New research shows that organizational leaders identify one specific skill as essential to the long-term success of their firms: creativity. Creative thoughts spawn new ideas, and new ideas are the raw material of innovation. At art-cm, we bring the power of creativity to your workplace and your workers, making them happier, more productive, and more future-directed. The environment in which you compete is changing rapidly and your organization cannot remain static. Innovation is the key to sustainability. If you want an innovative organization, then you want creativity.
creative leadership
When you practice the art of creative management, you don’t just manage what you measure, but also what has meaning. It starts with developing your own point of view on your industry, your business and your organizational role. This requires spending some time on the front end to define what matters to you, where you find value, and how your passions are expressed. Innovation leaders also focus on organizational culture and fostering a creative workforce. According to McKinsey research, 94% of senior executives say that people and corporate culture are the most important drivers of innovation. In today’s business environment, there is a great deal of focus on metrics, but relatively little focus on developing the creative competencies that will close the gap between innovation aspiration and implementation. Developing those creative competencies is what art-cm is all about.
creative thinking
Our western educational system teaches, tests for, and rewards convergent thinking skills. Creativity depends upon divergent thinking skills. Innovative and sustainable businesses use both types of thinking. Creativity is necessary in order to come up with new ideas (a divergent thinking activity). In order for any idea to become an innovation, however, the right idea must be selected and developed and made marketable (all convergent thinking activities). If you have an average to above average IQ, attended an MBA program or just did really well in school, chances are you’re a great convergent thinker. You, and your entire workforce, can all become great divergent thinkers too. We remediate divergent thinking so you, and your people, can put your whole minds to work.
creative strategy
Strategy is organizational DNA. It results from defining your organizational identity so precisely and powerfully that competition becomes irrelevant. There is no other organization quite like yours, and no better fit for the market you serve. Strategy must be manifested in every aspect of the organization. Too often, though, writing the strategic blueprint of goals, action steps and performance metrics is done without first taking the deep dive into organizational identity that’s required in order to envision your company’s unique future. This deep dive yields new approaches to strategy, and multiple perspectives on what success looks like to your workforce, as well as the means to achieve it. Most important, this kind of deep inquiry paves the way for creative thinking and innovative outcomes at your organization. This front-end work is what art-cm does best.
creative culture
Organizational culture is part organic, part strategic. It results organically when a group of people come together to achieve a shared purpose. Through their daily work, norms and values and processes solidify into “the way we do things here.” Corporate culture is also strategic. It’s how your point of view is expressed by your workforce, your network, your company’s environment and work climate. Culture has meaning, but too often it “just happens.” This is a lost opportunity, because a well-managed culture can spur creativity and drive innovation. A purposeful approach to organizational culture can provide significant value to firms striving to increase innovation and long-term sustainability.
We love talking about our work and bet you love talking about yours. Feel free to call or fill out a contact form. The best way to know if we’re the team for you is to talk to us.