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FALL 2017
3
business
solutions
How to encourage creative
thinking at your company
Four
C’s
of
Creativity
When the going gets tough, the tough get creative. During the Great Depression, for example,
several companies made huge bets that led to fame and fortune. DuPont told one of its star scientists
to set aside basic research and pursue potentially profitable innovation—he came up with nylon.
Douglas Aircraft debuted the DC-3, which within four years was carrying 90 percent of commercial
airline passengers. And a group of competing inventors created television.
How many times have you said, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
We’re often surprised by, or envious of, great ideas we see at
trade shows or in industry publications. We admire those with
seemingly innate abilities to create something from nothing
but sometimes discount our own potential for creativity. Or we
simply wait for breakthrough ideas to emerge spontaneously as
the result of “eureka” moments.
While new ideas can turn up “out of the blue,” successful
companies make a point of actively and consistently fostering
creativity. To encourage the creative process at your workplace,
keep in mind the four C’s of creativity—Culture, Conditions,
Context, and Collaboration.
Culture
– Establish a business environment where creativity is
solicited, rewarded, and celebrated. Let your employees know
that creativity is valued. Ask for new ideas and creative solutions
to problems. Reward employees when they come up with ways
(big or small) to increase efficiency, improve service, or reduce
costs. Finally, celebrate those ideas that make an impact and add
value to your organization.
Conditions
– Give your employees the resources they need to
be creative. This can be as simple as allotting time during the
business day for discussions, research, and brainstorming.
Context
– Provide a clear target or specific goal. “Go be creative”
is too vague to produce meaningful results. Instead, ask your
employees to develop solutions for specific challenges. Give enough
direction to point the way but resist being too directive, since that
could inhibit creativity. Even “crazy” ideas frequently contain a bit
of brilliance in them that can lead to practical applications.
Collaboration
– Diverse groups tend to generate the most cre-
ative ideas since a range of expertise and viewpoints stimulates the
kind of discussion that leads to innovation. To take advantage of
this dynamic, establish teams comprised of people from different
departments. You may also want to involve customers, vendors,
and key stakeholders to bring outside perspectives to the process.