Anatomy

of

Creative

Environment

Felix Yates
2 2/11/16
 Anatomy

of

Creative

Environment

Felix Yates
 Abstract

What do companies that consistently output

high quality creative work do differently from
the rest?

By reflecting on my own experience in practice

and that of two key innovators in the architecture
and film industries, this essay will explore the
degree to which each of the four fundamental
components of a company: individual; group;
physical; and organisation; coalesce to define
its creative output. Various approaches will be
evaluated on how effectively they formalise
and institutionalise the ability to consistently
produce creative work and ensure that the
talents of a company are fully capitalised on.
 ARJA10001

ARCHITECTURAL PLACEMENT:
REFLECTION

S1303897
06 Introduction

08 Definitions & Discussions

10 Individual
12 Group
14 Physical
16 Organisation

18 Reflections

20 Bibliography
 anatomy

organisation

group
physical

individual

8
 Introduction
This essay considers a simple question
which has come to occupy a great deal of my
thinking.
The quality of work produced by a firm is the
result of a multitude of forces, events and
people coalescing at any one moment. Hemlin,
Allwood and Martin describe these phenomena
as creative knowledge environments (CKE),
or contexts which exert a positive influence on
individuals, or more commonly, groups working
to create new knowledge.1
This definition is important for two reasons.
Firstly, it establishes that environmental
behaviors affect human actions, including
most importantly for the purpose of this essay,
creative ability. Leading psychologists such as
T. Amabile support this statement, confirming
that environment plays a fundamental role in
fostering a successful creative environment.2
Secondly, the definition can be considered
on a variety of scales. From the scale of the
individual who becomes more motivated to work
because of a goal, to the hiring policy of a global
organisation which becomes more diverse as a
result. In order to exploit this ability, I propose
to split my essay it into four main components:
individual, group, physical and organisation,
with the understanding that each section is
asymmetrically responsible for the creative
output of any given scenario [Fig. 1].3
Three separate companies will act as case
studies in the search for what defines success
and/or failure to foster CKEs:
Balmori Associates, for whom I have worked
for eight months, are an established landscape
urban design firm located in Manhattan.
Established in 1990, the office now employees
twelve people. My experience at the office will
allow me to offer a personal reflection on the
issues discussed in this essay.
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) are a young
architecture firm who have rapidly achieved
notoriety within the industry. With a
meritocratic approach to office culture, BIG
create unconventional and innovative hybrid
forms by combining seemingly common
architectural elements together. Recently,
substantial commissions such as 2WTC and
Googles master-plan have affirmed their
approach. They now employ over 300 people
across three continents.4
Pixar are a well established animation film
studio who have managed to release an
unprecedented string of seventeen consecutive
critically acclaimed feature length films.
Winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature
eight out of the last ten times, and earning
roughly $8.5 billion worldwide since 1995,
they have become the epitome of consistent
creativity in the Visual Arts industry.5 The
studio has now grown to over 1200 employees.
Each of the aforementioned companies presents
a different scale, age and creative proclivity.
However, what unites them is their common
pursuit of helping smart, ambitious people work
effectively with one another to solve problems
creatively.
9
10
 Definitions & Discussions
The identification of a phenomenon
as creative presents a difficult problem. Any
such judgment of creativeness on behalf of
the evaluator is clearly subject to their prior
experiences and understanding.6 Indeed this
essay is to some extent meant to contain
personal reflection. None the less, there are
ways of looking objectively at the topic and
uncovering universal truths applicable to all
creative endevours.
Effective measurement can be undertaken by
defining key vocabulary and stating the main
objectives. This will establish a clear bases for
evaluation and describe how the question can be
exemplified in behavior, thus easing the burden
of subjectivity.
Creativity as a phenomena is instinctively
grasped by most people. Yet upon further
consideration, it proves decidedly elusive to
define and quantify. If we are to adopt Hemlin,
Allwood and Martins definition, then creativity is
simply the creation of new knowledge.7
Typically, people think reproductively to solve
problems by referencing previous experiences
and solutions in order to reapply a method or
approach that has worked before.8 However,
creative thinking occurs when one begins
thinking productively, not reproductively. Instead
of looking at past approaches, new ones are
sought to be defined. The aim becomes to
generate multiple approaches, including less
obvious ones, in the hope that this willingness
to explore will surface new methods previously
unimagined.
However, the psychologist Wertheimer
contended that creativity is instead the result
of breaking down and reconfiguring existing
