Creativity welcomed – from managers

UK
business lacks commitment to capitalise on innovative ideas from employees
despite moves to encourage a more creative workforce, research reveals.

Managing
Innovation, by the Industrial Society, finds that three-quarters of HR
professionals polled report their organisation encourages new ideas from staff.

Seven
out of 10 respondents say this helps generate new ideas.

But
although 80 per cent of respondents support the view that each staff member can
be creative, businesses look mainly to managers for creativity.

More
than two-thirds of managers are encouraged to think of new ideas but only half
are asked to encourage innovative thinking among their staff.

Half
of respondents believe traditional management practices inhibit creative
thinking. Brainstorming is the most popular short-term creative thinking tool,
with 72 per cent of firms using this approach.

A
diverse workforce is seen by more than half of the respondents as contributing
to an innovative work culture and creativity.

Almost
a third believe creative thinking is increased by a ‘no-blame culture’ in the
workplace.

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The
Industrial Society polled 193 HR professionals.

By Paul Nelson