A question that I'm often asked about creativity in business is: do time pressures contribute to or detract from the creative process? There are arguments to support both points of view on this subject. Some say that creativity is an "organic" process that takes time to unfold in the human mind, and that imposing a time limit for generating novel or breakthrough ideas is counterproductive. Others point out that time pressures enhance creativity by providing a necessary sense of urgency in a process that otherwise tends to meander from the original point of focus. Who is right?

A report on this subject, entitled Creativity Under the Gun appeared in the Harvard Business Review (Amabile, Hadley and Kramer, Aug. 2002). In it, the authors closely followed - via e-mail diaries and numerical-scale response items - the daily activities and subjective reactions of 177 professional employees from seven companies in the chemical, high tech and consumer products industries. Each person in the study was part of a project team and actively engaged in an initiative in which creative thinking was considered a critical factor for success. Because the sample was relatively large for this type of study, and the response rate surprisingly high (75%) over a period of more than six months, the study was considered to be an accurate representation of how time pressures affected employees' self-perceived creativity.

The results indicate that in the majority of circumstances, the more time pressure workers experienced, the less creative they judged themselves to be. This was especially true in situations the authors described as "being on a treadmill"; for example, when subjects felt distracted by non-task related issues, were subject to sudden changes in plans, or simply didn't feel the work they were doing was that important. On the other hand, creativity did flourish, even under extreme time pressures, when a) there was a clear and agreed-upon purpose to their work; i.e., a shared sense of mission, and b) they could remain focused on the task for significant periods of time without interruption. The keys to maintaining one's creative edge under time pressure, therefore, are a sense of mission and the ability to direct all of one's energy without distraction to the task at hand.

While hardly surprising, these findings are nonetheless important to consider. In today's business environment, with shorter cycle times, fiercer competition, and customer expectations higher than ever, the pressure to complete complex projects quickly has become the norm. Like it or not, working under the gun is a fact of life in most business settings, especially in leaner companies where more work is being done by fewer people. Leaders who recognize the importance of continuous innovation in order to maintain a competitive edge must somehow provide an environment that enables employees to draw upon their creative resources, even when pressed for time.

Here are 5 things business leaders can do to foster such an environment:

1. Make sure the team's objectives are clearly articulated. Lack of focus and continually changing objectives were cited in the study as major detractors from employee creativity. The creative process, by nature, is hardly neat and predictable. It can become downright unsettling when the final goal is itself a moving target. Having a clear purpose with a sound rationale serves as a constant reference point, and this in turn encourages people to take risks and be more speculative in their thinking.

2. Decide on goals that are a "stretch," but not so ambitious or far-reaching that they overwhelm. People will rise to a challenge and work optimally when given the opportunity to apply themselves to new and innovative projects. But creativity deteriorates rapidly under persistent anxiety, fear of failure or sheer exhaustion. Therefore, it's important to strike the appropriate balance to ensure the project's success.

3. Match people to their passions. In addition to selecting people for a project on the basis of their skills, find out also what they love to do, or feel is vitally important work. This helps to create the sense of "mission" which the study identified as key to working creatively under time pressures.

4. Have important project team sessions conducted by a trained facilitator who is not a team member. Many of the conditions noted in the study as undermining creativity, such as constant distractions and lack of purpose, are also evident in a poorly-led meeting. In addition, unproductive meetings that waste time simply create new time pressures. It makes sense, therefore, to have a skilled facilitator at key meetings who has no direct stake in the project (i.e., he/she can concentrate primarily on the process, not the subject matter). This will result in shorter, more productive meetings, as well as encouraging creativity by minimizing negative judgments to new ideas.

5. Celebrate milestones. A major project can wear away at creativity by its sheer duration or complexity. Therefore, don't wait until the end to celebrate the team's achievements. Pick out some milestones along the way and celebrate them with gusto, publicly recognizing each individual's contributions in reaching these points. Of course, this won't lessen the length of the project, but it will go far in keeping people's spirits up and their creative energies flowing toward the final outcome.

While time pressures upon employees are unavoidable in most business settings for the foreseeable future, there are ways in which leaders can maximize their workers' creativity and effectiveness. Using the above suggestions as guidelines, a little extra planning should go a long way toward increasing employee satisfaction and performance as they work on their most important projects.

Jeffrey Govendo is president of The Innovative Edge™ Inc., a consulting and training firm based in Massachusetts that helps client organizations tackle tough challenges through creative problem-solving. Mr. Govendo works in a broad range of industries and non-profits as a project consultant, group facilitator, trainer and conference designer, enabling organizations to achieve their goals by increasing their capacity for innovation.

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