透視MPW是一個在線社區,商界內外最著名的大咖會在此及時回答有關職場和領導力的問題。今天的問題是,“上班期間如何確保員工有時間發揮創意?”回答者為在線教育網站Udemy人力副總裁Lisa Haugh。 “發揮創意”并不能簡單變地成工作內容。好主意可能在任何時間冒出來,可能洗澡時,可能臨睡前,也可能出門玩的時候。 然而,創意對公司的成功至關重要,對個人也一樣。作為企業領導,我們總是要求團隊成員打破陳規,發揮創意,嘗試新方式,但如果陷在日常繁瑣事務里,總被一堆貌似“緊急”的任務困住,想迸發靈感是很難的。 公司文化不能僅僅鼓勵或是要求員工有創意,更要提供時間和空間讓員工暫時逃離案頭工作。這就意味著摒棄傳統觀念,不能只盯著員工在辦公室伏案工作多久,更要給員工充分的自由,讓他們保有自己的習慣,發揮最大的工作潛力并刺激思維創新。 我這家公司秉持的思路是,要招聰明有適應能力的員工,給予充分信任,對他們貢獻的時間負責任。在舊金山灣區之類工作競爭十分激烈的地方,提供彈性工作時間和遠程工作機會很有必要。當然了,員工也要有跟團隊成員積極合作和溝通進展的意識,但不必死守朝九晚五的工作時間。每個人都不一樣,有些人早晨創意特別多,有些人則到傍晚思路才活躍起來。 實際上,一天中的任何時間都應該靈活應對。如果有人下午3點就會昏昏欲睡,何不出去散散步或者趁機健健身呢?我們的辦公地點離巴克迪羅海灣大道非常近,每次回辦公室之前遠眺海景都能讓我精神放松。一天里只要換換眼前景色都能起效果。應該偶爾去咖啡廳坐坐讓腦袋清醒下,然后回到辦公桌前繼續想辦法解決頭疼的問題。 公司內部其實也可以提供休息空間。我的公司就有個沒安裝任何設備的禪室,只在其中一角擺了個安靜的小桌,任何人都可隨時使用。有位同事是持證瑜伽教練,每周在此開課一節。如果日常工作環境中有太多活動、噪音或讓人分心的事,而恰好外面又下雨了沒法出去,合適的室內活動也能平撫心情,調整注意力。 我還有另一個建議:如果感覺思路卡住毫無主意,不妨拿起電話找個前同事或者跟工作不相關的朋友聊聊天。跟朋友講講手上的麻煩問題,聽聽客觀中立的看法,朋友完全不了解這個行業也沒關系。有時最意想不到的人反而能激發出靈感,解開眼前的亂麻。 有時辦公室的無心閑聊也會激發創意。當然有時閑聊也會浪費時間。所以我建議需要集中注意力時用技術手段屏蔽干擾。有一些工具可以用,例如OmmWriter就很適合寫東西,可以幫人集中注意力并且調整心情。還有很多實用工具可以選擇,選個喜歡的就好。我還喜歡一款叫Noisli的工具,可以假裝自己正在森林中一間偏僻小屋中工作,耳旁只有溫柔的雨聲,還有鳥兒吟唱。 最后,也可能有些員工選擇完全拋棄電子產品,心無旁騖才能發揮創意。或者抓起筆和紙找個僻靜的角落,或者找塊白板涂涂畫畫。畫圖、頭腦風暴,什么都行。形式不重要,也不必擔心可行性。 如果你真心希望團隊有創造力,首先就要在管理方式上有創造性。把所有人變成一個模子刻出來的不會激活思路,要給人們嘗試和想象的空間才行。(財富中文網) 譯者: Pessy 審校:夏林 |
The MPW Insiders Network is an online community where the biggest names in business and beyond answer timely career and leadership questions. Today’s answer for, “How do you give your employees time to be creative at work?” is written by Lisa Haugh, vice president of people at Udemy. “Be creative” isn’t one of those items on a to-do list that you can simply slot into your day. Brilliant ideas pop up on their own schedule—whether you’re in the shower, about to fall asleep, or out for a run. Yet, creativity is vital to the success of companies and individuals alike. As business leaders, we exhort our teams to think out of the box, innovate, and try something new, but it’s hard to get into that mindset when you’re caught up in the daily grind and all of those other “urgent” to-dos. Rather than just encourage or demand creative thinking from your workforce, your company culture needs to be one that gives people time and space to lift their heads from their laptops. That means rejecting traditional preoccupations with how long people spend in the office and at their desks and giving employees the freedom to follow whatever routine brings out their best work and gets those creative juices flowing. My company subscribes to the philosophy that we should hire smart, adaptable people and then trust them to do their jobs and use their time responsibly. In a hyper-competitive job market like the San Francisco Bay Area, it just makes sense to offer flex hours and remote work. Of course, employees need to be available for collaboration and communicate their progress with their teammates, but they don’t need to conform to a 9-to-5 schedule either. We’re all wired differently—some of us come up with our best ideas first thing in the morning, and others only get going late in the afternoon. That flexibility should apply to the entire day, in fact. If people hit the 3 p.m. slump, why not let them go out for a walk or gym break? We’re lucky to work not far from the Embarcadero, and I’m not the only one who gets recharged just by looking out at the water before returning to the office. Any change of scenery during the day can have that effect. You could head to a cafe to clear your head and take another crack at the problem that had you bogged down back at your desk. Companies can provide respites inside the office too. My company has a device-free zen room, and we’ve set up quiet desks in another corner that anyone can use any time. One of our employees is a certified yoga instructor who teaches a class once a week. When there’s too much activity, noise, and distraction where you usually work but, say, it’s raining outside, these alternatives can help calm the mind and bring a renewed focus. Another tactic I suggest to people: When you’re feeling stuck and uncreative, pick up the phone and talk to a former colleague, or someone else unrelated to your job. Run your sticky problem by your friend for a neutral perspective, even if she has no expertise in the area. It’s not uncommon for the most unexpected person to say something that sparks an idea and clears the clutter. Sometimes random office conversations generate creative thoughts. Sometimes they get in the way. For that reason, I recommend leveraging technology to block distractions when you need intense focus. Tools like OmmWriter, which was specifically designed for writing, are great for maintaining concentration and setting the right mood, and there are lots of different ones out there so you can find your favorite. I also like Noisli for pretending I’m working from a remote cabin in the woods, listening to the sounds of gentle rain and birdsong. Finally, employees might consider ditching technology entirely to get their juices flowing. Grab a pen and paper and find a quiet spot. Or get in front of a whiteboard and start scribbling. Draw pictures. Brainstorm. You shouldn’t worry about format or feasibility. If you’re going to expect creativity from your team, you need to be creative in how you manage them. Forcing everyone into the same mold isn’t likely to yield the best thinking, so give them room to experiment and imagine. |