Conversations about the future of work often center on hybrid work.
Digging deeper, three topics emerge:
- When and where we work.
- Who does the work – full time, part time, freelance, and gig workers.
- How do we leverage technology – AI, automation, and more.
What seems to be missing from the list is “What work are we doing?”
Over the years, knowledge work took a pattern from the production line.
Productivity and output were the priority.
Employees were evaluated on productivity performance metrics.
Today, companies have started to encourage exploration, and “failing fast”.
However, many company cultures haven’t shifted to creativity as a priority.
My Perspective
Creativity can be a great partner for productivity.
Yet, getting them to work together is a different formula for how we work.
Creativity needs space.
Inspiration.
A destination, but not a defined path.
The future needs innovation and creativity to solve challenging problems.
To imagine a world that doesn’t exist today.
We need to figure out how to infuse creativity into our organizations.
Creativity can’t be a replacement for delivering products and services.
However, it needs space and nurturing to move the company into the future.
Your Turn
Do you feel the tension between creativity and productivity?
Where do you see the priority in your organization?
What could be done to provide more space and inspiration to foster creativity?