What's a Culture of Creativity?

There’s nothing I love more than helping cultivate creativity at work to strengthen culture.

But culture isn’t created by flipping a switch. I often hear “we’ll focus on culture when we’re up to 25 people…” or “we’re a global organization with thousands of employees; our culture is what it is…”

The truth is culture is continuously being created whether we focus on it or not. It’s created in the collection of daily exchanges among team members. It’s created by how we tackle problems and communicate about conflict. It’s built by how we celebrate wins and deal with setbacks. And it’s created in whom we include and how, the voices that get heard and the ideas that get greenlit. Culture is up to everyone. We all have the power to build the culture we crave with daily attention and intention.

So what exactly is a culture of creativity? Spoiler: it’s not PowerPoint presentations with interpretive dance or even Paint Night (although who doesn’t love Paint Night?).

You can think about “creativity culture” in 3 big buckets:

1. Innovation. Few companies claim they’re not in the business of trying to innovate. But innovation doesn’t flourish without intention. It takes conscious behaviors that facilitate effective problem solving and change agility. These skills can be practiced and developed with the right mindsets, structure, discipline and reinforcement systems in place.

Consider… Am I dedicating time to look for better/new ways of working? If I have a creative idea, do I feel supported to share it? If I’m a leader, am I nurturing creative ideas across my team? If there are changes on the horizon at work, do I feel part of co-creating a positive change?

2. Connection. Strong, trusted relationships that lead to a culture of creativity take effort. Most of us are still working from home, physically separated from our colleagues. Finding regular ways to stay positive and bring gratitude to work can feel challenging, especially with so many of us experiencing burn out. But connection is a key ingredient to foster creativity at work.

Consider… Do I make time to appreciate my colleagues and check in on how they’re doing? Do I face challenges with curiosity and a positive mindset? Am I making time to collaborate with colleagues virtually, share ideas, and suspend judgment as we brainstorm?

3. Inclusion. Many of my clients have a goal to create more belonging at work. It’s tough to feel like you belong – or that you can bring creative ideas to work – without inclusion. But reinforcing inclusive workplaces often requires interrupting bias when you see it, which takes practice. When teams are committed to building inclusion, different perspectives are sought out and encouraged. This fuels creativity.

Consider… Do I assemble teams with a goal of bringing in diverse perspectives and backgrounds? In group discussions, do I make sure all voices are heard, even if it requires the extra effort of getting input following the meeting?

At Spring Street, we recognize that discrete pockets of creative leadership are tough to scale and sustain. It takes a strategic, coordinated approach of codifying behaviors across the employee lifecycle for a creativity culture to thrive.

Creativity at work leads to happier, more productive and engaged colleagues. As we transition to our second month of the year, we have an opportunity to shape a workplace culture that brings more creativity and joy into all of our lives. I, for one, am ready for more of that.