Building a #Creative Company Culture!

By Stevie Howard

Creativity makes the world go round! Or, something like that, right? Either way, allowing yourself and others to be creative is one of the most rewarding feelings. Unfortunately, many may have experienced a lack of employer encouragement. I’m sure we’ve all heard the “it distracts you from the important work” spiel. A Cornell study actually shows that people, although they desire creative ideas, are biased and reject most suggestions. Why is this when allowing for employee creativity can positively affect business in more ways than one? Surprisingly, or not so surprising if you think about it, companies that foster creativity are 3.5 times more likely to outperform their peers in terms of revenue growth. That’s a huge impact and just another reason we should be adding creativity to company culture initiatives. 

At Red Branch, we encourage all employees, from designers to interns, to branch out (haha, get it?) and get involved in their own creations (note all the awesome Instagram photos inline)! Keep reading to see why this point of view may be for the better.

ICYMI: Get Creative With Your Work Environment

1. Creativity is valuable to a country’s economy

(http://bit.ly/2czlfHu)

This seems like a weird reason. Creativity, really? How does that influence our economy at all? Well, if you think about it, the answer isn’t as farfetched as it may seem. Creativity is fostered from ideas, and those ideas are what drive products, services, business, and, in turn, the economy. And, here’s the thing, people know this. A whole 7 in 10 people (in the U.S.) feel that being creative is valuable to the country’s economy.

7 in 10 people (in the U.S.) feel being creative is valuable to the country's economy. Share on X

Think of it this way, if Nathaniel Baldwin hadn’t thought of a creative way to listen to music, we wouldn’t have today’s headphone. Or, if George Washington Carver wouldn’t have gotten creative with his multiple (300) uses for peanuts, we might never know about the delicious food. These ideas formed a product, which then created a multitude of businesses, which results in economic growth; not to mention is a tasty PB and J.

Learn More: This Is Exactly How To Cultivate Creativity In Your Company Culture

 

2. Most CEOs value creativity over every other skill

(http://bit.ly/2cEloYi)

Fun fact – about 60% of CEOs cited creativity as the most important leadership quality. This compares with integrity coming in at 52% and global thinking coming in with a measly 35% (ouch!). So, what do these numbers even mean? Well, aside from the obvious, it means that employers WANT creative ideas, but may be sabotaging them without even knowing it. The littlest things can sometimes ruin a worker’s creative steam. Anything from not giving enough direction, to micro-managing can have a huge impact on creative freedom and thought processes. These things aren’t exactly the best for your company brand anyways. All in all, we recommend you try to steer away from them and let the ideas flow!

Read More: How To Find Your Creative Side

 

3. People WANT to be more creative

(http://bit.ly/2c4IRiR)

Happiness is a key part in any company. A happy employee creates a happy business! However, not allowing for some degree of creative freedom can cause happiness to drop, which can have a huge impact. According to a 2013 Gallup poll, 24% of employees worldwide are “actively disengaged”, meaning they are unhappy and unproductive. In correlation with this, only 25% of people believe they are actually living up to their potential to be creative.

Only 25% of people believe they are actually living up to their potential to be creative. Share on XNow, you may be thinking, “what does being happy have to do with creativity?”. Well, the answer is a lot actually.

Now, you may be thinking, “what does being happy have to do with creativity?”. Well, the answer is a lot actually. Studies have shown that being creative gets your mind flowing, meaning you can accomplish more and focus on the moment. It can also help with stress and our overall well-being. Now, doesn’t that sound like a recipe for awesomeness?

So, let the creativity happen! Your employees want it, and you need it!

Learn More: Construct A More Creative Workplace In 3 Steps

4. Creativity equals buyer (or candidate) attention

(http://bit.ly/2cmXvop)

Whether you’re B2B or B2C, grabbing your target audience’s attention is extremely important. But, it is also getting harder and harder. In the past few years, a person’s average attention span has continued to drop, and it now sits at a measly 8 seconds; which is actually a whole second LESS than a Goldfish. So how do you prevent this? If you guessed, “getting more creative” you’re right on the money! From content to design, has a company or brand of any kind you need to impress, capture, and inform your audience all while making sure they don’t get distracted by another cat video (because, let’s face it, who can resist that?). Allowing for creativity can spark new ideas and new ways for you to engage with your audience, so how is that a bad thing? Hint: it’s not.

Learn More: How To Find Your Creative Side

So, here’s the moral of the story. Giving your employees the creative freedom they deserve not only helps them, but in turn, your company as well. Not to mention the entire country (wow, that’s deep)! And, the great thing is, if you are ever stubbed about how to help your employees get more creative there are plenty of TEDtalks and YouTube videos that will be sure to get the job done. Now, get out there and create!

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try” – Dr. Seuss