By Malaika Cheney-Coker
In times of great upheaval or uncertainty, say pandemics or life-altering presidential elections, an inevitable cliche rears its head. It goes something like this – that we can create something new and desirable out of the muck. We’ll put emphasis here on the word “create” and its implication that, rather than grit our teeth and endure till the good times eventually roll in, we can play a role in parting the gloom. We can craft, feather by feather, the wings to bear us away. Organizations, as much as people, need this truth, their visions and missions being after all expressions of fragile hopes and dreams that must be saved from being engulfed by grim circumstances. The writer Maria Popova sums up this kind of universal affliction beautifully:
Cultures and civilizations tend to overestimate the stability of their states, only to find themselves regularly discomposed by internal pressures and tensions too great for the system to hold. And yet always in them there are those who harness from the chaos the creative force to imagine, and in the act of imagining to effect, a phase transition to a different state.
What the cliche provides is hope that we can help bring about the good times. But the rub is that they can still be a long way off. The good news is that creativity provides more than just the eventual wings to bear us away. Creativity is, in fact, its own short-term reward, an immediate morale booster. It lifts our shoulders and protects against a sense of powerlessness against our circumstances. It reminds us of our human ability, indeed our right, to exercise the imagination. Creativity is what distinguishes the reactive huddles and strategizing sessions from the proactive ones. Creativity is the wet cement that fashions new narratives before they harden into accepted wisdom. Creativity is the biggest asset not on organizations’ books that, when mined, slowly but surely yields monetary value and creates impact. Creativity is the dynamite that blasts the formidable rock, making new passageways through which the organization can proceed to its vision.
How can leaders support their team's creativity in such times? These pointers may help:
Turn the logic of productivity upside down. This is the most important piece of guidance. Nothing else in this list makes sense without the reader’s acceptance that much of our current understanding of what constitutes workplace productivity, with its emphasis on efficiency and time-based outputs, is a relic of the Industrial Revolution. Prominent thinkers and our very own experiences have concluded that humans should not be expected to work like machines – and certainly not if we expect them to be creative.
Endorse a wandering mindset. Creativity feeds off of discovery, so encourage discovery mode. We use the concept of walkabouts at Ignited Word or of un-strategy. Praise curiosity and the celebration of “that which we do not know.” Designate certain areas of not knowing as the new subject matter expertise that is necessary for illuminating blindspots.
Support “do nothing” periods. As the creative mind has an inverse activity level to the busy bee rational mind, adopt a 4-day workweek or sprinkle some scheduled “do nothing periods,” into the work calendar, with some suggested low-energy ways to while away the time that are supportive of creativity. These could include walks, fellowship, or simply rest. In How to Do Nothing, Jenny Odell argues that resisting the demands of productivity culture is a form of political and personal empowerment, allowing individuals to reclaim their attention and focus on meaningful, community-oriented engagement, connection to nature, place, and self-reflection.
Break up the monotony. Dedicate an entire meeting to applying a fun virtual team activity from your favorite online collaboration platform (templates abound or ask the bots for suggestions). Swop recipes or have a baked goods contest. Even seemingly silly or pointless activities can send an important signal that creativity, fun, and trying new things is welcome.
Creativity is only a dash of syrup that is no panacea for the bitter times; and as a neutral resource, it can be used for good ends or ill. Still, both immediately and over the long term, it confers both joy and power, our imagination lighting up new horizons while we fashion the wings to fly into them.
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