Managing creativity.

Introduction

The generation and successful exploitation of new ideas is generally considered a key to competitive advantage, particularly in the context of rapid change in business and society. It is vital therefore, for organisations to foster and manage creativity if they are to achieve and sustain success in the marketplace.

This checklist focuses on processes, steps and techniques for managing creativity in others, rather than on developing personal creativity.

For example:

Manager A is a highly creative individual who assails his/her team with ideas to the point where they cannot keep up with the flow.

Manager B has few creative ideas but is highly effective at listening, encouraging and helping staff to come up with ideas that can then be put to the test.

This checklist is concerned mainly with Manager B.

National Occupational Standards for Management and Leadership

This checklist has relevance for the following standards

B: Providing direction, unit 6

C: facilitating change, units 1,2,3

Definition

The terms creativity and innovation are often used interchangeably. However, making a clear distinction between the two helps to understand what each means so that they can be managed better.

Creativity has been described as the organisation of thoughts in a way that leads to different understandings of a situation. Innovation is more often associated with the development of a new product or service. They are different but they fit together--creativity is the process of generating new ideas, while innovation relates more to the process of implementing new ideas for the benefit of the organisation.

Action checklist

1. Identify potential sources of ideas, or stimuli to creativity

Research has tended to be associated more with the invention of products, but it is just as likely to come up with ideas for new processes as well as products. This can be academic research papers, newspaper reports, or the latest article from a trade or professional journal.

Employees are the ones who handle the day-to-day problems, processes and plaudits; they are the key to spotting opportunities or threats, better ways of doing things, or ways of doing different things.

Customers may not always be right, but it is vital to stay close, listen and explore their comments, feedback and complaints.

Relationships with suppliers can develop into partnerships which can be exploited for mutual benefit.

Competitors will have their own agenda for creativity; actively seeking out intelligence on a competitor's activities can provide an early alert to new developments.

Happenstance: it has been said that creativity probably stems more from circumstances which are unplanned and undirected, be this in the bath or on the golf course. Whatever the source, an idea is an idea, until putting it to the test demonstrates that it won't work.

2. Set an example yourself

This is a matter of attitude and approach rather than being creative yourself, although that can obviously help now and again. The idea is not to manage by visible face-time productivity, but by realising that people need "white space" for chatting, thinking and sessions for exploring different things in different ways.

* encourage new ideas consistently rather than when, or if, you have the time

* discuss all ideas in open forum--not just those that you think are good

* welcome new explorations and different directions rather than enforcing a platform of unchanging stability

* seek out new ways of working rather than always relying on the tried and tested.

3. Develop a climate for creativity

Creativity thrives best in an environment of openness and interaction. While this is difficult to put into words, it has to do with:

* a sense of dynamism, hustle and bustle rather than a hush in the air

* an atmosphere of mutual respect where people feel free to interact, rather than a climate of deference to rank or position

* not allowing rules and procedures to control activities rigidly and inflexibly 

* a sense of individual energy, enthusiasm, open-mindedness and commitment, which uses conflicting ideas constructively (while minimising personal conflict).

4. Use techniques for creativity

Brainstorming involves spontaneous, open-ended discussion in the search for new ideas, and can prove invaluable in generating large numbers of ideas, however offthe- wall they may appear initially.

The key to generating ideas in a brainstorming session is not to evaluate them too soon, thereby curtailing participation in the discussion.

Suggestion schemes are used as a way of gathering ideas from employees to improve productivity, cut costs or improve working conditions. The key to successful suggestion schemes is to give feedback and reward contributors so that employees realise that management is interested and listens to them.

Focus groups enable a particular topic to be explored in greater depth, allowing people to develop related ideas as they go along and build on the views expressed by others. Participants can be encouraged to think laterally rather than sticking to the usual line of thought.

Lateral thinking--pioneered by Edward de Bono, lateral thinking takes us outside our familiar, organisational way of reasoning and opens up many different ways of thinking about a problem. This approach need not be wacky or just wishful thinking; it still requires logic and analysis, but challenges and tests the assumptions that tend to govern our 'normal' thought processes.

