According to Steelcase’s well-cited Future of Work survey, two thirds of employees feel that they aren’t fulfilling their creative potential.
This is a worrying statistic when compared to the 2016 Abode State of Create report which revealed that 77% of workers believe creativity will be a critical part of the workforce skillset in the future.
*Steelcase Future of Work
The wonderful thing about creativity is that it is so diverse. ‘Being creative’ takes so many different forms from person to person, business to business and project to project.
While this is great when it comes to idea-generation and talent acquisition, it makes the process of designing a workspace that enables a wide variety of staff to be creative quite a challenge.
One of the biggest pieces of advice we would recommend to overcome this and create a working environment which appeals to a range of different creative approaches is to cater for both digital and analogue creativity.
Boosting creativity with technology
There’s no denying that we’re living – and working – in a tech-reliant generation.
Advancements in modern technology have revolutionised workplace processes and many employees include technology as an integral part of their creative idea-generation and thought-sharing.
Creative technology we recommend:
- Mediascape – (pictured below) as workers become more mobile, media:scape uses advanced technology to make sharing information as simple as connecting multiple devices to one screen.
- SMART Board – using interactive technology, SMART boards enable staff to still benefit from writing and drawing on a whiteboard with the added bonus of being able to pinch, swipe, zoom and quickly incorporate PDFs and JPGs.
- Video conferencing – a great way to connect residential and remote staff so distance doesn’t hinder creative collaboration.
Click for more reading on how to unlock creativity in the workplace using technology.
Traditional creativity (without the need for tech)
It’s an undeniable fact that technology has had a dramatic impact on the streamlining and efficiency of creative processes in the modern working world.
That said, there will be many members of staff who still prefer to ‘be creative’ the old school way, before touchscreens and the digital generation.
As part of creating an inclusive workspace and a productive, engaged workforce, it’s essential that you cater for both types of creativity.
Facilitating analogue creativity comes down to resources such as:
- Whiteboards
- Glass write-on walls
- Paper, flip charts and post-it notes
- Pens, markers and creative stationary
Other things to consider for your office design:
Once you’ve got all of the necessary resources to facilitate both digital and analogue creativity – from business supplies and technology to dedicated creative spaces – there are a couple of other factors to think about…
Colours & finishes – Think McDonalds chose red and yellow for its iconic branding at random? Or is it far too much of a coincidence that red insights feelings of hunger and yellow instils feelings of happiness?
We’re betting it’s the latter and you can use this colour psychology to your advantage as part of the look and feel of your workspace too.
Green and blue are believed to be the hues which inspire creativity most successfully for their connections to tranquillity, safety, freedom and growth.
It’s also worth noting that these are very natural tones so go hand-in-hand with the current trend for biophilic interior design.
Organisation & decluttering – We’ll keep this simple in saying: you just can’t think clearly or share ideas freely when you’re surrounded by a chaotic and disorganised environment.
So, once you’re done here, check out our tips on reducing clutter in the workplace.
Oh, and remember – creativity doesn’t always have to mean gathering around a big table and energetically throwing ideas around in a large group…
It can also mean going away from the desk alone, or with another member of staff, to find a quiet, shielded space where you can focus on the task in hand. Another reason why providing privacy in the workplace is so important.