The Great Place to Work Institute recently held its annual conference, and I participated as a presenter and a representative of Kahler Slater, where we’re proud to be among the Best Companies to Work For eight years running. I also deeply resonated with a theme that emerged over the course of the conference: the critical connection between a purpose-driven culture and business success.

John Mackey, co-founder and co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, opened the conference with a captivating keynote. Mackey contended that companies with a “conscious culture” and “higher purpose” inspire employees to reach their greatest potential, as well as help support the fight against the current “purpose crisis” in America.

“Businesses in the 21st century need to shift focus from profitmaximization to purpose maximization,” argued Mackay. In fully aligning your organization’s strategies, systems, and structures around a higher purpose, he said, you will almost certainly realize business results—“making more money than you thought possible.”

Mackey spoke about Whole Foods’ purpose-driven business model, with its focus on “whole foods, whole people, whole planet,” and how this model empowers the company’s 62,000 employees and plays a huge role in the organization’s success. In one specific example, he talked about Whole Foods’ Total Health Immersion Program, an internal initiative whereby at-risk employees receive intensive health and wellness education geared toward sustaining positive lifestyle changes.

With great passion, Mackey underscored the power of purpose and values and a conscious culture: it energizes and engages employees, promotes creativity and innovation, and helps businesses achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.

Dr. John Noseworthy, president and CEO of Mayo Clinic, was another keynoter at the conference. Dr. Noseworthy spoke on “The Power of One” and, specifically, how the culture at Mayo Clinic helps employees recognize their individual role in achieving the organization’s purpose in providing “an unparalleled experience as the most trusted partner in health care.” In one story, Dr. Noseworthy described how a staff member, when asked what her job was by a visiting media crew, responded, “I save lives.” This particular employee, however, was not a doctor or researcher but, instead, a custodian. Such clarity of purpose, explained Dr. Noseworthy, helps all 56,000 employees at Mayo Clinic find meaning in their work and understand their true value to the organization.

In my presentation, my colleague Kelly Gaglione joined me to address the significance of storytelling in the workplace—leveraging, as numerous Best Companies already do, the physical work environment to connect employees with their organization’s purpose, values, history, and accomplishments. This strategy, while underutilized in many companies, serves to cultivate company pride, celebrate and recognize employees’ contributions, and reinforce the cultural narrative.

In linking storytelling to organizational purpose and values, Kelly and I spoke about the Happiness Framework presented in Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose (Business Plus, 2010), a book by Tony Hsieh, the visionary CEO at online retailer Zappos. Hsieh, a keynoter at last year’s conference, shows how connecting employees with values and meaning serves as one path to happiness. Today, he’s also building a consultancy,Delivering Happiness at Work, around the importance of a values-based culture in achieving both happiness and business success. Zappos’ renowned culture, remarkable growth, and robust financial performance stand testament to this philosophy and approach.

Throughout many other keynotes and breakout sessions, presenters depicted a variety of companies where employees are authentically aligned with their organization’s purpose and values and, accordingly, the business is thriving even in these tough economic times.

So, as a leader, what are you doing in this regard? Are you focusing on profits or purpose? Are you supporting employees in finding real meaning in their work? And, across your workplace, are you connecting people to your company’s unique story? On the heels of the Great Place to Work Conference, I challenge you to think about these questions … and take action.

This article was first posted at the Forbes Leadership Forum on Forbes.com on April 26, 2012.

In a provocative post at Forbes.com, contributor Steve Denning, a leadership and innovation expert, writes, “The Creative Economy is a huge opportunity that awaits us.”

Denning contends that the creative economy is “one in which the driving force is innovation.” His abundant ideas—a call to action to leaders in business and government—inspired me on many levels, similarly to Richard Florida’s classic book The Rise of the Creative Class (Basic Books, 2003).

My initial, gut response was to seek out a conversation locally, here in my home base of Milwaukee, with Christine Harris, former executive director ofCreative Alliance Milwaukee and, today, a key advisor to the organization, which covers the seven-county area that makes up the southeastern Wisconsin region.

The mission at Creative Alliance Milwaukee is “to drive economic prosperity as a catalytic hub, growing our creative industries by leveraging applied creativity in education, commerce, and culture.” To support this mission, the group, under Harris’s leadership, commissioned an independent, yearlong study called “Creativity Works!” The study, the first of its kind in the Midwest, was conducted by Mt. Auburn Associates, a widely respected Boston-based economic development consulting firm, and the findings were presented last year.

