Connecting with People Creatively

Can you use creativity to connect people? And why should you get creative about that?
Over the last couple of months, I have been having some fascinating conversations about this.

Some background: I have been self-employed as a mentor and trainer-facilitator specializing in creative identity, process, and skills. This work had its origins during the 2020 pandemic lockdown – aware of my background in the arts, folks approached me for help with their own creative projects.

But here’s the thing. When I came to talk to one of my clients about being more creative, we would often end up talking about their ‘day job’ – about how workplace culture, or the behaviours of leaders, or the collaboration or communication styles of colleagues (or lack of) would affect my mentee’s ability to express themselves, to feel inspired about their work, or to feel connected to their team.

My own approach to facilitating workshops is unashamedly creative – even artful. Due to this approach, I can see how my creative content and techniques allow people to shift into deep and meaningful mode so that when they talk, they tap into their imaginations, their emotional intelligence, as well as their intellect to reflect on their lives.

Fascinated by this, I have recently been talking to business managers, leaders, and consultants and asking them: Can creativity be used to drive the connection between workers and their work (and, in so doing, enhance those workers’ creative capabilities as well )?

“… the role of ‘why creativity?’ is really important for me. I come at this in the basis of if everybody does everything the same, then you have no differentiation with anybody else operating in your sector.” – Interviewee, CEO, corporate sector

Notable patterns emerged during these conversations. For example, here is what I heard about what kills creativity in organizations:

• Not enough time allowed to be creative or for the things that underpin it like reflexivity, relationship building, and listening to disparate ideas and opinions.
• Imposing off-the-shelf one-sized-fits-all solutions to re-engage a disengaged workplace rather than investing time and care into authentic ways of connecting.
• Poor workplace culture and the risk (or prevalence) of psychosocial injury [1]. People need to feel safe to be curious, innovative, or comfortable with risk-taking, all aspects of being creative.
• Even an understanding of what creativity is or can be. It’s not always about being novel and original. And it’s not always about making art. “And I thought I was not creative,” one interviewee wistfully told me. They then added that they had a breakthrough when they realised that they were being abundantly creative through their playful and experimental approach to their work.
• And more than one interviewee talked about a cultural resistance to the very word ‘creativity’ (and I have noticed this myself over the years). “That’s not really what we do around here” someone suggested their board’s response would be to an initiative labelled as ‘creative.’

My interviewees also identified things that enhance creativity within organisations:

• Leadership that demonstrates and encourages open communication.
• Leadership and culture that makes space for the rebels and misfits; for people to speak up with differing ideas or opinions.
• A commitment to psychological safety.
• A workforce that feels a strong connection to each other and the values of their organization. Again and again, my interviewees emphasized the importance of building a culture that allows colleagues to connect with one another, to align with values they can believe in, and to feel that they are a part of something bigger.

Years ago, when I worked in the arts industry, the pressures of producing creative output with tight budgets and tighter deadlines meant that I got to see the good, the bad, and the ugly of human nature. Personally, I came to believe that no matter how good the finished artwork looked or sounded, it was almost not worth working on if the process had been marred by ugly behavior – my satisfaction in artistic output of even a high standard was marred if the working process had been spoiled by toxic behaviours. It was when I worked as a part of teams that demonstrated collegiality and a commitment to fostering learning, wellbeing, trust, and respect that the experience of being creative truly came alive for me.

Interestingly, according to my interviewees, a major challenge facing organizations and their leaders was dealing with a workforce composed of people who were still adjusting to life post-lockdown, of staff who were manifesting a sense of disconnect, a lack of engagement, and diminishing trust in their colleagues, their managers, and/or their organisation.

Why should you encourage people to reclaim a sense of purpose and inspiration about turning up to work? Why should you support your staff in rebuilding wellbeing and resilience? “People wake up in fear and anxiety and go through each day grumpy” opined one experienced consultant, who then went on to say that, fundamentally, people need to be heard and understood. Managers need to understand what it is to walk in their staff’s shoes. Lines of communication – signaling a willingness to trust, empathize, and connect – need to be reopened.

“I think managers need to have a level of creativity. Too often what we see here are employers and managers, they’ll buy an out-of-the-box solution and then try and make it fit. And it just doesn’t. The answer is: ‘what’s my relationship with you?’” – Interviewee, HR Consultant, corporate sector

All of this constitutes an opportunity to get creative – is it possible to use creativity to connect people? And why should you get creative about that? My own experience as a creative facilitator gives me answers to both these questions. When you engage people in a discussion or a workshop that is designed to holistically engage their intellects, imaginations, and emotional intelligence – as happens when you immerse people in creative activity – then you move beyond the superficial to a conversation that is reflective, authentic, and revealing.

How you connect people creatively could be the subject of a whole other article; there are many ways to tap into the imaginative, the playful, the reflective, and the inventive sides of people. But whether you use storytelling, metaphor, hands-on craft, drama techniques, or serious play, the result tends to be a shift in interaction between participants and, perhaps, in the way they relate to themselves as individuals within a certain context.

Allowing people to have a creatively transformative experience often means that they feel heard, seen, and understood in a way that is authentic and connective. And when they then deeply connect to the authentic and human stories of their colleagues in turn, then trust, engagement, and inspiration can start to rebuild. So, if you find yourself dealing with staff who are ‘going through each day grumpy’ or uninspired or disengaged, perhaps see this as an opportunity to start thinking about how using creativity to connect could work for your project or organization.

[1] The term ‘psychosocial injury’ is widely used in Australian legal, workplace health and workers’ compensation frameworks. For instance, Australian workers’ compensation laws, such as the Workers Compensation Act 1987 (NSW) explicitly address psychosocial injuries related to work. The term refers to psychological or psychiatric conditions resulting from exposure to traumatic events, adverse work environments or work-related stressors. ‘Psychosocial’ emphasizes the roles of social factors and workplace environment in the development of such injury.