knowledge to produce new insights.9 His model
in a sense describes creativity as a remixing
of the existing, and not the creation of new
material. Many other experts support this
argument, adding that creativity occurs when our
thoughts are organised in a new way which leads
to better understanding of the subject we are
pondering.10
What these definitions seem to converge on
is that creativity requires substantial in-depth
thought of a subject and an openness to
exploring new viewpoints and or configurations.
Perhaps no one definition of the term can be
entirely comprehensive due to the multi-faceted
nature of the concept.
In a sense, creativity can more effectively
be defined by what it isnt; a result of the
inadequacies of logical thinking.
Why does any of this matter? At its most basic,
architecture is an industry run on creative
capital. That is, we as a profession earn our
living based on the creative output of our
practices - there is no physical good to sell. By
understanding what creativity is, and how we can
better manage it, we are empowered to improve
our primary commodity.
11
 Individual
Companies are a collection of people that gather
together to work towards a common goal. In that
sense the individual is the most basic building
block of an organisation. It is from people that
organisations are built, and new knowledge is
produced.11
However, it does not happen to people who
are not curious or motivated to search for
possibilities or inventions.
The cognitive approach of individuals within the
working environment affects the productivity and
quality of their ideas.12 The body of knowledge
and skills that can drawn from is foundational to
forming new ideas.
With this premise established, the need to find
and employ the right people becomes essential
to forming a successful architecture firm. A
12
companys culture is adopted, and gradually
contributed to, by the people that work there.
Hiring competent people is essential to ensuring
that the culture stays true to its original intent.13
Ed Catmull, the CEO of Pixar, places a
substantial amount of effort on hiring as a key
element of the companys policy for ensuring
that it continues to be creative in the future.
He asserts that if you give a good idea to a
mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give
a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will
either fix it or throw it away and come up with
something better.14
Pixar views their workforce as their principal
asset, and if the quality of that is maintained,
then it will create multiplicative benefits for the
rest of the company.15
Constructing a team of intelligent, thoughtful
and motivated staff is a necessary precursor to
generating innovative and creative solutions. It is
essential to hire from a variety of backgrounds,
experiences and perceptions to provide for a
more comprehensive pool of knowledge and
experience. In a creative environment, those
differences are valuable assets.16
Balmori makes it a corner-stone of their values to
have a diverse and international team. People are
consciously selected from a variety of countries,
and with distinct resumes so that the firm can
build up a larger pool of skills and knowledge.
Out of a team of twelve, only two are citizens
of the United States. The rest of the workforce
includes people from: Italy, Argentina, France,
Malaysia, South Korea, Denmark and of course
the United Kingdom.
Studies have shown that the inclusion of diverse
groups of individuals increases creativity and
motivation in the work place as people are
exposed to new perspectives.17
There are undoubtedly also downsides from
hiring outside of the country. Speaking from
personal experience, visas are tremendously
costly and time-intensive to organise not just for
the employee, but also the firm. This time spent
organising logistics is not being spent producing
creative work, and helping the company.
BIGs approach to hiring involves internal
promotion as much as possible. Bjarke Ingels
has stated that he believes leadership is about
providing people with the opportunity to find
their role within the company.18 A substantial
number of mid-level management began as
office assistants or even interns, and have been
afforded the ability to grow into new positions.
Hiring from within the company is a proven way
of ensuring that people are a strong cultural fit
for the office as they have already assimilated,
and demonstrated their allegiance to the values
of the firm. In an extensive study of so called
visionary companies, Collins and Porras found
that these unique organisations were six times
more likely to promote existing staff to senior
positions than other companies, and that this
continuity of culture and values proved essential
to the success of the businesses.19
It must also be appreciated that the innate
abilities of an individual are not the only
determining factor in the quality of work that is
produced in the workplace.
The psychologists Amabile describes that
managers at all levels who wish to foster
creativity in their organisations can do so not
by paying attention to the people they hire, but
also by paying attention to the environments they
create for these potentially creative individuals.20
This is not of course to deny the fact that some
individuals have an innate creativity greater
than others. It simply acknowledges that the
potential of a person is also dependent on the
environment in which the person is situated also.
13

