Encouraging creativity

Last week while a few of us were waiting for the coffee to brew, our president, Mike Heiser, mentioned the class he was teaching - a 400-level Marketing class at PSU this semester. He said he has been continually surprised by the breadth and depth of creative ideas that come from his students, and that with just a small amount of encouragement, students from areas other than the "creative" disciplines, come up with profoundly interesting ideas for their marketing assignments.

His comments led to discussions about how the corporate world sometimes chokes off fresh ideas that can drive new approaches to business, and about ways companies can encourage this wonderful creativity beyond graduation by creating a culture that taps into each person's innate creative.

What great ideas might come forth if we didn't first jam people into tactical roles, telling them that creative ideas come from people with more experience or a different job description!

At YRG, we're working to create an atmosphere where taking risks is encouraged, and that all ideas - no matter how seemingly outlandish - can be used as a foundation for more ideas. We have an environment where people have the ability to bring forth unique perspectives, and if they need breathing room and space, they are free to sit in the park, get away from their desk, and let their minds float to solutions. That kind of open collaboration enables a marketing team to invite the finance manager to a brainstorming session with an art director and copywriter, and encourages media planners to participate in strategy brainstorms to refine creative approaches and audience perspectives for online marketing.

No company can afford to have creative thinkers sidelined because their roles within the organization are not perceived to be "creative." Creative minds thrive on asking why and why not, and creative thinking is not the realm of one department or a few individuals. We each owe it to our respective organizations to discover our creative thinkers and get them engaged. To remain (or become) successful, companies must encourage all company leaders and all employees to be open to creative possibilities and get them interested in solving customer problems.

11.05.07 // 09:24am