11th June 2021
Guest Blog: Five advantages of promoting creative liberty in the workplace
Management of human capital is the key concern for all businesses. This is the reason why employers and business leaders are always on the lookout for outside-the-box ideas. They look for unique ideas to capture employee motivation, engagement, and productivity. Businesses even allocate budgetary resources to bring out the best in their employees. However, at times, a worthwhile business strategy can be as simple as promoting creative liberty.
As per LinkedIn Learning, creativity is a skill of utmost significance. As a business leader, even you understand the importance of creativity. Hence, creativity is one of the vital hiring parameters of your organization. Creativity is an asset to have for the future of business success. Adobe states that 94 percent of recruiters feel it is important for candidates to have creative potential in their findings. However, Gallup concludes that more than 30 percent of workers are expected to be creative in the workplace. Why this disparity between wanting creative employees and letting them be creative?
We often talk about the need to give autonomy to employees and to offer more flexibility. You know for a fact that empowerment and flexibility can reap business benefits. Similarly, giving creative freedom to employees has some fascinating implications. In this blog, we highlight the most significant merits of encouraging creative liberty in the workplace. You need to close the gap between the demand for creativity in the workplace and its utilization. Once you set your employees free to be as creative as they can be, you will witness progressive changes. Let us delve deeper into the post to find out more!
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Creative freedom enhances problem-solving skills
Every business aspires to have a workforce with high problem-solving capabilities. But what qualities make an employee efficient in problem-solving? The answer is simple; it takes creativity and innovation to find solutions to unprecedented problems. When you liberate your employees to be creative, they feel more confident.
This confidence further drives them to be more innovative and find unique solutions. In a workplace that does not back creativity, they may not bother to make an effort. Hence, a workplace that is open to creativity will embrace challenges. Employees will see every problem as an opportunity to learn and prove their mettle. Such a vibrant workplace will discuss solutions more often than problems. When you back your employees’ creativity, they will back themselves to brainstorm and resolve every problem.
There is no reason why you would not want such a workplace environment! Besides, promoting creative freedom will give you a chance to identify future leaders. Employees with sharp and exquisite problem-solving skills will be the best candidates for leadership roles.
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Creative liberty drives greater employee engagement
Employee engagement is a key buzzword in corporate scenarios. All of us understand how imperative it is for employees to be engaged actively. The levels of employee engagement have a direct correlation with productivity and profitability, after all!
As per Gallup, teams that are engaged in an active way exhibit 21 percent greater profitability. This is why businesses are not shy of spending huge amounts to foster high employee engagement. But an effective employee engagement tactic can be as inexpensive as granting creative freedom.
Giving creative freedom to employees means that you show trust in their abilities. It further signifies that you are giving more autonomy to your employees to think independently. Also, in doing so, you create a greater sense of belongingness. They will feel motivated by the fact that the company values their creativity.
Moreover, they will show greater enthusiasm when they know that their superiors are not expecting them to hold back their creative potential. Recognition and encouragement of creativity will lead to active employee engagement. Given that, you can tick many boxes right on the engagement checklist by offering creative liberty.
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Creativity gives a competitive edge to a business
Creative liberty empowers employees to give their inputs. No employee would want to give creative inputs in a workplace that does not promote creativity. But when you offer your employees this freedom to add creative value, your business will benefit in multifaceted ways. Every vertical of business operations will have more perspectives.
There will be a great magnitude of creative inputs into every discussion and every decision. Besides, it will encourage more and more employees to add value to the organization with their viewpoints.
The overall impact of such positive developments will reflect in the performance of the company. When employees are at their creative best, it will give a competitive advantage to the firm. On the contrary, employees will not be comfortable in sharing their opinions in a workplace that does not believe in creative emancipation. Such an organization will lack the desired silver lining.
Having creative perspectives gives a company multiple approaches to choose from. In that case, the company will have ample answers to every challenge. This makes the company more competitive and flexible in its endeavors. Moreover, the amplified productivity and innovation in employees from the purview of creativity will further add to the competitive edge.
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Creative liberty facilitates learning and development
Learning, development, and career advancement are top priorities for employees. Even from an employer’s point of view, it is crucial that employees keep learning to diversify their skills. Giving creative freedom to employees is one of the best ways to facilitate quick learning. Let your employees be as creative as they want to be. Let them apply their creativity in their tasks, do things their own way and learn from the outcomes. Irrespective of whether the outcome is positive or negative, they will have something to learn.
Speaking of development, a positive workplace will inspire employees to develop creative skills. They will realize that building creative skills is a part of career development methods. When they see that creativity is valued in the workplace, they will be keen to enhance this skill. The World Economic Forum states that creativity is integral to nine out of ten professional skills. This speaks for the salience of creativity among employees and in the workplace.
From a marketer to a content writer to an analyst, you want all your team members to be creative. This can be done in the best way when they have a conducive environment to polish this skill. They will be curious to develop creative skills when they see support and reward for creativity. The key is to create a culture that is appreciative of creativity and outside-the-box thinking.
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Creative freedom creates an appealing company culture
Employers are often so engrossed in profits that they ignore the need to maintain a vibrant company culture. But profitability also depends on an organization’s ability to keep workers motivated. Further, it depends on the ability to attract and retain top talents. All these factors have a direct correlation with the culture of a company.
In fact, 46 percent of candidates evaluate company cultures before applying to companies. Employees, millennials, in particular, have some uncompromising expectations from their employers. They love to work in organizations with liberal cultures.
Having said that, creative freedom is part of establishing an attractive company culture. In such a culture, existing employees will exhibit more loyalty, and new talents will show great interest. The efficacy of a progressive culture will further be visible in productivity and engagement. Creative freedom will make employees more enthusiastic and diligent. It will promote a greater sense of self-sufficiency and happiness among employees.
Their elation and motivation will further inspire their fellow colleagues. Creative freedom will also make employees more optimistic and supportive of others. They will be driven by the constant self-belief that they can handle situations independently with creativity and innovation. They will not have to fear that their subordinates will belittle them for taking a different tangent.
To encapsulate, letting creativity loose in the workplace has magnificent benefits. From profitability to team morale, creativity can drive ample positive changes. The logic is as simple as it gets. If you have hired employees on the basis of their creative potential, then set them free to prove what their creative intellect can achieve. Of course, creative freedom does not mean that employees can do anything in the name of creativity. You will have to supervise them, set guidelines, and, whenever possible, support them. You do not want your company to be one of those who kill creativity in their people in the name of protocols. You instead need to utilize the creative potential of your employees to the fullest. You need to use the charm of creativity to make your business far more competent. So, set it free, let creativity brim and let the magic take over!