If individuals are the basic building block of a
company, then the functioning of relationships
between co-workers determines whether their
creative potential is met as most creative work
involves collaboration with other employees.
The concept of a corporate culture first gained
traction in the 1980s with Deal and Kennedys
book Corporate Cultures. They concluded that
culture plays a fundamental role in defining the
success of a company that the values, rituals
and beliefs define the way that a company
operates.21 In essence, people establish the
working environment for other employees. The
culture of an organisation is defined by its
employees shared values.
14
Group
Bjarke Ingels of BIG choses to define culture as
the shared values of a companys employees,
asserting that a company is really only its
culture, and that is it.22 As a result the company
focuses on having an adaptive culture that alters
as its employees alter.
Schein instead argues that a culture is more
than the accumulated beliefs of its employees,
but that instead it is a mixture of artifacts of
an original vision, espoused values, and shared
beliefs.23
Pixar share this view, and focus on translating
their core belief into everything they do, from
recruitment, to communication, to problem
solving. All of the elements of the company
work in concert, creating an environment that
manifests and reinforces the companys ideology
and ambitions.24
Pixar structured itself around solving the
problem of how to help smart, ambitious people
work effectively with one another. Not merely to
build a studio that made hit films, but to foster
a creative culture that would continually ask
questions.
A central belief of all three of the companies
that I have studies was that cultural buy-in is
essential. A manifesto that is greater than the
demand for profit motivates and inspires the
company. Diana Balmori, founder of the firm,
wrote a Landscape Manifesto which sought
to provide employees with a perception of the
significance of their actions in relation to this
shared purpose. It was noticeably powerful in
getting employees, myself included, invested
in working towards it even when tasked with
accomplishing secondary tasks. Profit is an
important consideration, but is never the primary
motivator.
All three firms also shared an obsession with
candour in the creative process. Meetings are
fuelled by succinct, candid feedback and a
voracious iterative process. A hallmark of a
healthy creative culture is that its people feel
free to share ideas, opinions and criticisms.
A lack of candour, if unchecked, leads to
dysfunctional environments.25 This does not
mean there is no hierarchy, but instead that an
environment is created where people can hear
notes.
The degree of honesty proved surprising and at
first, off-putting, when I began working. However,
there is a fundamental difference between
criticism and constructive criticism. The practice
would only ever provide the latter, in which you
are building as you are breaking down. Notes say
what is wrong, what is missing, what isnt clear,
what makes no sense. However, it doesnt make
demands or propose fixes. The truth is often
difficult, but inside a creative company, it is the
only way to ensure excellence.
A study undertaken by Amabile found that
tension in the creative process due to
a degree of unease or discomfort in a social
relationship was not necessarily negative in its
effects.26 In fact, it can cause an increase in
engagement and can sometimes be instrumental
in bringing about creative changes.
Effective creative cultures also acknowledge
that mistakes are not only an acceptable
phenomenon, but an inevitable consequence of
doing something new. By failing as quickly as
possible, lessons can be learned faster.27
In order to ensure that these practices are
adopted, they must be institutionalised by
putting in place mechanisms that explicitly value
them, such as weekly meetings and one-on-one
design sessions. Fortifying productive qualities
into a culture means that it can be translated
across employees, and sustained over many
years.
15
 inclusive
vs
exclusive

