There is nothing more precious than displaying your work activities, your relationships and interactions with others: colleagues, supervisors and colleagues in a creative and healthy environment in the company or organization in which you work. Creativity as personal disposition or attitude towards the nature of things; as well as all work activity is based on the design and administration of health, its conditions in its physical and psychological dimensions. It is easy to say, but of enormous and enormous personal, group and organizational efforts. In this sense, this essay begins with the benefits of creativity, the role of the leader in the physiological, psychological, organizational and managerial aspects. In this, the example is a dimension that supports the model-based leadership model. Likewise, it is worth providing a path or proposal towards a creative and healthy organization in a climate based on innovation, and finally, an innovation management model is presented as a framework for action considering the key processes involved.
Introduction
Occupational health is built in an adequate work environment, with adequate or designed physical, psychological and administrative conditions aligned with work processes and flows. This environment as a construction space aligns individual and organizational interests; which is not always continuous, but as the adjustment is the closest, more adaptation is emerging over time.
The idea is that workers can develop an activity with dignity and where possible their creative and useful participation for the improvement of health, safety and well-being conditions.
In this work creativity is highlighted as a driver of individual and organizational well-being
1.0. Creativity as a driver of well-being
One of the sayings that we usually hear is that " necessity is the mother of invention "; It is certainly one of the edges of the field of ideation, imagination and creativity. In an event that I attended in which the researcher, the doctor (Psychiatrist) spoke about how Venezuelans have changed in their way of being, he stated that the Venezuelan is less happy, more frustrated and sadder than 10 years ago and which is from sadness is that the reflection of how to overcome and do things better emerges; He also noted that from joy, reflection, critical and reflective thinking is difficult.
The author Rodríguez (2007), at the beginning of his work, "Creativity Manual", pointed out that in this matter, Latin Americans lag behind; but that nevertheless, our realities are opening new concerns for us and asking the question:
What is the role of creativity in our lives?
- It is the very substance of culture and progress. Everything in the cosmo can be divided into: nature and culture. Considering that everything that is not natural is artificial, art-facto.
- The human being, according to Aristotle, is act and power. Reality and possibility.
- Creativity can be synonymous with fulfillment and happiness. The good journalist enjoys communicating to report the truth, transparency in freedom; Just as a good pharmacist enjoys researching new medicines, new natural compounds and generating the right formula to contribute to health and medicine.
- Not only the creative process generates deep satisfactions; Also the results, that is, creativity increases the value and consistency of the personality, favors self-esteem and consolidates interest in life and presence in the world.
- Organizationally, a company that does not even introduce a new product every five years is in serious danger of going bankrupt and disappearing.
- In addition to all of the above, one can be added that would be equally valid (from our opinion) to the Latin American countries, is that we suffer from a terrifying cultural colonialism; our technology is blatantly foreign and echoes of developed countries
- Hence, one of the ways that would contribute significantly to our well-being as people, in our companies and as countries, is to develop creative capacity in families, in our educational systems, in companies, in public institutions; in short, throughout our national innovation system.
Creativity is not in the nature of things, but emerges and is in the personal disposition towards them.
For the author Csikszentmihalyi (1998), the ideas or products that deserve the label of "creative" arise from the synergy of many sources, and not only from the mind of an isolated person. Additionally, this author is of the idea that one of the ways in which he can enhance creativity is by changing the circumstances of the environment, trying to make people think in a more creative way.
We maintain that both dimensions are necessary. So the design of the creative process in organizations requires a set of dimensions and variables, so that creativity is generated in a healthy environment; The role of the leader is a role that generates an organizational climate (as a supportive state for the creative process), as a driving model and catalyst for the concrete expression of the values of the organizational culture. In this sense, we support Schein's approach (1988), in which leadership and organizational culture are two sides of the same coin; since it is the conscious and deliberate / unconscious and non-deliberate actions that people observe and imitate as they take those in which they are successful in achieving the organizational goals.
One could summarize that creativity is the result of the interaction of a system made up of three (3) elements: A culture that contains symbolic rules: norms, conducive organizational architecture, values, model of competencies that includes creativity and innovation, a leadership style that supports and models creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit of non-fear as a method of control, Jericó (2006); secondly, a person who brings novelty and thirdly, the field of experts who recognize and validate innovation.