I sat down with Harris recently to discuss the economic significance of the region’s creative industries (presently defined as “those individuals and businesses whose products and services originate in aesthetic, artistic, or cultural content”) and what business leaders concerned about creativity and innovation could learn from the work of Creative Alliance Milwaukee. Here are highlights from that conversation:

Barbara Armstrong: Creative Alliance Milwaukee commissioned a comprehensive study on the economic impact of the region’s creative industries. What was your primary objective?

Christine Harris: In tough economic times, too many communities de-prioritize investments around creativity and culture, often perceiving them as “nice” but not “necessary.” We didn’t want that to happen in Milwaukee. So we set out to prove that our creative industries are an essential part of our region’s economic health. Additionally, we wanted to help secure the long-term attractiveness of the region and support business growth and competitiveness overall.

As part of our process, we measured the value of our creative industries according to customary economic assessments, including the number of workers across those industries and those workers’ respective wages. We were inspired by similar studies in states such as Colorado and Massachusetts, as well as in the European Union, where several successful strategies surrounding the creative economy are in place.

Barbara Armstrong: What were some of the key findings from the study, and what initial results have you seen from capitalizing on them?

Christine Harris: We learned that our region’s creative industries comprise a significant economic industry cluster, with strong penetration across all businesses and counties. Relative to total employment in the region, these industries represent 4.2 percent of the employee population, exceeding the national average of 3.7 percent. Additionally, our creative industries generate more than $2 billion in wages annually, a bona fide boon to the region’s economy.

On a grassroots level, we’ve been quite successful in establishing and facilitating a robust network of creative industry professionals, whereby we’re bridging the private and not-for-profit sectors, along with those working independently. These creative alliances are leading to unique new business opportunities and collaborations. A flooring manufacturer, for example, is now working with a local artist on a new, more artistically inspired product line. Their collaboration has led to a new business for the manufacturer and a new revenue stream for the artist.

Barbara Armstrong: What challenges have you experienced?

Christine Harris: There is currently no national definition for “creative industry” and, therein, has been our greatest challenge: to reach consensus on what really constitutes such an industry. Still, in terms of economic development, we have a seat at the table, and are working closely with the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to help generate a more competitive region.

Barbara Armstrong: What could all business leaders, regardless of the size or type of their organizations, learn from the work of Creative Alliance Milwaukee?

Christine Harris: A fundamental role of any leader is to create a business and work environment that attracts and retains innovative, creative talent. So whether your business is part of a traditional creative industry, such as a design firm or ad agency, or employs a small team of creative talent within another type of industry, you as a leader must be sensitive to the needs of your creative talent, including finding fresh new ways to build up their capacity for creativity and innovation on an ongoing basis.

In businesses where the primary products or services aren’t part of a so-called creative industry, holding on to the best and brightest creative talent may be even more challenging. For instance, a marketing manager or art director in a manufacturing company can easily feel more isolated and in real need of creative connectivity. By consistently providing creative connections, both inside and outside of the organization, the business stands a better chance of engaging and retaining their precious talent.

Conclusion

A recent global leadership study by IBM, a survey of more than 1,500 chief executive officers from 60 countries and 33 industries, points to the correlation between creative thinking and innovation. My personal belief is that the creative economy can, and will, grow and prosper, and regional organizations such as Creative Alliance Milwaukee will play a vital role. As leaders, we must work, individually and collectively, to foster creative connectivity within our companies and our communities to meet the challenges ahead.

“Innovation is what America has always been about,” proclaimed President Obama in his recent State of the Union address. To be sure, Creative Alliance Milwaukee and similar organizations nationwide support the creative spirit at the heart of innovation.

This article was first posted at the Forbes Leadership Forum on Forbes.com on April 3, 2012.

This is a guest post written by my colleague Glenn Roby, AIA, an associate principal and head of the Business Environments team at Kahler Slater, a global architecture and design enterprise. An award-winning architect, Glenn works with a variety of entrepreneurial organizations and Fortune 500 companies.

You can’t turn on a television, pick up a magazine, read a blog, or shop without being bombarded by design. Design is now part of the mainstream vocabulary, no longer owned by an elite few. Whether it is a fashion-inspired design show like Project Runway or one of the dozens of home improvement shows, it seems that Americans are obsessed with design. In fact, TVacres.com reports an incredible number of design shows on television today – more than 200! As an architectural designer, I have to admit that my first reaction was to lament the bombardment of design messages for fear that good design was going to be lost in the noise. That is when I realized we have yet to tap the potential of the popularity of design outside traditional consumer markets.

Businesses today know the power of good design and I see it applied differently every day. Design discussions are no longer simply reserved for the end product. Great design is found while developing new services and used to strengthen the culture of companies. These companies stand out, and as a designer I feed off their passion for design. Apple is the obvious example, but there are many more. Kohler Co. has elevated the design of toilets, faucets and bathroom products to a fine art. Their ad campaign is a brilliant mix of haute couture and innovative product design.

