On a recent business trip to Humberside I travelled from London’s Kings Cross to Hull. A train journey I have happily completed on a number of occasions. Apart from this time: the carriages were sweltering for the entire 2 hours and 48 minute journey.
The train was busy, as usual. But there was something different and I am not just talking about the heat. No-one was chatting. Not even colleagues sitting opposite each other. The heat was stifling – a bad environment for communication.
This got me thinking about how organisational environment (culture) affects the application of creativity. So what turns up the ‘heat’ in an organisation and stifles creativity? From speaking with my clients, there are some common themes:
– “we don’t have the time or space to be creative”
– “there is a fire-fighting culture”
– “as individuals we cannot make a difference!”
These heat inducing cultural traits stop creativity in its tracks. Indigo specialises in creating environments for creative thinking to flourish: ice-cool, systematic innovation. The even better news is that taking a more creative approach will help you reduce procedural waste and make even more time for creativity. And ultimately business results.
Turn up the air-con and get your team thinking clearly and creatively.