REAPING THE WHIRLWIND 239diverse groups may take longer to arrive at decisions, but there is a
greater likelihood that these decisions are creative.
Other organizational issues worth considering are physical facilities.
Is the workplace the kind of environment that stimulates creativity? Or
does it resemble the kind of Stalinist structure that used to characterize
Eastern European architecture?
Last, but certainly not least, it is very important for a company to
have the necessary slack resources — fi nancial, material, and human. Are
facilities or funds available for work that initially appears unprofi table
or unrelated to the company ’ s vision? Are these resources relatively
easy to come by? A person who has continually to fi ght for resources
and time for a project is mentally boxed in and unlikely to produce
much.
Organizational Cultural Factors
The corporate culture introduces another set of variables. What are the
organization ’ s value and belief systems? Is there a risk - taking ethos in
the company? Are people allowed to make mistakes? Can people fail
forward? People who are not allowed to make mistakes will not make
decisions or take risks either. Creative people do not last long in this
situation.
Access to information is also important. A company culture of
secrecy will build paranoia rather than a co - operative and collaborative
atmosphere. This is not the kind of ambience that encourages people
to help each other. On the contrary, it is more likely to lead to turf
wars.
Many of these factors can be summarized as ‘ trust. ’ If there is
no sense of trust in an organization, if people are preoccupied with
self - protection, the psychological contract between individual and
organization will break down, and creativity will be one of the fi rst
casualties.
A culture that builds in a fun factor, and a light - hearted attitude
toward work, like Virgin, avoids the accumulation of stress and
tension. People who have fun are more creative and usually work
harder.
Finally, a key value of corporate culture should be openness to
change. Executives have to create a protean organization, one that has
the capacity to learn and change. Where there is no change, there can
be no creativity.