16
 Physical
The physical environment of a company includes
equipment and furniture in addition to the office
space in which organisations choose to gather
their employees together in order to undertake
work collectively. The structure and layout of
these spaces can greatly facilitate an efficient
and creative working environment for employees,
therefore affecting the success of the company.28
The setting traditionally associated with
collaboration is the conference room. Bryant
contends that if an organisation values
collaboration, a versatile range of physical
environments must be provided to allow for
any form of communication ranging from an
impromptu meeting to a formal conference.29 The
table is a simple object. It is versatile, intuitive
and functional. Yet even something as simple as
this physical object can have profound impact on
creativity.
She concludes that firms must be aware of
the possibility that more than one approach to
working can occur in the same organisation, and
so flexibility is an essential part of fostering a
collaborative physical environment.
Balmori uses meetings as its primary device for
collaboration and communication. Most often
this occurs around the conference table. Yet I
have rarely considered the impact of something
so basic to the successful functioning of a vital
tool like a meeting.
Pixars meeting room table provides a
key illustration of how simple things can
fundamentally impact the cultural success of an
environment. When the firm moved into its new
office in 2000, a series of disproportionately
long conference tables were installed in each
of the meeting rooms.30 As a result, two people
sat at either end were unable to hear each other.
This forced the managers to sit in the middle, as
they spoke most often. Consequently, lower-level
employees were relegated to the ends where they
could neither hear, nor share in the discussion.
A simple manifestation of the physical
environment had the unintended side effect
of valuing only the opinions of the most senior
staff. The problem was subsequently resolved
by replacing the table with a more reasonably
proportioned square one which allowed people
to sit facing inwards. This illustrates the point
that a rooms dynamics are critical to any good
discussion.
The physical environment undeniably affects
the creatively of a work space. However, the
extent of its affect is debatable, with little
evidence to show that it has as direct or strong
an influence as the other components discussed
in this essay.31 Any attempt to remove friction
for communication and collaboration between
employees are very likely to benefit creativity. A
variety of spaces is also essential. The creative
process requires both space for solitude, where
thoughts can be reflected upon, and places
for meeting other people, where ideas can be
discussed.
17
18
 Organisation
Organisations often claim that they embody a
creative culture or climate.32 Design management
is what ensures that the organisation operates
structurally and functionally in order for this
cultural goal to be achieved efficiently and
effectively.
The creative process is rife with blocks and
distractions. A strong office structure can
ensure that these issues are mitigated and the
production of creative work is eased.33
The leadership of companies act as foundational
forces in providing a cultural framework which
enables individuals and groups to adopt and
act upon creatively. For example, a deep seated
trust is hard to instill without being promoted
by leadership directly.34 As a result, this might
allow employees to talk more freely, and increase
the efficiency of communication, helping to
stimulate creativity.
It has been shown that managers with extensive
experience, and who provide their teams with
clear expectations and responsibilities, tend
to promote more creative environments for
their groups.35 Team members are likely to feel
more invested in the project, and thus become