Apple and Kohler have created a culture that allows them to truly command design. But do not be intimidated; all businesses can leverage the current “design noise” to produce better results.  Here are a few tips on how to get started.

Start a company dialogue. Use the current design mania as a springboard to creating continuing, company-wide conversations about the power of design within the business. Tom Peters’ book Design is one smart starting point. A quick and easy read, it can help your employees connect the dots between good design and business success.

Demystify design. Even with all of the visibility of design these days, many in business are intimidated by it. The next step in helping anyone command design is to demystify it. One successful strategy is to consider design in terms of experiences. Consider that all things are experienced, and success is measured on the quality of the experience – you will begin to see the benefits of this macro perspective. Experiences are common to all of us and are a powerful way to get people to engage in the design process, whether it is for a new product or improving how you onboard new employees.

Create a vocabulary and process. Having a common vocabulary and process related to design is helpful so your employees have a tool when charged with creating something new or re-imagining a process at your company. At Kahler Slater, we utilize what we call the 5D process, which includes five simple steps: Discover, Dream, Define, Design and Deliver. This process gives us a better foundation to understanding the problem we are trying to solve.  We have taught our staff to use this approach on everything from the design of a new corporate office building to the re-design of our corporate strategic planning process.

Have fun with it. When putting together your next staff event or brainstorming activity, have a little fun with design and creative thinking. Consider a design show inspired competition to generate creative ideas to resolve a business problem.  Limit time, budget and resources throughout the competition and see what happens. We have used the game Scattergories to inspire a client group to name their conference rooms and Pictionary to get non-designers to stretch their creative muscle without words.  A little fun and design competition goes a long way to  result in ideas that never would have been generated with less creative instigation.

While you may not become the next Apple or Kohler overnight, leveraging the design awareness that permeates our society today and applying creative thinking to your next business challenge, will surely get you one step closer.

This article was first posted at the Forbes Leadership Forum on Forbes.com on March 1, 2012.

On Sunday, the New York Giants and New England Patriots will meet inIndianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI. By and large, the players’ talent and skills will drive the outcome of the game. Yet, by design, their “workplace” will also play an influential role.

Football stadiums and corporate workplaces have more in common than you might think. Today, both can reinforce culture, impact productivity, and foster feelings of connectedness. And if you know where to look, the similarities are easy to spot.

At design enterprise Kahler Slater, I specialize in integrating workplace design and culture as a competitive talent strategy. In contrast, my colleague and fellow principal, Jeffrey Piette, AIA, specializes in designing professional and college sports venues. We sat down together to compare notes.

Reinforcing culture

When leadership at Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, embarked on a $295 million redevelopment project in 2001, they made a relatively minute yet meaningful decision: to save three slabs of concrete from the team’s old field tunnel for the new tunnel and later commemorate them with a special plaque. Today, this not only reinforces the Packers’ rich tradition and history but also reminds current players of the greats who came before them, crossing that very concrete as they came on to the field.

That same sense of culture also permeates the classic seating bowl at Lambeau Field. For instance, metal bleachers, as opposed to today’s ubiquitous chair seats, mean that fans can sit closer to the field and, in true Green Bay spirit, also closer to one another—a cultural message that genuinely aligns with the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team in the United States.

Contrast Lambeau Field with Cowboys Stadium, the new $1.3 billion dollar home of the Dallas Cowboys. The largest NFL venue ever built, with the world’s second largest high-definition television screen, this is a sports venue that’s anything but modest. It also reinforces the Cowboys’ larger-than-life culture: “Don’t mess with Texas.”

In the workplace, the best companies also leverage their physical environments to reinforce their cultures. Our research, a study of the Best Companies to Work For in America, reveals how great workplaces utilize visual storytelling to express their values, evoke company pride, engage and recognize employees, and expand on the cultural narrative. Just like the field-tunnel concrete at Lambeau Field, your workplace can—and should—connect employees and visitors to your company’s history and culture.

Impacting productivity

Football fans can influence the outcome of a game with a simple tool: their voices. For instance, the volume at the Metrodome, home of the MinnesotaVikings, rises to uncomfortable levels—a strategy to distract the competition. However, this isn’t just about exuberant Viking fans; the dome at the Metrodome was intentionally designed to reverberate sound back down to the field.

Noise in the workplace also impacts productivity. Studies show that employees whose work is interrupted make 50 percent more mistakes and take twice as long as to finish it. Yet there are numerous design solutions for dealing with workplace noise. Counter to the strategy employed at the Metrodome, many designers concentrate on materials that absorb, not accentuate, sound. Another solution involves designing workplace circulation paths to create focus zones and collaboration zones.

