Pixar has a unique track record in terms of breakthroughs. In the 90s, Pixar was leading in terms of computer animation. In 1995, they were the first to release a computer-animated feature film in the world called ‘Toy Story’. Within another decade, they had released several more popular films that became blockbusters, including ‘A Bug’s Life’, ‘Toy Story 2’, ‘Monsters, Inc.’, and ‘Finding Nemo’.

What makes Pixar’s work so successful, though? According to Pixar animation pioneer Ed Catmull, it has nothing to do with luck; but more with the practices and principles that they have in place for their talents. At Pixar, they build a real community with lasting relationships and shared beliefs. Here are some of Catmull’s important insights on creating a creative workplace culture.

Share unfinished work

Catmull shares that the people at Pixar share their unfinished animation work with everyone else daily. This helps the team overcome any embarrassment they might feel about their unfinished work and, in turn, helps them become more creative.

By sharing unfinished work with the rest of the team, people can receive genuine feedback and get their creative juices flowing even more. Getting feedback will eventually be so normalised that people won’t feel attacked or down when their ideas aren’t well-received. They will feel safe and encouraged to become more creative in the workplace.

Allow people to approach anybody else for help

At Pixar, regardless of what department they might be in, people are encouraged to approach others to help them with their problems. Even if they need help from another department, they can approach these people directly without going through other channels to ask for permission first.

See, if everything at works has to go through a strict process or involves a certain hierarchy, the organisation will be viewed as more important than the actual work. If you allow people in the workplace to take the initiative, get rid of obstacles, and find solutions together, regardless of hierarchy; you will most likely get a more productive outcome. Conversely, if people are too scared to step out of line or feel like they need permission before moving into the workplace, their creative process will most likely diminish early on. Work will also proceed much slower, in general.

Build up your teams

Building strong relationships and partnerships are important in any workplace. You should all be able to work together despite any constraints that come your way. Pixar has small teams within the workplace that work together to convince the higher-ups of how well a film might do. If they can establish executive confidence, they can get the movie funded and then grow their team.

While the people at Pixar may strive for the utmost creativity, they aren’t given free creativity. After all, they know that the film they are creating needs to make money. This is what real creativity thrives on. If a team has a mission and is empowered, they will feel a sense of freedom. Despite any project constraints, the tension will unlock their creativity if you build them upright.

In other words, you should never be too hard on your team. When somebody gets into trouble, you need to make it a point not to make them feel bad or undermine them. Instead, build a good team environment where they feel like they have a voice and their opinion matters.

If you are aiming to create a creative workplace culture, you should hire creative people and build a good environment and dynamic that encourages their creativity. Allow them to take risks and voice out their opinions. Instead of looking for geniuses from the get-go, look for people who can work well with others instead.

The article was written by Soon Koon.