2.0. The role of the leader in organizational balance
After the rigorous study tour, assuming leadership, as a manager, researcher and consultant, we maintain that the role and style of leadership present in the organizational context can, simply, progressively destroy the design of a creative and innovative process in organizations or catapult him into aligned and healthy achievements for all. In this sense, we are aligned to the following definition (one among thousands):
“Leadership is the ability of a human community - people who live and work together - to generate new realities that significantly impact the collective prosperity of their organizations and the communities with which they interact”
Source:
That is why, when leaders give their best, Kouzes and Postner (2005), bring the following challenges:
• They challenge the process: leaders look for opportunities and venture into the unknown, they are willing to take risks. They make innovations and experiment and consider them learning opportunities.
According to the authors, this practice is related to the creation of new institutions, the resolution of serious crises, the triumph of war, the organization of revolutionary movements, protests to improve social conditions, political changes, innovations or some other social transformation. This is the most important practice, and the one that highlights the importance of leaders in times of change.
Kouzes and Posner (2005), affirm that people who become leaders have not always sought the challenges they face, challenges often seek them, but the decisions and initiatives taken are crucial.
• They inspire a shared vision: leaders develop a vision of the future, and lead their followers to commit to it as if it were their own, thus forming mutual interests.
They also state that when people become leaders, either of their own free will or induced, they usually lack a clear vision of the future. At the beginning they have worries, desires, hopes, dreams, around which they organize their actions. However, they begin to visualize the future by finding themselves. It is an intuitive, emotional process. But having a vision of the future is not enough, they must motivate their powers to fulfill that vision, which cannot be imposed.
These authors claim that cynics have 25 reasons why something cannot be accomplished, yet enthusiasm is contagious, and leaders must enthuse their followers to achieve their goals.
• Enable others to act: leaders gain the support of their followers for the achievement of objectives by creating cooperative goals and mutual trust, making their followers feel important, strong and influential.
Effective leaders do not grab power but hand it over, so that when people have more agency, authority, and information, they use their energies to produce extraordinary achievements. In such a way that leadership is a relationship founded on trust in the powers.
• Model by example: leaders are very clear about their values and beliefs about the organization; On a personal level, they maintain their projects according to the goals set, for this, they adhere to their values and serve as an example of how they expect others to behave, by developing clear and concrete goals.
Tushman and O'Reilly (1998) argue that leaders lead change and lead by example, thereby transmitting patterns to followers about behaviors that are important in the organization.
• Encouragement: Leaders recognize the performance of their followers, acknowledging their individual contributions and celebrating their achievements.
The path followed to achieve goals can be arduous and hard, people can feel fatigued, frustrated and disappointed and can often be tempted to give up. The job of leaders is to stimulate their constituents to move forward, either through great gestures or simple attitudes, and in this way they demonstrate to their followers that they are capable of success.
These authors propose a model in order to identify the original reasons for resistance to innovation and change, as well as to determine current performance gaps and whether the organization's operation is aligned to achieve the strategy, vision, objectives and goals. traced.
Tushman and O'Reilly (1998), highlight the role of leaders in leading by example, so that they influence the social control systems of their units by modeling culture through participation or participation systems, so They transmit vivid messages to employees about what behaviors and attitudes are important and, on the other hand, they have the responsibility to design comprehensive recognition and control systems aimed at those attitudes and behaviors that are crucial to achieve success.
That leaders impact on people's health and even organizational!
Of course! Leadership - modeling - organizational culture / health are related. Consider the scheme of trends towards stability proposed by Cameron (2003); (Referenced in Whetten and Cameron, 2005)
Below is the table of the continuum of positive and negative deviation; Here you can see the spheres of influence of the leader, both in the individual, physiological, psychological context and in the organization and direction. So the leader, in modeling through her conduct, serves as a pattern or guide for those who validate her influence. Therefore, a leader is largely an activator; either by changing the circumstances of the environment and, in turn, trying to make people think in a more creative way, displaying, for example, the activities or challenges pointed out by Kouzes and Postner.
3.0. The organization and creative talent
To begin, we will start with the image of the organization with a focus on purpose and we agree that it is a system made up of two or more people who collaborate within defined limits to achieve a common goal. Hodge, Anthony and Wales (1998). Additionally, the organization as a deliberately designed management artifact, there is a reciprocal interaction between technology, social structure, culture and physical infrastructure; all this, framed and contributing to the environment in which it carries out its activities. Such reciprocal interaction is specified in the networks or networks of the organization. (Jo, 1997)
As for talent, it is not just people, it is more than people; is the person who meets the conditions you need now; the skills, the behaviors, the way of working; the ability to function in a chaotic global environment.
