Business Strategy Series

Making garden variety creativity a strategic priority

Milton Mayfield

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Milton Mayfield, (2009),"Making garden variety creativity a strategic priority", Business Strategy Series, Vol. 10 Iss 6 pp. 345 - 351
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Making garden variety creativity a

strategic priority

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Milton Mayfield

Milton Mayfield is Associate

Professor of Management
at Texas A&M International
University, Laredo, Texas,
USA.

Introduction
Organizations today face greater turbulence and uncertainty than ever before, and they
must simultaneously compete on service quality and rapid innovation in a global
marketplace. These conditions demand ever greater flexibility from organizations and
their workforce (Amabile, 1988, 1996; J. Mayfield and M. Mayfield, 2008; M. Mayfield and
J. Mayfield, 2008). In order to meet these pressures, organizations will have to increase
innovation at all work levels and in all work activities by offering a creativity fostering culture.
Developing such a pervasive innovation culture can only happen when organizations fully
commit to developing worker creativity and provide the resources needed for this initiative.
In order to achieve this goal, organizations must make creativity a strategic priority.
Pervasive creativity creativity at all organizational levels in all work aspects is a key
success driver in todays service oriented, innovation fueled economy. Such creativity helps
meet the markets demand for high levels of customer orientation, and the need for
operational flexibility to match the rapidly changing business environment that most
organizations face. Ultimately, an organizations competitive advantage is driven by
continuous innovation and improvement. And in thriving organizations, such innovation
cannot be confined to only a few elite professional workers but must become a part of
everyones daily work life.
This paper presents information on the necessity and method for strategically prioritizing
worker creativity by presenting the concept of garden variety creativity, and then discussing
specific steps for implementing this priority.

Garden variety creativity your competitive advantage

In order for organizations to remain competitive and sustain needed innovation and
flexibility, garden variety creativity (Amabile, 1996; von Krogh, 1998; M. Mayfield and
J. Mayfield, 2008; Stafford, 1998) must become a strategic priority. Developing a culture of
garden variety creativity will help bring forward ideas from workers who most closely operate
with daily processes and with customers. In turn, this democratization of ideas increases
worker involvement and generates performance-oriented innovation. In short, garden variety
creativity creates a bottom-up approach to process and organizational improvement.
Garden variety creativity occurs when workers develop new ways to improve their own job
processes and outcomes (von Krogh, 1998; M. Mayfield and J. Mayfield, 2008; Stafford,
1998). It is a local creativity that provides greater organizational flexibility at operational
levels, and thus creates more innovation in daily work situations. Such innovations given
the proper environment and strategic support will arise spontaneously in response to
given work problems or necessities. This creativity is drawn from a workers job experiences,
and must be supported and nurtured by an organizations culture, top management, direct

DOI 10.1108/17515630911005628

VOL. 10 NO. 6 2009, pp. 345-351, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1751-5637

BUSINESS STRATEGY SERIES

PAGE 345

supervisors, and peers (Martins and Terblanche, 2003; M. Mayfield and J. Mayfield, 2008;
Schein, 1989; Tierney et al., 1999; Williamson, 1997).
Garden variety creativity is different from the most often discussed creativity type
high-level creativity. While most attention is focused on high-level creativity, such innovation
is very different from garden variety creativity. High-level creativity is practiced by a small
number of highly paid and trained specialists. In comparison, garden variety creativity can
occur at all organizational levels. High-level creativity has long development times
sometimes requiring years to complete. Alternatively, garden variety creativity occurs
frequently, often arising several times a day from a single worker. High-level creativity
workers often require specialized work environments to be successful. With the proper
organizational support, garden variety creativity can occur in any work setting. High-level
creativity leads to large scale, organizational changes. In contrast, garden variety creativity
leads to smaller, incremental changes (Amabile, 1988, 1997; Amabile et al., 1996; Mayfield,
2009; Mayfield and Mayfield, 2004; M. Mayfield and J. Mayfield, 2008).

