Creativity during Coronavirus

It has long been accepted that to foster creativity we need to keep moving, change things up, switch locations.  Obama became famous for walking meetings to foster better solutions and conversations.

While finding a singular workspace boosts focus and readies your brain for work – having spaces designated for creativity is also helpful.  I don’t know about you, but not many people come up with their best ideas sitting at their desk.

Although we can’t meet our colleagues for a walking meeting just now, we have the opportunity to work from home and change our workspace which can offer a fresh perspective.  Exercise is encouraged – a 30-minute walk, on your own or with members of your household, will raise your imagination.  For families, more involvement in home schooling will certainly bring minds to new and undiscovered places (!)

Without the inevitable distractions of working in a busy office, technical and creative minds may enjoy the headspace to come up with ideas and work on new projects.

Google has long encouraged its employees to devote 20 per cent of their time to side projects, which is one reason it remains one of the most innovative companies in the world.

At technology company 3M, its 15 per cent rule allows its employees to spend 15 per cent of their work time on experimental doodling or projects that could give way to new products.  Many of their portfolio of thousands of products have been borne out of this philosophy.  You may have seen cardboard boxes brandishing the 3M logo being ferried into hospitals globally.  The company is a leader in personal protective equipment for healthcare and produces 35 million respirators per month in the US – more than 90% of these are now designated for health workers globally during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cortez Subsea is part of a group of companies which takes innovation very seriously.  Together with our partner companies, MCS and Deeptech, 30 per cent of our staff are dedicated to innovation and we invest heavily in coming up with better ways to do things.

So, what’s the point?

We all need to make an effort to focus on the positives.  In our industry, we have some of the most fiercely capable scientists, engineers and designers worldwide.  Who knows what new technology and collaborations might be sparked.  Creative people – don’t hold back.

#inthistogether