Talent is specific. In the past, for companies to grow their businesses, they needed access to capital. What is observed and heard now from organizations is that in order to progress, you must have access to talent; not only to capital. As this process evolves, you see capitalism becomes talentism, and having access to talent, rather than capital, is a definitive competitive advantage. ” (Quan, J., 2011)
In any case, the question that arises is that creativity and innovation as a strategy and culture can be implemented in all the models or images of the organization?
The answer to this question is no! For what Ponti (2001) well suggests, before starting a strategy of change in the company, it is necessary to respond beforehand; What business and which company are we in?
For example, moving from a non-innovative and operational culture to a more innovative one is never a day's work; much more if you are in the presence of an organization in which its decision makers consider it as a machine, a psychic prison or as an instrument of domination.
Although there are no standard innovation systems, sequential actions may well be suggested, the results of which could approach the beginning of a deliberate experience towards an innovative organization. It is all a process of organizational change.
Next, a proposal to move towards an innovative organization. (Based on Ponti (2001):
1. In private or for-profit organizations, it is based on the previous strategic decision; they usually agree on the nature of their future income or competitiveness strategy that they share or interact with the person they will designate as the president or CEO, who, in turn, selects or previously hires their management team (including its executives). At this point it is agreed with the author Sallenave (1997), that the strategy is not a random phenomenon, but a business action or deliberately worked strategy, this based on the approach proposed here. From a systemic perspective, it is from this process that the foundations or structure of the innovative and healthy organization are erected. From its design!
Health is understood in a general framework from the physical, biological, social and cultural health of what Fayol himself (1917) called the corporate social body.
Taking this path as a reference, then, agreed and approved the design with its technological, structural (physical, organizational and financial), cultural platform and the required human talent platform, it follows the instrumentation of the action for the constitution and implementation of the organization's orchestration.
However, now it is an organization that has obtained its viability through the ages (Viability as the ability to last over time), with a well-established and developing workforce and senior management including the management team Currently, they decide to make a displacement (Beautiful way of saying, decision to change the strategic direction of the company. They have reflected, agreed and approved a strategy that requires creative thinking and innovative products / services; all based on diagnostic information from the platforms mentioned above, in pertinent, convenient, perform the maneuver of the following point.
2. Decide based on the opinions of all staff. Listen and process the internal voice of your people. This additionally implies designing and executing a communication strategy aimed at the different key audiences, both internally and the key actors external to the organization.
At the end of this process it is necessary to inform the decision, accompanied by the design, agreement and execution of an organizational change project with all its implications and demands.
A decision to guide the organization towards creative and innovative management leads to a process of change, transformation and transition in each and every one of its members.
3. Design and set up a decision-making body for innovative initiatives, with members motivated and committed to what they like! This refers to the primary search for affective commitment to innovative strategy. The alignment and commitment of management has always been an element of success in this type of initiative. All around an agreed strategy, objectives and goals.
4. Take into account that the dimensions of sustainability and sustainability are being incorporated in the formulation and execution of operational strategies and human talent management.
5. Assemble and develop a team of experts in creative thinking, who in turn replicate and facilitate the appropriation of the application of multiple creativity techniques and innovation processes.
Most likely, it requires the support of specialized training providers in the development of creativity, innovation, initiatives, information search, teamwork and knowledge management. As well as financial techniques for calculating the implications of creative projects.
6. Design and execute human management strategies aimed, basically, at compensating and retaining those who have innovative ideas (it gives a clear signal of the organization's intention regarding creativity and innovation); Critical factors such as technology also come into consideration; as well as the financial factor. On the other hand, develop and instill a climate of innovation. Among the activities aimed at creating an innovative climate, according to Rivera (2009), are:
7. Design and execute occupational health and hygiene management strategies that consider, proactively, from the design of jobs or projects, the occupational health and hygiene dimension is key; and imagine processes of generating creative ideas with a high degree of pressure, handling information, landing them, evaluating them, many discarded and few to evaluate and make them available to the public or the market (innovation).
