With the economy shifting towards information and technology of all sorts, a company’s ability to attract and retain creative people is key to its success. (It’s been argued that it’s key to the vitality of cities as well.) There’s only one small snag. Research out today from the Fairfax County Economic Authority ahead of next month’s National Conference on the Creative Economy reveals that 88% of people believe themselves to be creative.
Setting aside the likely gap between self-assessment and reality (and it does sound a little bit like Lake Wobegon where ‘all the children are above average’) the research indicates an increasing gap between the amount of creativity employees desire and the amount they’re able to express in their jobs. Some further statistics:
- Only 63% actually considered their job a creative position.
- 21% percent said they would change jobs to be more creative at work, even if that meant earning less.
What should managers make of this data? Obviously, most people aren’t deluding themselves that they’re the next Van Gogh or Hemingway. The creativity they’re looking for is, for the most part, within reach of managers to provide:
At work, the creativity that is sought after…. is most likely an aspect of the job that allows people to express their personalities or challenge their intellects, said Gerald L. Gordon, president and CEO of the Fairfax County group.
To keep your creative employees happy, managers need to allow the maximum amount of flexibility and self-direction possible, and ensure their employees have variable and challenging tasks. Even livening up the atmosphere or loosening up the dress code at work might help. The same old, same old, it seems, could send your employees fleeing to more creative competitors.