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For most organizations, garden variety creativity is more relevant to performance than high
level creativity. A few, elite organizations such as Apple, Google, Sony, and Pioneer
depend on high level creativity for their long-term success. But these organizations are rare
and noted globally for their innovation-focused strategy (Hargadon and Sutton, 2000;
Markides, 1998; Nonaka and Kenney, 1991; Nonaka, 1989). For most organizations, such
creativity is not their core competence, and the benefits of high level creativity are limited
(Amabile, 1988; Martins and Martins, 2002; Nonaka, 1989, 1990a; Wang and Ahmed, 2004).
However, all organizations will benefit from the incremental improvements and increased
flexibility that garden variety creativity brings. Garden variety creativity drives these benefits
and adds organizational value by improving operational efficiencies and flexibility that
should be valued by all organizations (von Krogh, 1998; M. Mayfield and J. Mayfield, 2008;
Stafford, 1998).
Garden variety creativity enriches organizational outcomes by changing the way that
workers perform their tasks. While these process improvements will differ across
organizations, and even between workers within an organization, there are a few common
substantial enhancements that you can expect to see. This added value arises because
resource utilization will be increased when workers find better (and more creative) ways to
use existing resources. You can also expect customer satisfaction increases as workers find
new and better ways to meet customer demands. Also, worker creativity will help develop
new operational processes that better meet organizational goals.
Such processes may come from individual innovations or when small groups of workers
collaborate. These processes may include developing a new way to stack and place
inventory so that is easier to reach products while requiring less room for the items. Garden
variety creativity also takes place when a worker arranges a waiting area to be more
accommodating for customers, or a new way to organize a computer file system. In short,
there are many possibilities for workers to improve workplace outcomes. These
improvements are based on the workers intimate (often tacit) knowledge of the
workplace, and fostered by an organizations strategic support for such creativity
(Mayfield et al., 2008; Nonaka and Kenney, 1991; Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1991; Thomas
and Allen, 2006).
Unleashed garden variety creativity also enhances individual worker outcomes in addition to
organization focused outcomes. When supported in creative endeavors, employees
discover ways to become more efficient at their assigned tasks, thus increasing their
productivity and the quality of their daily performance. As workers become more creative,
they can better tailor output to meet changing demands thus improving their effectiveness
and efficiency. A more creative workplace also raised worker moral and commitment, and
these improvements translate into higher job satisfaction and lower turnover (Amabile, 1993,
1998; Mayfield, 2009; J. Mayfield and M. Mayfield, 2008; Mayfield and Mayfield, 2004).
As with organizational process renovation, there are many options possibilities for boosting
individual worker outcomes through increased garden variety creativity. Many of these

PAGE 346 BUSINESS STRATEGY SERIES VOL. 10 NO. 6 2009

refinements will be simple operational efficiencies, such as discovering a shorter sales route.
However, there are other benefits from increased creative flow. One such major benefit is
that creative output can become a positive feedback loop. As workers see productive
outcomes from their innovations and realize that these innovations are valued and
supported by management employee self-efficacy rises and employees will be more
willing to undertake additional creative endeavors (Mayfield and Mayfield, 2004; Nam and
Tatum, 1997; Pajares, 2002; Zaltman et al., 1973). Relatedly, this feedback loop also
incorporates the valuable step of tacit knowledge sharing when individual employees
engage in joint problem solving and exchange previously circumspect expertise (Mayfield
et al., 2008; Nonaka and Kenney, 1991; Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1991; Nonaka, 1989; Thomas
and Allen, 2006).