In the experience of the Innovargh team, prevention practices such as health laboratories have been found, through which systematic examinations are carried out on all workers, preventive medical update sessions, stress management workshops facilitated by psychiatric doctors, psychologists and sports coaches. Be vigilant, with the support of Organizational Development professionals, integration workshops, high-performance teams, handling differences and negotiating in high-pressure work environments.
8. Organize the company based on creative teams throughout the company's value chain. It is one of the ways of replicating and concretizing the decision towards an innovative organization.
Similarly, announce and feel free to explore, use, and apply creative methodologies and procedures. EYE: Creativity needs its cooking, maturation and generation time.
The creation of creative teams starts from the formation of a shared common purpose, clear roles and responsibilities, accepted leadership, team processes (effective meetings, time management, management of ambiguity • age and negotiating ability, prioritize according to the determination of priorities, coaching and the ability to be assertive.
9. Ask each team for concrete results on innovations in fields of interest to the company that are within its competence. It stands out that if they think and are convinced (by the evaluations carried out by the teams, considering the different factors of implantation of innovative ideas), something can work: FINANCE IT !!
10. If you are one of the promoters of this strategy and have been accepted by senior management; So make them a high-performing creative team. If the company's management is involved, participating and practicing what it says, this generates a good degree of credibility that results in the continuity of the effort with a high possibility of innovative achievements. Of course, this is never a linear relationship, rather it is a complex interrelation than a dynamic one.
11. Put in place an evaluation and feedback generation system that reinforces the creative culture; recognize achievements and congratulate!
An organization that has decided to move towards positive deviation finds the way to establish a positive climate, creates conditions to strengthen its capacity for change and resilience, exposes a vision of abundance, generates and fulfills commitment, and institutionalizes positive change.
4.0. Innovative management
Innovation management is not a superstructure added to the normal functioning of the organization; it is a complementary, continuous and reinforcing process for the future that its decision-makers and collaborating members have agreed to take; Now, a decision of this nature leaves its mark on culture and values, translating into being vital acts to get closer to constituting a transferable value, ready to be consensual.
Also, this decision requires taking into account the design of the components or processes of the culture to be designed, the values to consider; as well as the competencies (such as behaviors required in people causally related to a performance based on creative excellence), as well as the processes and key agents of support of the health of the members, beyond the physical, hygiene and environmental conditions affective / psychological partner.
On the other hand, it can be seen from an integrated management model approach (see figure 3: Integrated model of innovation and human talent. Lira, p (2000), which highlights those that support health and creativity in organizations such as:
Strategic management with the incorporation of communication processes (reflection and visualization), of future spaces.
This management approach is considered as the generation of communication fields through which human systems in organizations transform reality while reality transforms us and the organization, through the creation of meanings (Vázquez, 2000).
Organizational culture as a process of alignment and integration instilling values such as the well-being and physical and mental health of workers; as well as in their work environment, complying and even going beyond the legal regulations established in each country.
A management of human talent based on a competency model in which the selection requirements consider, as has always been taken into account, the psychological performance and the health conditions of those who will enter; as well as the maintenance of the conditions in the gyms, management of labor stress, nutrition, among others.
The organizational architecture that refers to the platform of the organizational structure; as well as the deployment and assembly of physical spaces compatible with work processes and procedures that account for the functionality of work and for disabled workers.
Innovation management is nourished by the creativity of talents, their coordination of actions, their learning, their attitudes towards change and their capacity for resilience (human capacity to flexibly take on and overcome borderline situations).
Considering that organizations today have a double character of demands for their constant transformation: the need for any organization to adapt to changes in the environment and secondly, to introduce the latest advances in systems and procedures capable of increasing its performance, its competitiveness and profitability. (Echeverría, 2000)
Figure 3.- Integrated model of innovation and organizational management
It should be noted that the security, health, hygiene and welfare system pursues a work environment so that human talent can carry out their activities in a favorable way. It should be noted precisely that, every day, many countries on the Latin American continent have approved, for example, in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which in 2005 approved the Organic Law on Prevention, Conditions and Work Environment.
“The object of this Law is to establish the institutions, norms and guidelines of the policies, and the organs and entities that guarantee the workers, safety, health and well-being conditions in a suitable and favorable work environment for the full exercise of their physical and mental faculties, through the promotion of safe and healthy work, the prevention of work accidents and occupational diseases, the comprehensive repair of the damage suffered and the promotion and incentive to the development of programs for recreation, use of free time and social tourism ”Official Gazette No. 38,236. Tuesday July 26, 2005.
