English
Dansk
Nederlands
Français
Deutsch
Norwegian Bokmål
Svenska
EspañolSoft Skill Creativity: An Underrated Skill?
When we think of creativity, we tend to think of people exploring their artistic side through music, art and writing. When we think about creativity as a job skill, we tend only to consider jobs in the creative industries such as art & design and promotion. Yet we all use creativity every day, and it’s become a vitally important tool in our arsenal of soft skills. Now, there is a comprehensive way that you can develop your employees’ soft skills such as creativity.
What is creativity?
Creativity is useful as it helps us think outside of the box. Tasks that are otherwise dull and repetitive become efficient and interesting when we engage our creative centres. Creativity is about problem solving and we know how important that can be in the workplace. When a job throws your employees a curve ball, do they know how to work with it? Do they handle it with confidence?
Business leaders say that employees do not have enough in the way of soft skills like creativity. With fewer employees expected to do more work, the need for flexible thinking is paramount to the success of your business. You may think creativity as a work philosophy may not be teachable, but it is.
How does creativity manifest itself in the work environment?
Everyone is naturally creative to a certain extent. Arguably, creativity is one of our oldest evolutionary tools. Humans fashioned and designed tools, tools to make tools, and improved them through trial and error. The process today is no different. Essentially, creativity is:
- Problem solving (another important soft skill): Having a problem that you wish to solve leads to experimental trial and error until you get it right
- Curiosity to try something new based on prior knowledge and enough understanding to see if a process can be improved
- The fresh perspective: giving a task to a person who had no prior experience can open up new ideas with the right person
Why is creativity important in business?
Creativity is one of the core soft skills. Employees who use it are innovative in their working practices as second nature. If a business is to move forward, it needs the regular fresh input of creative thinking. As noted above, the one evolutionary advantage that humans have is creativity. Creativity is innovation and any business unwilling to innovate will not survive for long.
We need to encourage “Out of the Box” thinking as a matter of urgency if we are to survive in a competitive business world. Some radically suggest that our workplaces are too disconnected from the creative process. While the idea that work needs creativity may have its critics in certain industries, people are at their best when they are permitted to explore their imaginations.
The creativity solution from Bookboon
It’s relatively easy to unlock this creativity potential that everyone has. We have all faced problems and difficulties that we have overcome with a little “out of the box” thinking. It’s usually employees’ lack of confidence in their skills that leads to the suppression of their creative talents. You can encourage this skill by giving your employees support, but that will only get them so far.
Bookboon’s system of electronic and blended learning – the eLibrary Solution with a great variety of eBooks – will help you develop the soft skills of your employees. Objective creativity and problem solving are important with the pressures and stresses of the modern work environment. Our eLearning library will encourage and aid your employees to think more laterally, improve their confidence and productivity, and their work satisfaction.
