tack adhesive while trying to develop a super-strong one. His colleague Art Fry found a use for it as a removable bookmark, which led to the invention of Post-it notes.
Research shows creativity often requires a playful, open environment where calculated risks are supported.
it’s YOUR turn now! Build a Culture that Supports Experimentation
To fully harness mini-c creativity, organizations need to foster a culture of curiosity, adaptability, and openness. How can you change the culture in this direction? Follow the checklist to encourage small acts of experimentation within teams.
Bonus: I provided examples of companies worldwide who successfully ignite their employees’ dormant creativity.
30 October 2024. clu ventures.
Sources:
Amabile, T. M. (1988). A model of creativity and innovation in organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior, 10, 123.
Amabile, T. M. (1998). HOW TO KILL CREATIVITY. (cover story). Harvard Business Review, 76(5), 76-87.
Amabile, T. M., & Khaire, M. (2008). CREATIVITY and the ROLE OF THE LEADER Harvard Business School Publication Corp.
Dweck, C. (2016). What having a "growth mindset" actually means. Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 2-4.
Kaufman, J. C., & Beghetto, R. A. (2009). Beyond big and little: The four C model of creativity.
Vadera, A. K., Pratt, M. G., & Mishra, P. (2013). Constructive Deviance in Organizations Integrating and Moving Forward. Journal of Management.