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Creativity. A lot of companies say that they want it. ot all of them do a good job of fostering it though, and it's easy to see why.
Creativity often appears unproductive. It requires dissociating one's self from one's normal work, and it frequently requires periods of quiet contemplation. Such activities aren't physical in nature and they don't look like "work." As a result, companies often expect their employees to simply buckle down and produce, instead of fostering an environment that allows ideas to mature and percolate.
This is a terrible shame. Sometimes, the worst thing you can do is to crank out results without giving ideas time to develop properly. This is true in any creative endeavor-engineering, programming, ad design, artwork, script writing, you name it. In contrast, when a company has creative-minded people and the right kind of environment, the results can be magical.
Consider Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest creative geniuses of all time. While creating The Last Supper, which was arguably his greatest masterpiece, Leonardo would first spend half of each day in quiet reverie. Only after this period of contemplation would he start painting. To the casual observer, it might have seemed that Leonardo was just goofing off, but in reality, he was allowing critical ideas to take shape.
I speak from personal experience as well. I once had a job writing software for a firm that developed traffic control systems. The managers expected everyone to get his job done, but they did not resort to clockwatching or micromanagement. The result? I was able to produce some of my finest work, and well ahead of schedule. The higher-ups were so pleased that when I received another employment offer, my immediate manager and one of the vice-presidents tried urgently to get me to stay.
Having said that, it's easy to see why companies might not want to give their employees completely free rein. Without the right system of checks and balances, this type of freedom becomes easy to abuse. While a truly creative person can use these period of reverie productively, a less conscientious worker mighty simply use them as an excuse to goof around. It's not always possible to distinguish between the two.
So how can a company provide a creative environment that also keeps people accountable? I'd like to offer the following suggestions.
First, set a proper example. That is, don't simply expect your employees to be creative. Instead, show them how you personally apply creative thinking techniques and how this yields results. Spend time in contemplation and mild diversion, but also show them the work that you produce. The goal is to help employees understand that it's not enough to simply pursue periods of playful reverie or quiet contemplation; rather, they are to use these periods to deliver creative results, just as you do.
Second, involve your employees in your own creative processes. Ask them for input on the work you produce. Involve them in brainstorming sessions, even if it's only to provide an outsider's viewpoint. Ask for their wild ideas, or ask them questions that are designed to engage their imaginations-questions like "If you were a customer, which of these designs would you prefer? Which would be more likely to make you buy a product?"
And third, keep the lines of communication open. Encourage employees to openly brainstorm, voicing their thoughts out loud – if not to you, then to other employees. This helps keep people accountable. It distinguishes employees who are actively dreaming from those who are merely daydreaming or otherwise wasting time.
Of course, this approach can only work if employees are on board with the whole creative culture. On the one hand, they must understand that a measure of contemplation and playful diversion is important; on the other hand, they must also know that thoughtfulness and diversion are not the ultimate goals, and that their efforts must yield results. Employees also need to understand that voicing wacky, half-baked ideas is a natural and productive part of the brainstorming process and not something to ridicule. Employees who don't grasp these concepts can sap morale and discourage others from pushing the limits of their creativity.
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