Myths of Creativity in the Workplace
Fast Company has a great article entitled, The 6 Myths of Creativity, that I think is a must-read for anyone in the position to shape the working conditions in any company. The article details six misconceptions that, in my opinion, fall into the category of perceptive differences between management and employees. The real takeaway for me, though, is reiterated in several of the six myths: happy workers are best. They are more creative and more productive. Much of this burden of happiness rests on the shoulders of the employee who should seek happiness in doing work in which he can be engaged doing work that he truly enjoys. The balance of the burden is shouldered by management who must provide an environment in which workers can enjoy their work and make meaningful progress. The toughest environments to work in usually are festering with inflexibility, indecision, inaction, and excessive bureaucracy.
Happiness in the workplace has always been a powerful issue for me, especially growing up watching my parents labor endlessly in jobs they hated. And this issue is something I often reflect on as I wonder if people are correct when they say “That’s why they call it work. It isn’t supposed to be fun.”.