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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Creativity At Work Take On The Challenge Of Making Creativity Your Business

Linda Shrieves Orlando Sentinel

How can you put your creativity to work in the business world?

Even if you work for a boss who pooh-poohs new ideas, remember this: In today’s competitive and shrinking marketplace, good ideas are valuable.

“Companies can no longer afford not to be creative,” said Bryan Mattimore, a creativity guru and author of “99% Inspiration: Tips, Tales & Techniques for Liberating Your Business Creativity” (Amacom, $17.95).

“The market changes so quickly that they have to react - and they need the creativity of their employees,” Mattimore said. “Otherwise, they’ll be out of business.”

So how can you revive your creativity at work?

Tinker with your brainstorming technique.

Brainstorming is American business’s favorite creative exercise, but it is also the least effective, says J. Daniel Couger, a distinguished professor of business at the University of Colorado.

In a brainstorming session, participants are supposed to throw out ideas - no matter how stupid they sound.

That doesn’t work well in Western societies, Couger said. Instead of waiting for the second phase of brainstorming - when the team can critically evaluate ideas - Americans pass judgment on ideas as soon as they come out of someone’s mouth.

“If you really ride herd on the group and say, ‘OK, I don’t want to hear anybody expressing any criticism,’ they’ll do it with body language,” Couger said. “They’ll cross their arms, raise their eyebrows, grunt, or smack their lips.”

Brainstorming has other disadvantages. People are frequently reluctant to bring up ideas in front of the boss. And too often a brainstorming session is dominated by three or four people; everyone else gives up when they can’t get their ideas across.

Couger suggests an alternative form of brainstorming. In it, people write down their ideas anonymously. Then the ideas are tacked up on a wall. Everyone walks around the room, reading other ideas. Then the group discusses the ideas - but no one knows who suggested that silly idea about giving away company stock.

“This works better than brainstorming,” Couger said, “because with brainstorming, you never know how many good ideas you never heard.”

Make a collage.

This sounds strange, but it’s one of Mattimore’s favorite exercises. Whether members of a group are trying to come up with a new product or if they’re trying to figure out the mission of their department, he hands participants a stack of magazines and a pair of scissors. Then he asks them to cut out images that represent their company. This method works well when the group cannot find the words to describe a concept or the company’s image.

It also helps people visualize a new design. When designers at Ford were trying to come up with the Taurus, they pasted pictures of their favorite designs - which included everything from ski boots to refrigerators - around their work stations. As they studied the different designs, they could see what elements appealed to them.

Try other techniques.

Talk ideas or problems over with colleagues. Sometimes, just talking out loud will lead you to discover the solution, Mattimore said. And your colleague doesn’t have to do much but listen.

Also, be playful at work. Some of the best ideas - such as the discovery that nylon would be really strong when stretched, which led to its use in pantyhose - are discovered when colleagues are horsing around.

Don’t be afraid of bad ideas.

Most creative exercises are designed to come up with new ideas. But groups often get discouraged when most of the ideas sound lousy.

“People don’t understand that the process of creativity is primarily about failure,” said Mattimore. “When we do a brainstorming session, 95 percent of the ideas are no good. Only 1 or 2 percent of the ideas are good concepts.”

But most of us can’t see past the bad ideas, Mattimore said.

“Those early failures - when people are beginning to try different things, like moviemakers making their first movies - those are important steps,” Mattimore said. “But that’s where most of us get hung up. And that’s the biggest killer of our growth.”

Good ideas can help your career.

It’s unnerving to get shot down, but if your company is starting to change its attitude about new ideas, it’s time to speak up, Mattimore said. “I think about the guy at Waldenbooks who came up with the $10 frequent buyer card. He became president of the company. It’s the people with ideas who get ahead - and they enjoy their work.”

See if the company is rewarding good ideas.

Of course, it’s understandable if you’re a little gun-shy.

Many companies don’t reward new ideas, Mattimore said. And employees aren’t stupid - they won’t come up with new ideas when there’s no positive feedback.

So what happens when a company that has spent years quashing employees’ creativity suddenly wants everybody to jump forward with new ideas?

Nothing happens. It’s almost as if the employees have forgotten how to be creative, Mattimore said. In addition, they’re very cynical - and suspicious of the boss’s motives.

To overcome those suspicions, the boss needs to let a small team take on a project and go full-steam ahead, Mattimore said.

Then when the rest of the company sees their work - and sees the positive reaction from the boss, even if the team failed - it will help foster an atmosphere for creativity, Mattimore said.

And here’s a word from Couger to all you bosses: “One of the most important things corporations can do is provide a supportive, nurturing environment for creativity.”