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How to make garden variety creativity a strategic priority

In order to foster and sustain worker creativity, organizations must take initiatives to make it a
strategic priority. Fulfilling all of these steps is necessary for a strong foundation in any
successful strategic initiative for developing worker creativity. Results may not be
immediately apparent, as is the case with any new large scale objective, but commitment
to this process will lead to rich rewards. These steps as this section will detail include
showing support for the plan from the highest organizational levels, communicating this
support, removing creativity blocks, providing needed resources, and restructuring the
workplace to foster creativity.
The first step is showing support at the organizations highest levels for worker garden
variety creativity. This endorsement signals top managements commitment to fostering
worker creativity, and these leaders willingness to provide the resources for such activities.
However, top management must follow through on these promises or risk alienating the
workforce and reducing worker creativity and morale. These leadership messages provide
direction for middle managers and front-line supervisors when they set and communicate
their own managerial goals. And it is their guidance that directly effects the workers
creativity (Amabile, 1988; Glor, 1998; Mayfield, 2009; Mayfield and Mayfield, 2004; Stoker
et al., 2001).
Even when top management fully supports this initiative, this message must still be clearly
communicated to all organizational levels and workers. Such communication must come
from direct actions (communicating by doing) as well as direct communication
(communicating by telling). Initially, this support should come as a direct communication
stating how creativity is a necessary ingredient to the organizations success. Such a
communication should be directed to leaders, workers, and all organizational stakeholders.
Reinforcement messages may be directed at organizational shareholders and customers so
that they understand how such changes will improve the organization and how these
improvements will be valuable to the stakeholders.
This communication process must continue by introducing organizational policies and
structures for sharing, promoting, evaluating, and refining creative initiatives. Simply put, the
garden variety creativity process is a continuous feedback loop which substantially
reinforces organizational learning. At the most basic level, clearly designating and
communicating the rewards for creative work will go far in shaping worker behavior toward
more creative endeavors. In conjunction with such policies, a public recognition system
should be put in place to encourage garden variety creativity and establish a culture of
innovation. Also, organizational structures (such as wikis, town meeting exchanges, etc.)
that facilitate creative information interchange will bolster tacit knowledge sharing (Mayfield
et al., 2003, 2008; Nonaka, 1990b; Nonaka and Kenney, 1991; Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1991;
Thomas and Allen, 2006).
Beyond communication processes, there are specific actions that must take place to
promote worker creativity first among these processes is removing creativity blocks. A
major inhibitor to worker creativity is the pressure that comes from unnecessary deadlines.
While timetables are productive and inevitable, many deadlines are set arbitrarily and with

VOL. 10 NO. 6 2009 BUSINESS STRATEGY SERIES PAGE 347

unrealistically short completion targets. When such deadlines exist, creativity is

compromised since workers energies must be focused on quick turnaround time rather
than inventive ways to complete better processes. Organizational policies that promote
unnecessary conformity can be another creativity killer. Such policies will require revamping
and perhaps removal to encourage increased worker innovation. Finally, efforts must be
made to stop negative politics that hinder creative activities and collaboration (Amabile,
1988, 1997, 1998; J. Mayfield and M. Mayfield, 2008; M. Mayfield and J. Mayfield, 2008).

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Once creativity blocks have been removed, management must actively nurture worker
innovation. Some of this support will already be in place if top management has properly
communicated (on an ongoing basis) its commitment to increasing worker creativity. But
managerial support cannot stop at simple communication. Organizational motivation for worker
creativity efforts must be present through encouragement, recognition, and monetary
incentives. Supervisors must also be trained and rewarded for supporting worker creativity.
This strategic implementation cannot be underestimated because managers direct support for
worker creativity is vital to the growth of worker creativity it is the direct supervisor that will
have the greatest effect on worker creativity (Dundon and Pattakos, 2001; Kramer, 2006; Lee,
2008; Mayfield, 2009; Mayfield and Mayfield, 2004, M. Mayfield and J. Mayfield, 2008; Nam
and Tatum, 1997; Stoker et al., 2001; Tierney et al., 1999). Finally, peer encouragement through
work group support is necessary for long-term sustainability of these new activities (von Krogh,
1998; J. Mayfield and M. Mayfield, 2008; M. Mayfield and J. Mayfield, 2008; Stafford, 1998).
Again, all of these inputs are factors in a continuous feedback communication system.
Ultimately, the nature of work assignments and organizational structure must be examined
and possibly changed to fully promote worker creativity. While this step is the most
challenging in the strategic initiative process, it is potentially the most advantageous. By
changing the fundamental nature of the workplace (i.e. rewards, goal setting, information
sharing, etc.), you will be setting a platform for continuing innovation that will transform your
organization into one that is capable of meeting the daily and disruptive changes present in
turbulent business environments. In order to make your workplace one suitable for
continuous creativity, needed resources must be provided for workers to be creative. More
importantly, workers must be given the autonomy to engage in creative activities if they do
not have the ability to do their tasks with equifinality, they will have limited opportunities for
creativity. And as much as possible the work itself must be motivational so that workers have
the internal desire to be creative (Dundon and Pattakos, 2001; Glor, 1998; J. Mayfield and
M. Mayfield, 2008; M. Mayfield and J. Mayfield, 2008; Nonaka and Kenney, 1991; Zaltman
et al., 1973).
Figure 1 provides a graphical depiction of the responsibilities different organizational levels
must undertake in order to strategically implement and support garden variety creativity.