more motivated to work creatively. Additionally,
affording a group flexibility in terms of delegation
allows members to specialise in tasks they
perform better at.
Balmori Associates provides a substantial degree
of autonomy for task delegation. As a group we
divide up tasks based on preference and ability,
allowing each individual to maximise their
contribution to the groups collective effort.
I found that it also allowed me to remain invested
in the projects more easily, as I was less likely to
be designated a task that I found monotonous
and repetitive. A company which is receptive to
individuals contributions and vocalises their
appreciation has also been show to be beneficial
for creativity.37
Also important are organisational structures;
these generally need to be flat to promote
knowledge management and innovation.
Traditionally the offices of architecture firms
have been composed in accordance with a strict
hierarchy which places creative directors at the
top, leading design, and subordinates below, who
are left simply to execute their demands.
Dougherty analysed organisational creativity
in terms of four dichotomies or tensions that
need to be balanced if an organisation is to be
creative.38
Pixar provides a model for formalising the
creative process. Pixar structured itself around
solving the problem of how to help smart,
ambitious people work effectively with one
another.39 Not merely to build a studio that made
hit films, but to foster a creative culture that
would continually ask questions.
Finally, ensuring that a companys culture
is translated across multiple generations of
employees and fortified for the future means that
values held dear will be continued. However, it is
unlikely that the culture of any one company will
remain stagnant. Instead, as new talent arrives,
and as the context changes, the cultural values
of the organisation will be actively questioned
and updated.40
19
20
 Reflections
The commonality between these three case
studies is a constant battle between competing
but necessarily complementaryforces of art and
commerce. I am careful not to draw too many
overarching conclusions from these specific
examples, as the culture of an office is innately
personal.
As such, generalised findings and conclusions
should be understood in the context of specific
situations. Overall principles can invariably be
drawn none the less. In addition, my own views
on the subject are biased to the brief experience
I have had in practice, and how I have perceived
that. Findings based on a one size fits all
approach are most likely too superficial.
Creativity is influenced by a myriad of factors,
from the micro, to the macro.
Leadership plays a pivitol role in establishing
a corporate culture reflective of the companys
values, and implementing it over a sustained
period of time.41 It sets the expectations in terms
of establishing a climate of trust and open
communication between employees, and can
allow creative ideas to be expressed fluently and
flexibly.
There are inevitably many complex dimensions
of a CKE as many of the successful techniques
are in direct opposition. Studies support my
own findings that whilst a harmonious social
atmosphere is pleasurable to employees, it
does not necessarily correlate with increased
creativity.42 A range of viewpoints are necessary
to foster a creative environment, and will
inevitably disagree and clash. This creative
tension is actually extremely productive.
Institutions engaged in the production
of knowledge must have an appropriate
organisational structure, in particular one that is
not overly constrained by traditional disciplines;
Organisational recruitment policies need to
ensure that teams recruit staff with the range of
disciplinary backgrounds to provide a suitably
heterogeneous mix of skills, perspectives and
professional contacts. The benefits gained
from a diverse, and well-rounded work force far
outweigh the negative aspects.
21
22
 Bibliography

