22 Jan The Science Behind Using Art for Employee Training
It is estimated that businesses spend a significant amount of their annual budget on recruiting the right staff members. However, most of these companies do not put the same effort into upskilling staff and building team skills.
The reasons for this could be countless, yet, employee training is still an essential investment for any company wanting to stay relevant and competitive. But forget inviting communication experts or motivational speakers to your office for a moment – and start considering how art can be used to develop your employees.
Yes, you read that correctly – art!
Using Art to Develop Employee Skills
There are different ways that art can be introduced into employer training. Teams or departments can make a large piece of art together to simultaneously develop communication, leadership, critical thinking, innovation and many other attributes. Alternatively, workers may create their own artworks in a group setting to discuss or help others by providing ideas and creative suggestions to one another.
The Method Behind the Madness
The research to back claims that art can develop the aforementioned skills, especially teamwork, has already been concluded. A literature review on the effects of art on healthcare professionals’ teamwork skills was published with interesting results.
The results suggest that the use of art made these medical professionals more aware of the need for good team skills, and they reported an improvement of these skills after participating in creative projects. The improvements in health professionals’ skills goes some way to proving that art can also be beneficial in disciplines far removed from creative industries.
However, the exact science behind art developing workplace skills is not fully understood. It has been proposed that some skills can be better developed without pressure or risk.
For example, working on a piece of art allows workers to improve these skills without worrying that they will mess up an important task. Unlike a presentation or a business report that comes with pressure to succeed, a new piece of paper or canvas is easily obtained when working together on art.
Additionally, the art does not have to meet restricted criteria and workers enjoy more freedom to work together.
Other Uses for Art in the Workplace
As well as adding art to your staff training, you may also want to add it to office spaces. Research in the UK and USA has found that most workers are dissatisfied with a lack of office art or the choice of office art surrounding their desk.
Businesses often see these additions as an inconvenience and do not realise that office art can actually improve creativity, problem solving skills and even job satisfaction. Next time you plan to redecorate the office, consider asking your employee’s preferences and thoughts. By including them in the process, you may end up with a more productive workforce.
Where to Find a Corporate Training Provider Using Art
If you want to be an innovator on the business battlefield and the training room, why not consider a training supplier that uses art to get results?
Bond83 is exactly that and has partnered with leading businesses to deliver exceptional staff training centred around art and creativity. The return on investment can be significant with improvements to staff skills, productivity and overall efficiency.
For information on our artistic team building sessions or pop-up art visits, speak with a member of the Bond83 team, today!