Conclusion
In order to successfully compete, organizations must make creativity a strategic priority.
Todays business environment is constantly changing in complex and unexpected ways.
This environment also places a premium on customer service because very few
organizations can compete simply on their products or services since substitutes are
constantly emerging. Instead, your organizations capabilities to deal with customers and
take advantage of brief and transitory opportunities will make the difference in your
organizations success. To meet these demands, employees at all levels must be flexible and
creative in meeting emerging business conditions. Such creativity can only emerge when
organizations prioritize and support worker innovation.
This priority must be supported throughout the organization on a continuous basis. While
such an initiative has to start from an organizations top, it must carry through at all
organizational levels. Such pervasiveness requires support from direct managers: those
leaders who will either motivate worker creativity or kill it before any organizational benefits
can emerge. Worker creativity also requires providing the communication and material
resources to stimulate and sustain worker creative activities. This latter premise includes

PAGE 348 BUSINESS STRATEGY SERIES VOL. 10 NO. 6 2009

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Figure 1 Strategic implementation responsibilities

such employee benefits as tuition reimbursement and day care. And by providing such
resources, the organization is also helping to develop the necessary organizational loyalty to
foster a culture of creativity.
While these steps will take time and commitment to come to fruition, garden variety creativity
offers many benefits for positive organization wide outcomes. Most desired, increased
creativity will lead to higher organizational performance and productivity. It can also increase
customer satisfaction through a better match of customer desires and delivered services.
Finally, a more creative atmosphere will lead to increased worker morale, attendance,
retention, and job satisfaction all important metrics of organizational financial
performance.
The process for making creativity a strategic priority is simple if not as easy to actually
implement. First there must be a sincere commitment to increasing worker creativity at top
management levels. Thereafter, this commitment must be clearly communicated to all
organizational members and stakeholders on an ongoing basis. Finally, there are three areas
to concentrate on when targeting this strategic focus: creativity blocks must be removed;
creative work must be supported through appropriate resources; and the nature of work
must be made more conducive to worker creativity.
Such a strategic initiative will help boost the organization to a world-class status. While
committing to increasing garden variety creativity will take effort, it is imperative to thrive in a
globally competitive marketplace. Once in place, the organization will experience
performance improvements at all organizational levels both in output and efficiency.
And after it is established, the new creative atmosphere will lead to a positive learning cycle
where creativity is sustained and celebrated.

VOL. 10 NO. 6 2009 BUSINESS STRATEGY SERIES PAGE 349

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Further reading
Abadie, A. (2005), Causal inference, in Kempf-Leonard, K. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Social
Measurement, Elsevier, New York, NY, pp. 259-66, available at: www.sciencedirect.com/science/
article/B7GG1-4FV52TR-6G/2/d1c437bc2dca1bff4ad757f045d7376a

Corresponding author
Milton Mayfield can be contacted at: mmayfield@tamiu.edu

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