How do you move from point A to point B when you are trying to solve a problem? The usual way of moving between two points is to take a straight line that takes you on the shortest journey. The creative director, Bennet Schwartz Sydney, believes creative thinking is a tool that has fallen out of fashion in most workplaces where thinking outside the box is no longer encouraged. An Inc. survey of 1,000 employees reported less than 10 percent of companies encouraged creative thinking by their employees.
Challenging Everyday Thinking
The first step towards showcasing innovation in the design process for Bennet Schwartz is to consider how a competitor would look at his portfolio. The creative director explains the work he completes benefits from creative thinking, which includes looking at his work through the eyes of a competitor. Schwartz asks his staff to view their work as if they worked for a rival company and wanted to use their projects to poach their clients. The purpose of looking at a project from a different angle is to look for any weaknesses that are obvious to others.
Perspective Opens up New Ideas
Throughout the design process, the use of perspective to look back at your work aids the ability to showcase your design skills. Bennet Schwartz explains his employees are encouraged to look at their life and work from new angles to get the most from their job. Every project is different and requires a separate mindset from the approach consistently taken. A designer who looks at a project from multiple angles will find new ideas form throughout the design process. A new perspective on life and work will give a designer new ideas that will push their creativity into new areas.
Changing the Culture
One of the phrases entrepreneurs and business leaders have looked to use over the last few years is company culture. Addressing the happiness of employees at a company is an area several companies have looked to improve. The culture at a company can be affected by numerous factors, including keeping employees content in their current role. Bennet Schwartz Sydney creative believes the role of company culture affects the way an employee approaches their work. Several companies have introduced reward programs and perks that show appreciation for their employees. In return, an employee who is happy in their role and sees their employer thinking creatively to keep them happy will bring this thinking into their role. The best in design is innovative and forward-thinking, which can only be available when an employee feels comfortable.
Changing the way Creatives Think
One of the leaders in the academic study of creative thinking and thinking outside the box was Edward de Bono. The academic is a favorite of Bennet Schwartz, who has taken many of the ideas he produced to encourage creative freedom for the future. Thinking outside the box takes several forms, with Schwartz encouraging a childlike state that provides freedom from the issues associated with closed thinking. By encouraging ways of thinking outside the box, Bennet Schwartz believes new ideas flow more easily. Entrepreneur uses the example of Netflix, a company that skewed the traditional video store template to become one of the most successful entertainment companies in the world.
Changing Everyday Thinking
There are different ways of looking at thinking outside the box, including taking creative thinking to new sectors. Bennet Schwartz believes a company can stall in their creative thinking when they believe they have achieved success. The pitfalls of achieving success include thoughts that changes do not have to be made to a successful model. Many companies feel they have reached a successful position by working in a specific way and do not need to change or evolve. Evolution is vital to the continued success of a brand, with the implementation of new ideas leading to improvements before a decline sets in. Bennet Schwartz looks at the sporting sector for examples of those who have thought creatively when already achieving success. Schwartz points to the former Manchester United head coach, Sir Alex Ferguson, who employed new coaches regularly to ensure the methods being used for his soccer team did not become stale.
Changing Thought Processes
The problem of changing thought processes is one that needs addressing, according to Bennet Schwartz Sydney creative. Without addressing the process of changing thought processes, Schwartz believes companies struggle to change corporate thinking because they do not have the skills to do so. Liberation from a closed mind is one of the most important parts of switching to thinking outside the box.
In the corporate sector, the use of the term thinking outside the box is widespread. Few companies take the time to encourage creative thinking when push comes to shove. Learning more about the academic research done into thinking outside the box proved positive for Benet Schwartz when he looked to change the culture of his company and the design process.
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