Creativity At Work

Can the surroundings of an office promote creativity among workers? Studies show that environment matters. An independent 2006 U.S. Workplace Survey conducted on behalf of Gensler, a leading global design, planning and strategic consulting firm revealed the following: sixty-five percent of workers asked said that the design and layout of their workplace is “extremely” or “very” important to them; more than ninety percent surveyed indicated that the quality of their working environment affects their attitude about their work.

Here are ten tips for encouraging creativity in an office environment or workspace:

1. Provide a mix of open space for congregating, and closed space for concentration. Creativity is often generated when people interact with one another. As a result, it is important to include ample space for both informal and formal meetings. Architect Johnson Chou told Building Design and Construction magazine that his design for a Toronto advertising agency featured “meeting areas everywhere” to spur collaborative creativity. While meeting space is important, it is also critical to incorporate private spaces for concentration. This can definitely be a challenge in offices with cubicles. One Massachusetts architectural firm, Sasaki Associates, solved this issue for a client, the Monitor Group, by creating small, eighty square foot enclosed spaces called “cockpits,” intended for employees who need privacy and quiet for short periods of time.
2. Promote visual stimulation through color and other elements. When people see and think differently, they are more likely to be creative. Visual stimulation in the office environment can really help. Color, angles, lighting, and unexpected elements all boost creativity.
3. Emphasize individuality with unique objects. In some ways, an office can be viewed as a movie set which reflects the personality of the company and its employees. Why not encourage people to bring in unique objects that reflect their individuality? Author and innovator Tom Kelley described the IDEO offices in The Ten Faces of Innovation as embodying this: one cube sported an awning from a Parisian café, and another was redesigned to look like a local pub. From the ceiling hung a DC-3 wing!
4. Post work in progress. When teams or creative groups see their work on display, it often helps to spur collaboration and creative work. In her book Requirements by Collaboration, Ellen Gottesdiener suggests using shared wall space to create a “wall of wonder” with information about projects.
5. Display artwork and rotate it. Just as color and design elements can promote visual stimulation, so can art. Keep the visual landscape dynamic by hanging art on the walls and changing it frequently. Some museums, such as the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park (Lincoln, Massachusetts) even have programs where companies can take art on loan for their offices.




6. Provide boxes of toys to encourage playfulness. When work is combined with play, creative thinking often emerges. Having boxes of toys available during meetings can help to diffuse tension, prompt conversation, and spur creativity. Toys that are tactile are particularly useful. Examples include Silly Putty, Koosh balls, bendable figures, soft foam balls, etc.



7. Create a community lounge area. Impromptu interactions are a great catalyst for creativity. Consider creating a lounge area where people can gather. This space may serve many purposes, such as coffee bar, mailroom, or library. When there are numerous reasons why employees might go to the lounge, there is greater probability of informal encounters that can spark creative conversations.
8. Give as many people access to natural light as possible. When employees see natural light they feel more connected to the world outside. This can help to promote broader thinking and creativity. As Sposto Interactive redesigned their offices, they tried to make sure that all workspaces had at least some natural light coming in. Founder James Sposto has commented, “I think natural light and being able to see outside are incredibly important. Not feeling closed in means you have more options.” This is especially true in northern climates with long winters.
9. Remove walls to increase contact between groups.By removing walls and creating more open, collaborative space, employees are more likely to come in contact with one another and engage in creative conversations. Even the width of hallways can contribute to interaction. Wider hallways encourage people to migrate to the walls and pass one another without speaking, so narrower halls can mean more interconnection, and more creativity.
10. Match your creative philosophy with your work environment. Having a physical workspace that encourages communication, collaboration, openness and playfulness can spur creativity and inspiration. It also is a concrete representation of the culture of innovation so many organizations are hoping to engender.

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Here is an article by Jack Ewing of BusinessWeek on how one leading company employs customers to generate new ideas: “How Nokia Users Drive Innovation”

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Here is an interview of Google’s Eric Schmidt by Robert D. Hof of BusinessWeek on how Google manages innovation: ” How Google Fuels Its Idea Factory”

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Here is the executive summary of a white paper report from the University of Cambridge on service innovation; here is the entire white paper available in downloadable PDF format: “Succeeding through service innovation.”

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Here is a discussion between Herman Miller CEO Brian Walker and Corporate Design Foundation Chairman Peter Lawrence about employing a creative network: “Herman Miller’s Creative Network.”

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Here is an article by Matt Richtel of the New York Times on the inventor Thomas Edison: “Edison …Wasn’t He the Guy Who Invented Everything?”

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From Keith Sawyer’s “Creativity & Innovation” blog here is a brief report on a new government report: “Innovation Measurement: Tracking the State of Innovation in the 21st Century Economy”.

The blog post is here: “Measuring Innovation.”

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Janet Rae-Dupree writes about technology and innovation.

Here is her New York Times article on innovation as an longer-term process: “Eureka! It Really Takes Years of Hard Work.”

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Steve Hamm and Helen Walters write for BusinessWeek.

Here is their article on collaborative design: “Masters of Collaboration.”

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John Hagel and John Seely Brown run the Center for Edge Innovation, a part of Deloitte & Touche, and also contribute to BusinessWeek.

Here is their article, “Catching the Innovation Wave.”.

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