It might be tough to hear this, but there’s a good chance many organizations’ employees aren’t getting any of their best ideas while at work.
Working out, catching up with buddies, some downtime in front of the T.V., even being surrounded by nature are more inspiring than the workplace, reveals a new study conducted by iQuido, a creativity training academy and consultancy.
According to the survey of more than 500 people that explored where, when and how creativity thrives, 84 percent of respondents reported they did not get their best ideas on the job thanks to too many distractions, not enough time, too much focus, and stress.
Of those who said they did have their best ideas at work, 48 percent credited their coworkers with getting their creative wheels turning. Twenty-nine percent said a creative atmosphere helped, followed by 28 percent who had no other choice but to be creative – “Creativity is required” – and 21 percent who were given the time to wrestle with their ideas.
The survey suggests that as employers consider what strategies foster greater creativity and innovation, the power of collaboration and inspiring people should be taken into account.
“The most important investment for a company is its people,” said Rober Gerlach, creativity coach and iQuido’s founder in a statement. “When people share the same chemistry, they are more likely to talk with each other and eventually build trust. Trust is a major component for sharing ideas and honest feedback.”
Earlier this year, ExecuNet Chief Marketing Officer Tony Vlahos told Forbes that fostering the type of collaborative culture that encourages inspirational interactions – and the great ideas that come from them – has to start with leadership.
“If the top leaders don’t consistently show respect for the people they work with and treat people fairly and well, they won’t elicit the commitment and collaboration they expect or want,” said Vlahos. He shared several tactics ExecuNet leadership use to build a collaborative – and creative – culture such as:
Regularly communicate with the entire staff. At ExecuNet, team members receive a short internal email daily to highlight what’s happening that day, like big meetings scheduled, who’s visiting and work anniversaries.
Make new hire interviewing and onboarding a team effort. Vlahos said by using a team approach to conduct interviews and onboarding, candidates can get a feel for the collaborative and team-oriented culture early on and get to know with whom they may be working.
Celebrate the individual. During “For the Good of the Order,” the last part of the ExecuNet’s monthly staff meetings, the floor is open for anyone to share something personally important to them – sometimes it’s recognition of how another coworker helped them.
Promote personal connections through employee groups. A group could have a small budget from the company and regularly plan and hold events and other opportunities for staff to hopefully get to know one another better in a manner a little less structured than a team building activity.