Regarding innovation processes, we agree with the author Katiska (2001), professor at the University of Buenos Aires and founder of the National Conference on Business Innovation in Argentina since 1991; who argues that the management of innovation, of change, is created to be aware of the new, seek other horizons, do things differently and better, take on utopian challenges and pose the organization not as a temple of routine, but a laboratory of novelty, risk and imagination.
In the same way, we complement his perspective that it becomes imperative that innovation focuses on achieving integrative objectives; for example:
- Find systems that respond quickly to customer changes.
- Add new forms of differentiation to products and services.
- Strengthen the relationship with customers or users.
- Design and implement planning methodologies that allow anticipating problems. End the judgment of "as we come, let's see what we do."
- Produce quality products and articles in the context of transparent and reliable work
5.0. Impact on the person, on individual and group health
One of the first steps before continuing is to clarify, simply, what is “impact” and then see it in individuals.
Etymologically impact is "footprint or signal left"
Provisionally, the concept could be approached as follows:
• Results such as changes or variations in the degree of structuring and influence of institutional actions aimed at achieving the desired effect.
• The desired effects on the environmental variables produced by the actions of programs and projects, which may be attributable to the actions carried out.
Now, we maintain that the human being; just as all things (in their broadest sense) belong to other levels of systems. Is this new in management theory? - That is, the multilevel approach in the field of management and especially in the human being. Already since Aristotelian's dictum that everything is more than the sum of the parts, which was ignored by the mechanistic conception, he has a simple and clear answer.
We maintain that Bertalanffy himself (1986) already considered this perspective and stated that…
“The properties and modes of action of the higher levels cannot be explained by the sum of the properties and modes of action that correspond to their components considered in isolation. However, it is possible to reach the highest levels starting from the components, if the set of relationships that exist between them is known ”(Problems of life, 1952)
The author García, C. (2006), pointed out this conception with a simple metaphor that he used in his classes: the Matriuska and the way to represent it in a graphic model is as follows:
From this we maintain that when one believes that the organization where one works is creative and healthy, it is because I:
- I feel good, because I am taken into account in my opinions.
- I am encouraged and motivated when they recognize my achievements and give me alerts and feedback to improve my performance as a team member.
- One always learns new things and the search, communication of ideas is recognized.
- They are pending my health conditions through the preventive medicine programs, the health laboratory or gym, the guests for alternative medicine, stress management. Not just for me, but for my qualified family members.
In general, one as a member of an organization in which he expresses himself in some positive way, realizes pride, identity, commitment to the reason for being. That is, deliberate actions based on the acceptance of diversity, tolerance, negotiation, sincere, transparent and consistent discussion, leave positive and long-term traces on the mind and emotional intelligence of each of us. It doesn't matter if you don't work there anymore. A trace, a positive impact is lasting in the memory and in the present speech.
Easy to say, a creative, innovative and healthy organization. But, go, start by reviewing what your reading is working on, review it based on the sections, graphic models and processes of a creative and healthy organization; I assure you that creative ideas for yours are already emerging, which in themselves activate mechanisms for generating healthy options for improvement in your work processes as professional people or of any level or position in it.
Go ahead, don't stick with those ideas, communicate them, work on them and present them to your colleagues, your supervisor or area leader and you will see that it moves energy!
6.0. Conclusions and recommendations
The decision to move the organization in which one works towards a creative and healthy organization; it is also a transit to the positive quadrant.
It involves highlighting the positive qualities and emotions; however, strategies and actions to support physical and mental / psychological health conditions.
Live, observe and perform in an organization in which health is a key reason to support creativity and innovation is to create the basis for the development of an invisible competitive capacity oriented to endure in the search for the sustainability of work in the world and in Latin America.
Again, creativity is a personal attitude towards new ideas, and much more with the support or support of a healthy environment.
The emergence of the assurance of prevention, working conditions and environment, has also promoted the coordination of actions between various disciplines, such as Industrial Relations, industrial / organizational psychology, the field of Organizational Development, Law and Occupational Medicine. All this is strengthening, either from entrepreneurship, the coordination / regulation of the State and workers, together, to enhance our organizations and our countries towards their growth and well-being.
7.0. Bibliography consulted
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