Cultivating creativity in organizations
Creativity is the spark that starts a company. It all begins with a thought in the mind of the entrepreneur and gets developed into a dream. Further work on the idea and a plan is born. Implementing the program leads to actual progress, and goals get reached. Once the organization gets established, innovation must not stop. Creativity must continue, improve, and become more intensified as the company grows. The ever-changing business environment calls for broad thinking and flexibility. Companies invest heavily in human resources for creativity and problem-solving. They, therefore, must attract, protect, and retain as much talent as possible. The organization culture has an enormous role to play in creativity among team members. Learning in an organization comprises the history, symbols, communication, metrics, rewards, and recognition within a firm (Zhou, 2014). The history aspect spoke of the company’s early years when it was starting. This period and the events in it form the first culture of the organization.
Culture is indeed a broad term that has an even more extensive reach. The elements of a company’s culture that foster creativity is not specific. As creativity is an individual virtue, different people react differently under different stimuli. To start with, the organization’s mission and vision statement may inspire innovators to focus on a target. Studies show that people are more productive and likely to succeed if they focus on a particular area. A mission statement provides a point of focus as employees know where the company I headed. The culture of relationships in the company also provides for creativity. Interpersonal interactions go a long way to foster trust and teamwork. A culture of equality encourages people to be themselves, thus freeing their minds to explore. The way a company handles mistakes among employees may hinder or promote creativity. It is a known fact that failure is common when creating. Organizations must welcome mistakes and encourage employees to continue brainstorming.
The role of leadership in cultivating creativity cannot get overlooked. Revolutionary leaders like Walt Disney have shown that creativity can get transmitted throughout a company with prudent leadership. The role of the leader is to inspire team members and bring out the creative side within them. Every member of the staff body is capable of creativity. Where creativity gets defined as the ability to come up with a new idea like none before, the staff body has the potential to be creative and will come up with new ideas if presented with the right stimuli. The leader must lead by example and express creativity in her behavior and speech (Clarke, 2014). How the leader talks to team members can inspire or deflate them. A leader should empower team members to think for themselves and to be confident in their judgments. Training for employees may also be directed by the leader to enhance their creativity skills. A leader should maintain a generous personal space and allow employees to work freely. If they feel that they are being policed and always watched employees shrink in spirit. While many want to impact the organization, they do not want to lose face or their jobs.
The field of animation and film making requires creativity on every level. Leaders in this field must continuously inspire team members to be most creative at all times. The catalytic leadership style would work best here. A catalytic leader involves herself sparingly in the mattes of the staff member. She helps them solve their problems with a personal approach. The answer must come from the team member and not the leader. Such leaders may be considered patronizing but work well in the entertainment industry.
References
Anderson, N., Potočnik, K., & Zhou, J. (2014). Innovation and creativity in organizations: A state-of-the-science review, prospective commentary, and guiding framework. Journal of management, 40(5), 1297-1333.
Venkataramani, V., Richter, A. W., & Clarke, R. (2014). Creative benefits from well-connected leaders: Leader social network ties as facilitators of employee radical creativity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(5), 966.