Thermal conditions can also impact productivity. In football, freezing temperatures affect how players perform. They also serve as an advantage for teams accustomed to practicing and playing in the cold. (Ask any football history buff about the immortalized Ice Bowl.)

In the workplace, consider how thermal conditions help or hinder productivity. According to the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), temperature is the number-one source of employee complaints. Many workers say they are too hot or too cold, sometimes on the same day in the same location. Although solutions exist, they’re costly to implement and, with few real metrics available, leaders can’t easily measure the ROI.

Fostering connectedness

Even in the largest sports venues, the individual fan experience is a crucial design consideration. Today’s fans, in particular, express a desire to feel connected to their friends, family, and fellow fans, not just to what’s happening on the field. This sense of camaraderie and connectedness is an important part of their total game-day experience.

Similarly, in workplaces today, designers must consider the 21st century work experience. Workplaces, like football stadiums, now leverage technology to create social hubs where both heads-down work and employee connections happen simultaneously. In your own work environment, the smartest solutions lie within understanding your culture, your workforce, and the way work really gets done.

So this Super Bowl Sunday, don’t just watch the game—look for the design lessons, too. And on a strictly personal note, go…!

This article was first posted at the Forbes Leadership Forum on Forbes.com on February 2, 2012.

Image by ©iStockphoto.com/malerapaso

It’s only mid-January, but for most of us the holidays are already a distant memory.

Still, as I look back at my holiday gifts, both given and received, I can’t help but reflect on how design influenced my choices (on what to give others and what to keep from among my own gifts) and how those insights might be helpful to you, particularly as you design or redesign products or services in the New Year.

My criteria for great design are pretty straightforward and, in essence, center on three considerations: simplicity, purpose, and beauty.

When considering simplicity, I focus on the product, the process, and the package. Is the design of the product or service clean and user-friendly? Is the purchasing process easy? And can the package be opened without risking life or limb?

While holiday shopping at Amazon and Zappos, my answer to each one of those questions was a resounding “Yes.” The products were excellent and plenty diverse. The shopping process was easy (and even fun). And I didn’t need superhuman strength or a PhD to open a single package. From start to finish, my experience was simply wonderful—and wonderfully simple.

Could your customers say the same thing about their interactions with your business? Is your website inviting and accessible? Do your products, processes, and packaging make people smile—or scream? And how do you rate in simplicity overall? Take stock now and commit to continuous improvement.

As a designer, I’m nothing if not practical. Hence, purpose is very important to me. Who needs more stuff, let alone more useless stuff, anyway? At the holidays, for example, I want to give and receive things that enhance life, not take away from it.

Entire industries have been born in response to purposeful design. For instance, think about OXO, a company “dedicated to providing innovative solutions that ease everyday tasks.”

OXO began with a simple question: Why do ordinary kitchen tools hurt your hands? The man who asked that question was Sam Farber, an entrepreneur in the housewares industry. Noticing that his wife Betsey was having difficulty gripping ordinary kitchen tools due to arthritis in her hands, he saw an opportunity to create more comfortable cooking tools that would benefit all users.

Today, with more than 850 products covering many areas of the home, OXO is recognized globally by an array of prestigious institutions, including Harvard Business School and the Royal College of Art, as an example of how a purposeful, well-executed design philosophy not only creates products that are beneficial to end users but is also a sensible business model.

Ask yourself if your company’s products or services have meaning and purpose. Do they enhance customers’ lives? And do they make a difference, however big or small, in the world? These are worthy discussions to have in your business.

Arguably, beauty is fundamental to design. There are also many aspects to beauty; it can be a place, an object, or even an experience. And while Merriam-Webster defines beauty as “the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit,” beauty is also immensely personal and subjective.

Artists make a living creating beauty, and one of my personal favorites is award-winning artist and dollmaker Gretchen Lima. In Lima’s work, I see the inspired beauty of form, texture, and color, and experience joy and delight. Her artistry is a beautiful gift—one I personally love to give and receive.

As a business leader, you may not consider your work in the same terms as you consider the work of a fine artist such as Lima. Yet, there are numerous opportunities for you to think about, and act on, beauty in your role as leader.

So ask yourself: How artful are my choices to enhance my company’s workplace? In what ways can I “pleasurably exalt the mind or spirit” of my employees and customers? And how might I inspire and support beauty in the world around me?

As I begin 2012, I vow to remember my holiday gifts and, in doing so, recommit to promoting great design: simplicity, purpose, and beauty. How about you?