Creativity is at the heart of innovation, and at the heart of every successful organization. Unfortunately, corporate culture too often finds itself at odds with a creative mindset. People who might otherwise help their business thrive are quashed by politics and bureaucracy. But your organization can do better - here’s how.
The business world is now more competitive than it’s ever been. With new technologies constantly lowering the barrier to entry for startups, virtually every industry is flooded with innovators and entrepreneurs. Businesses that aren’t capable of rapid change - organizations that lack internal creativity - will ultimately be unable to keep up with the market.
The problem, of course, is that it’s not exactly easy to inspire your employees to be more inventive and innovative. You cannot simply sit everyone down in a board meeting and tell them “go and make something new.” It doesn’t work.
Instead, you need to build (or in some cases, rebuild) your organization’s corporate culture around the well-being, creative drive, and personal growth of its people.
That may sound like a tall order. I won’t lie - it won’t be an easy transition, especially if your organization has grown set in its ways. But it will be more than worth it in the long run.
To that end, we are going to examine some of the world’s most innovative and successful companies. We will profile some of the most creative offices, some of the most interesting tactics, and some of the most important processes for cultivating innovation. Ultimately, we’ll conclude with a guideline of where (and how) your business can start its own transformation.
Valve’s Flat Management Model: No More Imposed Hierarchies
For those of you unfamiliar with the video games industry, Valve has long been one of the top dogs. It’s a company with a reputation for high-quality, innovative, and interesting products, and also the owner of the largest digital distribution platform in the industry. In short, it’s one of the titans of its market - due in no small part to its unique approach to the hierarchy in the workplace.
The theory behind the company’s management model is quite simple: if an organization is hiring the best and brightest, why devalue them by imposing a pecking order? Why force creative, driven men and women to sit at a desk and do what they’re told, instead of allowing them to explore and thrive?
Even in larger enterprises where some form of leadership is arguably necessary, Valve’s flat management concept works well. Corporate bureaucracy has a reputation for hindering creative progress. The more you can do to reduce it, the better.
Consider positioning your managers as coaches rather than bosses. They’re there to offer advice and help employees devise goals, but ultimately it’s up to your employees to follow through. Not only does this help to reduce micromanagement and improve worker agency, it also demonstrates to each employee that your organization trusts them to find their own way.
Just as it should.
Google’s Cultural Drive: Learning to Work Smarter
Too many corporations place a premium on their workers being ‘busy’ that they don’t actually stop to think about whether or not anything is actually getting done. They simply throw work at their staff with the unspoken expectation that as one climbs the corporate ladder, they devote more and more of their personal life to the organization. This is an unhealthy way to foster growth - and it’s a perfect way to kill creativity.
The leadership at Google (or Alphabet, if you’d prefer) realizes this. Instead of fostering a culture where everyone is expected to work endless hours, it has strived to create one that focuses on getting things done. More importantly, it’s created a culture where learning is not only encouraged, but rewarded.
Employees constantly work to better themselves, following the example of the corporation’s own executives. While the company does expect every employee to do their absolute best, it also takes steps to show it cares about its workers - whether that’s through its unique, open-concept offices or its many perks and incentives.
Autodesk’s Treadmill Desks: Exercising on The Job
One of the most troubling trends of our era is a wholesale shift towards a more sedentary, less active workforce. People simply weren’t designed to sit for eight or more hours a day. We evolved to move, and failure to do so can lead to a host of nasty health problems (to say nothing of what such slothfulness does to our brains).
Software development firm Autodesk realized this. That’s why their Silicon Valley Office makes extensive use of equipment like treadmill desks, standing tables, and a host of other exercise machines. By enabling people to stay active at work, the company not only encourages health and wellness but also demonstrates that it cares about the well-being of its employees.
Rover’s Canine Friends: The Power of Office Pets
As you might expect from the name, Seattle-based dog-walking and petting service Rover is all about fostering good relationships with man’s best friend. Founded on the belief that “everyone should have the opportunity to experience the unconditional love of a dog,” Rover has designed its office so its workers don’t have to leave their pups at home when they come to work. It even offers new hires up to $1000 to adopt a dog and includes pets in its corporate headshots.
You likely don’t want to go that far with your business.
At the very least, I’d advise adopting an office pet or two. The presence of a cat or dog in the office reduces stress and improves both morale and productivity. Just make sure you survey everyone in the office before heading out to the shelter - you want to make sure you aren’t ruining the workday of anyone with severe allergies, and it’s important to get everyone involved in the adoption process, as well.
Kickstarter’s NY HQ: Creating a Corporate Community
Kickstarter’s New York Office looks more like a community center than a corporate headquarters - and that’s by design. With spaces that include a rooftop garden, a library, a theater, and an art gallery, the office is meant to help budding creatives connect with potential backers as much as it is to serve as a space for Kickstarter’s employees. With plenty of greenery and a focus on collaborative work, it paints a positive picture for clients and helps staff get through the workday with minimal stress.
The lesson here is threefold. First, collaboration and creativity go hand-in-hand. By encouraging interaction and cooperation between employees, shareholders, and even clients, you can help foster the birth and growth of new ideas and innovations.
Second, the layout of your offices are every bit as important as the culture you create with them. Plants, for example, are a great way to brighten up a room and promote wellness, while moving away from cubicles and cells encourages people to actually interact with one another.
Finally, if your industry allows for it, encouraging the involvement of clients and customers in your business’s workings can both improve brand loyalty and enhance your business’s reputation.
LEGO’s Denmark Office: Mixing Work and Play
As you might expect of one of the world’s largest toy companies, LEGO’s headquarters is all about blurring the lines between work and entertainment. A sunny, open-concept space, the company’s office incorporates plenty of bright colors, unique architecture and features like slides and bonsai gardens.
You don’t need to be a toy company to take a few lessons away from this.
The idea that people should view their jobs as just work - that they shouldn’t thoroughly enjoy what they do - is as functionally obsolete as the nine to five workday. If your employees dread trudging into the office every morning, you are doing something wrong. And they’re never going to be creative - they’re never going to innovate, and they’re never going to give their best.
Find ways to make the workplace more entertaining, whether that’s through team-building exercises, the incorporation of new spaces, gamifying traditionally boring tasks, or both.
“The purpose of LEGO is not only to make fun designs for others to enjoy,” explained Rosan Bosch, the designer behind LEGO’s offices. “At LEGO, work, too, is supposed to be fun.”
Why not explore ways you can apply that sentiment to your own company?
Building a Better Workplace
Creativity is not something you can enable by simply handing down a mandate or two. Innovation isn’t something you can foster by metrics and board meetings alone. Traditional tactics will not work here.
To truly encourage your employees to be better - to truly encourage invention, collaboration, and growth - you need to examine and evaluate your corporate culture. You need to follow the example set by those who succeeded before you and find a way to make those teachings your own. Most importantly, you need to trust that, given the right environment, the people you’ve hired will do everything in their power to help your business thrive.
