Forecasting Creative Blocks
Blank page. Copy due tomorrow. John from strategy says, “make it punchier.” But the angle’s just not landing.
Don’t the Muses know that you’ve got deadlines?!
The Muses may not get it, but we do, and we have some refreshing science for you: rather than inspecting yourself for the creative fog, check the weather of your workplace.
That’s right. One of the strongest influences on your creativity is not YOU but your work climate.
Your creative climate can explain 66% of the difference in creativity amongst workers.
In the 1980s, industrial psychologist Göran Ekvall pioneered the Creative Climate Questionnaire.
After decades of working with big companies like Volvo, he observed how different organizational environments impacted participation in creative activities such as ideation.
This later developed into the Situational Outlook Questionnaire™ (SOQ) to create a more focused instrument for assessing climates conducive to creativity and evolution.
Fifteen years ago, Ekvall and colleagues from around the globe further tested and refined the validity of the SOQ, and it has since become a crucial tool in organizational psychology for companies and groups trying to optimize creativity– like yours!
Researchers administered the SOQ to a diverse group of 139 managers, graduates students, and undergrads.
Participants were asked to reflect on their best and worst workplace experiences on nine dimensions of creativity and change:
Challenge and involvement: Refers to the level of engagement and commitment individuals feel in their work.
Freedom: Measures the independence employees have in their work.
Trust/Openness: Represents emotional safety within the organization.
Idea Time: Refers to the time employees have to explore new ideas beyond routine tasks.
Playfulness/Humor: Indicates the level of spontaneity and light-heartedness in the workplace.
Conflict: Focuses on the presence of personal and emotional tensions.
Idea Support: Refers to how new ideas are received and encouraged.
Debate: Measures the occurrence of constructive disagreements and discussions.
Risk-Taking: Assesses the tolerance for uncertainty and bold initiatives.
Researchers found that trust and playfulness promoted the most creativity across all participants, while negative climates scored highest on conflict.
In fact, these nine factors alone have been shown to explain more than 66% of the difference in how creative employees can be.
Back to You
Before returning to your workday, take a moment: which of these nine dimensions would you predict to have the most helpful impact on creativity? The most hindering?
You can do your own version of the SOQ easily.
Rank each of these nine dimensions on a scale of 0-6, 0 being completely absent and 6 being all up in your face (in the best possible way).
Then, let us know what you discover! We love hearing from our community.
Keep the spark alive. 💥
~The Playstorming Lab
“Creative ideas flourish best in a shop which preserves some spirit of fun. Nobody is in business for fun, but that does not mean there cannot be fun in business.”
Citation:
Scott G. Isaksen , Kenneth J. Lauer , Goran Ekvall & Alexander Britz (2001). Perceptions of the Best and Worst Climates for Creativity: Preliminary Validation Evidence for the Situational Outlook Questionnaire, Creativity Research Journal, 13:2, 171-184, DOI: 10.1207/S15326934CRJ1302_5
Lund University. "Testing Ekvall's 10-Factor Model of Creative Organizational Climate." Accessed January 4, 2025. https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lup/publication/d0cc2f62-cfce-48ab-98ff-9e5bc6749328.