Creativity Types in the studio

Last week astudio attended a Herman Miller CPD on Creativity at work, https://www.hminsightgroup.com/seminars.html in this CPD they discussed how even if you are not in what you believe to be a creative career, everyone experiences and users creativity in a different way. This led us to think about different creative types we have in the studio.

They taught us that we could do this by getting everyone to answer these 7 questions (if you want to find out your creative type then you can answer too).

How do you arrive at good ideas?

1. I look at all the relevant factors until I find the answer

2. They just pop into my head, often when I least expect it

3. When I see something’s not right, I look for a way to improve it

4. I just draw upon my experiences and what I feel is right

 How do you feel about turning your ideas into reality?

1. I don’t really mind who implements the solution, just as long as it happens

2. It’s my idea and no one can bring it to life like I can

3. I’m the thinker not the doer

4. I don’t mind others using my idea as long as they really understand it

 Which of the following best describes your approach to creativity?

1. Methodical

2. Spontaneous

3. Visionary

4. Instinctive

 What frustrates you during the creative process?

1. Not getting the full picture because pieces of information are missing

2. Contrived brainstorming or ‘creative’ sessions –you can’t manufacture ideas under pressure

3. People who just accept the status quo and can’t see there’s a different way of doing things

4. People who don’t trust their own ability and constantly seek evidence

 What motivates you to create new ideas?

1. I just like the challenge of solving a problem

2. A desire to create something new and totally different

3. A desire to make things better

4. A desire to apply my talents to the best of my ability

 What best describes your ideal creative environment?

1. Somewhere I can spread out all my papers to work through the evidence

2. Somewhere with constantly changing stimulus to spark new ideas

3. Somewhere lively where I can get a sense of what’s going on

4. Creative chaos where I’m close to the objects and tools that inspire me

 What kind of working culture best suits your creativity?

1. Somewhere that manages risk tightly, and doesn’t base important decisions on intuition alone

2. Somewhere that values ‘thinking time’, where I don’t have to be at my desk 9 hours a day

3. Somewhere non-hierarchical, where my ideas can have impact from day one

4. Somewhere my ideas will be given due consideration and treated sensitively

If you got mostly 1’s: Then you are a jigsaw junkie, Jigsaw Junkies look at problems as puzzles that need to be solved. The ‘problem’ is their starting point, they spend lots of time exploring and analysing and their goal is resolution.

If you got mostly 2’s: Then you are a random ideas generator. Random Idea Generators generate lots of new ideas. They make random and spontaneous connections that spark new thoughts and ideas. They trust that their natural talent and spontaneity will bring something to mind at some point.

If you got mostly 3’s: Then you are a change agent. Change Agents are forward looking and visionary. They spot gaps and seek out new opportunities. They are able to define a better future and inspire others to believe it is possible. They like to make change happen and to shake things up.

If you got mostly 4’s: Then you are a sensory creator. Sensory Creators perceive the world in a holistic, highly spatial and non-linear way. They are constantly stimulated by all that is around them. They absorb and store lots of information which they regularly access to help explore problems or to create new ideas and solutions.

The astudio teams results allowed us to create this chart…

From this we can see that astudio are comprised of mostly jigsaw junkies, this fits with the ethos of astudio as we are all about problem solving and finding the best solution. followed by 5, which is people who are a mix, they did not have one dominant creativity style allowing them to work in a very flexible way and adapt to the task in hand. We have equal proportion of random idea generators and sensory creators, allowing the studio to always be coming up with new ideas whilst also learning from our wide variety of past experiences. Our smallest proportion of creative types is change agent, the change agent’s in astudio are the leaders of the practice, these are the people that drive the practice forward with their visionary approach and need to define a better future and inspire others to do the same.

After understanding that different creative types like to work in different ways then it highlights the essential need for the flexible design of offices to ensure everyone is working in their ideal environment.

Jigsaw Junkies, like private space , to spread out, analyse think and write as well as well as library space…

Source: Herman Miller

Source: Herman Miller

Random idea generators need constantly changing visual stimulus and spaces for daydreaming and thinking…

Change agents need high energy and freedom to roam whilst sensory creators need lots of stimulus and space to concentrate…

Source: Herman Miller

Source: Herman MIller

After learning about creativity types it has been helpful to understand how to get the best out of everyone in the team to allow us to continuously work as a streamlined workforce with greater understanding of each other.