The Value of Opening Creative Spaces to All
Is your business embracing the ‘Fab Lab’/ ‘Hacker Space’ trend and excited to see the uptake and output it will bring? Here are four principles adidas is living through its new creative space.
Developing an environment where creativity is king has been a priority at adidas over the last couple of years. This shift first became apparent at our HQ in Germany with the birth of the MyArena workplace concept, but it didn’t stop there, in fact we’ve just taken it to the next level with something we’re calling ‘MakerLab’.
1. What it’s not…
The desirability of our products has – and always will be – designed and created by a dedicated team of seasoned professionals who know exactly what hits the spot. Let me be absolutely clear: This will definitely not change. The MakerLab network isn’t about seasonal creation cycles. We’re not specifically looking to get the stuff that’s created in the MakerLabs onto next season’s catwalk.
2. What will it bring to our company?
If an employee has an idea, they’ll be able to take it to the MakerLab, where a team will be on hand to help craft and tame the skills needed to spit it out into something resembling a prototype. If an idea has legs, the team will help to bring it to life and if it doesn’t then it’s ok… As the saying goes, “it’s better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all.”
The good news is that if an idea is really cool, there will be mechanisms put into place to share it with the relevant business unit to see if we can get it onto the shop floor. This gives our company a source of fresh ideas. A new, previously untapped pool of talent.
3. Opening up creativity to all… and we mean all
Another notable element is that the MakerLab is open to all: You work in Finance? IT? HR? Brand Design? Catering? It really doesn’t matter which department you’re in, there is the freedom to play and create as an equal.
The MakerLab is equipped with everything from sewing machines, 3D printers, laser cutters and all the material you could possibly imagine to shape ideas into physical form.
It doesn’t stop there, either. There’s also a train of thought that says enabling a more creative environment leads to greater creativity when it comes to actual work almost as if unlocking the brain.
4. The future
Where the concept will head in the future and what sort of impact it will have are still very much unknown, but one thing’s for sure: adidas Group employees at HQ now have the chance to really get their hands dirty and create something new.
Does your workplace offer something similar? We’d love to hear the expectations and what impact it had on employee engagement.
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