How to develop creativity at work?

Talent Development

PerformanSe

At PerformanSe, if there is one theme that fascinates us, it is that of soft skills, emotional and behavioural skills that are often contrasted with hard skills, which are more technical in nature.

We love them so much that our brand new podcast "Soft skill, who are you?" is dedicated to them (in french for now, translation coming soon). The first episode is about creativity, a skill that, once you reach adulthood, is certainly not reserved only for artists. Indeed, stop the stereotypes, you don't need to have dyed your hair blue to be creative!

Here is a summary of what you need to know about this wonderful soft skill, and some advice on how to develop it better and boost your performance and fulfilment at work.

What is creativity?

Creativity has several meanings. It can be understood as:

the power of an individual to create, i.e. to imagine and realise something new
and as the ability to discover a new, original solution to a given problem

However, one definition of creativity is accepted by most researchers in the field: that of the American psychologist Robert Sternberg. Creativity is seen as the ability to produce something that is both new and adapted to the context in which it occurs.

Here, creativity will be the process by which the imagination is transformed into reality, including times of preparation, incubation, illumination and verification. This is how we understand the notion of creativity applied to work: finding an original and innovative idea that respects the budgetary and time constraints as well as the resources that can be allocated to the project concerned.

This activates:

your divergent thinking: brainstorming to find as many innovative ideas as possible
and your convergent thinking: putting ideas together to produce an original idea that meets the requirements imposed

How to stimulate creativity in everyday life?

01.

Taking breaks from work

We are talking about moments for oneself to let one's mind wander, change scenery, and gain perspective. It is often when we let go of the mental grip that we find the most innovative ideas and solve complex problems because we give our mind the space to associate ideas that may at first glance seem poles apart.
02.

Cultivating curiosity

Replace the adage "Curiosity is a bad habit" with "Curiosity is the best habit", or even a superb quality if you have the right intention!

Children in the midst of learning ask questions about everything. It is this ability to question our surroundings, what intrigues us, what challenges us, and what eludes us, that allows us to understand, learn, and expand our view of the world.

Adopting the habit of observing situations and people, suspending snap judgments, and gaining perspective is the best way to cultivate a creative mind.
03.

Getting out of your comfort zone

Indeed, routine does not stimulate our imagination. Our creative mind then becomes dormant and very quickly turns lazy.

To break the routine, there's nothing better than taking on a new project, starting a new activity, or meeting new people...

When going to a familiar place, for instance, one can simply start by choosing a different path than the one we're used to. Exiting autopilot mode and opening up to something new is already a step towards more creativity!
04.

Opening up to your emotions

Just as opening up to new experiences is beneficial, opening up to one's inner world and emotions proves to be of great help. Indeed, it's no revelation to say that emotions are at the heart of creation!
05.

Get inspired regularly

First, we need to identify our sources of inspiration. It could be reading interviews or listening to podcasts about people we would like to be like, attending a play, watching a talkshow, walking in nature, travelling to different cultures... It's simple, getting inspired regularly energises us and feeds our creativity!

Imagination and Infinity

Even if this may seem paradoxical, we quickly realise that it is essential to set the framework within which we will let our creativity evolve, particularly at work or when setting up a new project. Without a framework, we get lost in the sometimes infinite possibilities, and it becomes difficult to materialise and make real what we imagine.