Are bosses not letting employees be creative?

Looks like managers and young staff don't see eye to eye when it comes to creativity in the workplace.

According to ALTANA's Industry Innovation Index 2015, 34% of junior employees believe having scope for initiative is key to maintaining innovation in the office.

Only 5% of their bosses, however, agree with their views.

The report polled 50 top decision-makers and 250 entry-level employees with between one and five years career experience in German industrial enterprises.

It added 14% of young professionals consider a good working atmosphere to be the second most important factor for innovation.

However, only 2% of experienced managers concurred.

"The managers are more focused on the big picture, as they should be," said ALTANA CEO Dr. Matthias L. Wolfgruber.

"But when it comes to framing concrete actions to promote innovative strength, they should be open to employees' concrete suggestions."

Overall, the managers' answers to the open question as to the most important innovation drivers are much more varied and less concrete, the report stated.

The factors they cited most often included creating and living an innovation culture, greater motivation or involvement of employees and the right human resources policy and selection.

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