Mind-mapping--pioneered by Tony Buzan, a mind map is a tool that mirrors the way in which the brain stores and retrieves information and is a powerful means of expressing the thought patterns, pictures and associations that exist in the brain.

5. Become a team member

Although you may be the team leader, become a team member as well. Challenge others about the way they do things, even what they are doing, and encourage them to challenge you. You need to adopt a number of different roles to get the best from teams--sometimes you may find it useful to change between:

* the manager who sits back, listens and encourages, and knows when to move away from an unprofitable track

* the communicator who interprets input from different individuals

* the devil's advocate who is trying to get people to see that there is an alternative

* the builder who makes links between a number of possibilities

* the co-ordinator who sums up when a consensus begins to appear.

6. Build in breathing time/space

There is no secret here--if you want people to be creative, you can't expect to see them 'doing' all the time. In fact you can't expect to see them all the time--they may be more effective being creative out of your sight or hearing. If you trust people with space and time, generally they will come up with the goods. Largely it's a question of trust, something that has to be given in order to earn it.

7. Build systems for creativity

Identify processes and systems which will facilitate creativity and build them into your working practices. They should be based on the principles outlined in steps 1-7 above and may include:

* 360 degree appraisal--where constructive review and feedback from customers, subordinates, peers and managers takes place on a regular, honest and open, basis

* self-directed teams--small groups of people genuinely empowered to manage themselves and the work they do. These require flexibility and support from the organisation, and multi-skilling and self-discipline from the team members

* flexible working--standard working hours may no longer be appropriate in all cases; introducing greater flexibility as to when, where and how work is carried out and gearing work to the employee rather than vice versa can improve morale and release creative energy.

8. Work out inexpensive pilots

It is important to try out ideas that seem to promise much but may need significant investment. Find ways to pilot such ideas on a smaller scale so that you can put them to the test, gain evidence to justify the investment required and draw lessons from the initial phase which will be of benefit to later, fuller implementations. Departmental applications, telephone surveys of existing customers and seed corn money can all be used to lay a foundation for innovation while avoiding unnecessary expenditure.

9. Feedback and Reward

None of the above initiatives will carry much weight unless they are firmly supported with systems of feedback and reward. To let employees know how their suggestions are turning out is vital if further suggestions are to be forthcoming. Feedback should be constructive and encouraging, and cover all those ideas that employees have contributed, not just those which any assessing panel may deem worthy. Some successful suggestion schemes reward all contributions in cash on a sliding scale depending on how far that idea can be developed.

Managers should avoid

The creative process is often complex and can be seen as chaotic and unmanageable. It is all too easy for creativity to be stifled unintentionally by a pervasive resistance to change or an inflexible approach.

Managers should avoid:

* assuming that all the best ideas come from the top

* dismissing ideas out of hand without evaluating them

* ignoring suggestions for small changes--they may nonetheless lead to major improvements

* forgetting to give feedback on ideas whatever the outcome

* failing to involve employees in the implementation of ideas

* excessive rigidity in the application of rules and regulations

* reluctance to move beyond formal job descriptions

* a culture of blame where failure is penalised rather than being seen as an opportunity to learn

* over-reliance on financial incentives and rewards--creative people enjoy a challenge and tend to be motivated by intrinsic rewards

Additional resources

Books

Creativity and innovation: managing best practice 119

London: The Work Foundation, 2004

Creativity in virtual teams: key components for success, Jill E. Nemiro

San Francisco, Calif.: Pfeiffer, 2004

Big ideas: putting the zest into creativity and innovation at work Jonne Ceserani

London: Kogan Page, 2003

Sticky wisdom: how to start a creative revolution at work What If,

Oxford: Capstone, 2002

This is a selection of books available for loan to members from the Management Information Centre. More information at: www.managers.org.uk/mic

Internet resources

Creativity Unleashed: Articles, software and book recommendations

www.cul.co.uk

Mindtools: Section on Practical Creativity includes information on a range of techniques

www.mindtools.com

Creativity at work:

Articles and tips provided by Linda Naiman and Associates www.creativityatwork.com