T E X TS

Hemlin, S., Allwood, C. & Martin, B. (2006) Creative Knowledge Environments. Brighton: University of
Sussex.

Mann, L. & Chan, J. (2011) Creativity and Innovation in Business and Beyond. New York: Routledge.

Catmull, E. (2014) Creativity, Inc.. New York: Random House.

Cuff, D. (1992) Architecture: The Story of Practice. London: The MIT Press.

Almeida, G. (2007) The Effects of Cultural Diversity in the Workplace. Minneapolis: Capella

University.

Stanford, N. (2010). Corporate Culture: Getting It Right. London: Wiley.

Schein, E. (2009). The Corporate Culture Survival Guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Bryant, M. (2012). Physical Environments Conducive To Creativity and Collaboration Within the
Work Environment. Ohio: The Ohio State University.

Thompson, D. (2010). What Makes Pixar Pixar?. The Atlantic. [online]. Available at: http://www.
theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/06/what-makes-pixar-pixar/58366/ [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016].

Collins, J., Porras, J. (2005). Built to Last. London: Random House.

AD Interviews: Bjarke Ingels / BIG. (2014). [film] [online]. Available at: http://www.archdaily.
com/477737/ad-interviews-bjarke-ingels-big [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016]

Inside the Business of Design with Bjarke Ingels. (2013). [film] [online]. Available at: https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=otsmpjaeHXc [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016]

Brian Eno and Bjarke Ingels - On Instruments of Change. (2016). [film] [online]. Available at: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBG8t6jDWuA [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016]

23
 F O OT N OT ES

1. Sven Hemlin, Carl Allwood & Ben Martin, Creative Knowledge Environments (Brighton: University of Sussex,
2006), 1.

2. Hemlin, Allwood & Martin, Creative Knowledge Environments, 16.

3. Hemlin, Allwood & Martin, Creative Knowledge Environments, 12.

4. Inside the Business of Design with Bjarke Ingels. (2013). [film] [online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=otsmpjaeHXc [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016]

5. Ed Catmull. Creativity, Inc. (New York: Random House, 2014), 61.

6. Molly Bryant. Physical Environments Conducive To Creativity and Collaboration Within the
Work Environment (Ohio: The Ohio State University, 2012), 15.

7. Hemlin, Allwood & Martin, Creative Knowledge Environments, 5.

8. Leon Mann & Janet Chan, Creativity and Innovation in Business and Beyond (New York: Routledge, 2011), 2.

9. Mann & Chan, Creativity and Innovation in Business and Beyond, 2.

10. Mann & Chan, Creativity and Innovation in Business and Beyond, 4.

11. Hemlin, Allwood & Martin, Creative Knowledge Environments, 5.

12. Hemlin, Allwood & Martin, Creative Knowledge Environments, 3.

13. Catmull, Creativity, Inc., 163.

14. Catmull, Creativity, Inc., 79.

15. Catmull, Creativity, Inc., 9.

16. Gillian Almeida, The Effects of Cultural Diversity in the Workplace (Minneapolis: Capella University, 2007),

90.

17. Almeida, The Effects of Cultural Diversity in the Workplace, 90.

18. Inside the Business of Design with Bjarke Ingels. (2013). [film] [online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=otsmpjaeHXc [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016]

19. Jim Collins & Jerry Porras, Built to Last (London: Random House, 2005), 4.

20. Hemlin, Allwood & Martin, Creative Knowledge Environments, 16.

21. Naomi Stanford, Corporate Culture: Getting It Right (London: Wiley, 2010), 10.

22. AD Interviews: Bjarke Ingels / BIG. (2014). [film] [online]. Available at: http://www.archdaily.
com/477737/ad-interviews-bjarke-ingels-big [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016]

24
23. Mann & Chan, Creativity and Innovation in Business and Beyond, 2.

24. Catmull, Creativity, Inc., 55.

25. Catmull, Creativity, Inc., 86.

26. Mann & Chan, Creativity and Innovation in Business and Beyond, 5.

27. Catmull, Creativity, Inc., 143.

28. Bryant. Physical Environments Conducive To Creativity and Collaboration Within the
Work Environment, 6.

29. Bryant. Physical Environments Conducive To Creativity and Collaboration Within the
Work Environment, 12.

30. Catmull, Creativity, Inc., 5.

31. Bryant. Physical Environments Conducive To Creativity and Collaboration Within the
Work Environment, 15.

32. Mann & Chan, Creativity and Innovation in Business and Beyond, 2.

33. Catmull, Creativity, Inc., 142.

34. Hemlin, Allwood & Martin, Creative Knowledge Environments, 16.

35. Hemlin, Allwood & Martin, Creative Knowledge Environments, 16.

36. Hemlin, Allwood & Martin, Creative Knowledge Environments, 20.

37. Mann & Chan, Creativity and Innovation in Business and Beyond, 6.

38. Mann & Chan, Creativity and Innovation in Business and Beyond, 8.

39. Catmull, Creativity, Inc., 4.

40. Mann & Chan, Creativity and Innovation in Business and Beyond, 5.

41. Hemlin, Allwood & Martin, Creative Knowledge Environments, 10.

42. Hemlin, Allwood & Martin, Creative Knowledge Environments, 13.

F I G U R ES

18 Own Images

25