Hierarchies kill creativity

Hierarchies within companies will kill creativity, writes Aalto University Executive Education and Professional Development in a recent article (Aalto EE).

The traditional set-up of a creative director hinders personal growth, compelling people to act and choose according to what serves individual careers.

Instead, the thinking should be that everyone is each other’s creative director. It is more rewarding to allow people to steer their peers and develop their social skills.

In Aalto EE’s interview, Anu Rautanen from Wörks, a design and marketing agency based in Helsinki, Finland, says “A flat structure could entail an organisation to have an open culture that fosters speaking up as well as a model for handling difficult situations that everyone knows about. This way, no one ends up alone when a problem arises.”

According to Rautanen, a generation that doesn’t tolerate a culture of silence is entering the workforce. They are willing to escalate situations and question what they’re supposed to do.

Generation Z will radically change the way many things are done. They are curious and direct, whether communicating face-to-face or on social media. They are aware of the opportunity to communicate directly, quickly advancing topics they find meaningful.

“Typically, those that were born in the seventies are more work-centred, for those born in the nineties, life isn’t all about work. They can be highly ambitious yet more discerning about their choice of workplace,” says Anu Rautanen.

/ENDS

For more information, or to speak with someone from Aalto EE, please contact Katie Hurley from BlueSky Education on khurley@bluesky-pr.com