Employees want an innovative workplace culture, research shows

Research from RADA in Business, the commercial subsidiary of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, has found UK employees want a workplace culture that encourages ideas and innovation.

The research surveyed 1,000 workplaces and found that over 80 per cent of businesses are failing to create a culture that encourages new ways of thinking.

Voice

The research showed employees working in certain sectors want more of a voice when it comes to thinking creatively in the workplace. Those working in IT and finance find it the hardest to make themselves heard at 29 per cent and 26 per cent respectively.

Employees believe businesses would benefit from encouraging fresh ideas and innovation, with 24 per cent saying their employer needs to introduce new ways of thinking to overcome problems.

When questioned about which factors are preventing new ideas from being introduced in the workplace, 21 per cent of employees said that they do not believe their employers want to hear their ideas. 18 per cent said the ideas they have put forward have not yet been implemented.

RADA in Business is now looking to address the innovation gap by working with companies to bring dramatic and theatrical techniques into the workplace.

Creativity

RADA in Business Director Kevin Chapman commented that it is concerning that a lot of people feel innovation and creativity are not being encouraged in their job. There are simple techniques available to help companies support and tap into the power of imagination for solving problems or developing new ways of working as a team.

He added that in the same way that a theatre director works with their actors to experiment with different ways to tell a story, business leaders can improvise with their teams. This is a key element to unlocking more creativity.