How companies can encourage innovation

Many workers admit they are not living up to their creative potential. Workplace experts say there are ways to narrow this 'creativity gap.'

By Marilyn Gardner | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

from the October 15, 2007 edition

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When Francine Kent managed employee activities at a large computer manufacturer in Massa­chusetts, she coordinated an in-house band that performed at three or four company events a year. For its 60 members, the band offered an outlet for their musical talent. But it also benefited the firm.

"There were people in that band from the legal department, the loading dock, and the manufacturing plant, plus program engineers," says Ms. Kent, now a business-development consultant in Sarasota, Fla. "They knew people all over the company. I saw them solve problems and accomplish things that they wouldn't have if they had not known somebody on the loading dock. It also broke down class barriers."

Score one for creativity in the workplace. In varied ways, the subject is gaining recognition as an important element in helping businesses succeed by improving the bottom line and keeping employees satisfied. Economists and futurists regard creativity and innovation as cornerstones of competitiveness in the United States.

"We're moving from an industrial economy to a creative economy," says Richard Florida, author of "The Rise of the Creative Class," although he notes that the transformation is still in its infancy. The creative sector, which he says is made up of "people who think for a living," includes such fields as science, technology, arts, culture, design, law, healthcare, and education. These creative people, he adds, "provide a critical stimulus for economic growth."

A few progressive firms are signaling a fresh approach with job titles such as chief innovation officer, chief idea officer, and chief creative officer.

In Charlotte, N.C., the McColl Center for Visual Art has created an Innovation Institute that pairs artists with business executives to help them unleash creative abilities and learn new ways of problem-solving. Workplace creativity is also the subject of a meeting next week, the 2007 National Conference on the Creative Economy, to be held in Fairfax, Va., Oct. 24-25. It is hosted by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.

Evidence of a 'creativity gap'

In a new survey, the group finds a "creativity gap" in the workplace – a disparity between the creative resources available and those being used. While a vast majority of American workers (88 percent) consider themselves creative, fewer than 2 in 3 think they are tapping their creative capacities on the job. Nearly 30 percent say they would take a lower salary to work for a company that valued their creative input. And 1 in 5 say they would move to a different city to work for such a company.

"They value it that much," says Gerald Gordon, president of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. He adds, "The companies that will be appealing to a creative workforce are not only open to new ideas but encourage workers to have input."

Mr. Florida notes that businesses such as Starbucks, which he says is redefining coffee, and Whole Foods, which is redefining groceries, hire people who are "individualistic and self-expressive."

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