In today’s competitive market, businesses must embrace creativity to stand out. Creative ideas inspire teams, engage customers, and drive product innovation, yet not every workplace fosters this mindset. A partnership between Canva and Harvard Business Review Analytic Services surveyed over 500 global business leaders. The findings revealed that while 96% believe creative ideas are key for long-term success, few businesses effectively turn these ideas into impactful actions.

Workplaces often fall short in nurturing creativity. Although 91% of respondents value creative thinking, many don’t reward it. Over half of laggards reported that their culture doesn’t encourage creative pursuits, while 41% of leaders support creative risks and out-of-the-box thinking. Nearly all respondents agreed that creative leaders boost team creativity, yet 72% of laggards felt their leaders weren’t engaged enough to support it.

Organizations are increasingly using Canva to foster creativity and collaboration. Nearly 95% of the Fortune 500 now use Canva for visual communication. Investment in creative tools or technology is seen as beneficial by 94% of respondents, with 87% expecting financial investment in these tools to remain steady or increase.

Collaboration drives creativity by introducing new ideas and perspectives. Leaders are more likely than laggards to promote cross-functional collaboration and diverse thinking. Digital tools like Canva Whiteboards facilitate creative collaboration, making it easy to organize and share ideas.

Generative AI is also seen as a significant tool for boosting creativity. Leaders believe AI can automate repetitive tasks, speed up idea generation, and create content with minimal human input. Canva’s Magic Studio offers AI tools for various creative processes, helping teams save time and focus on more intensive creative work.

Rebecca Janes, Global Brand Creative Designer at FedEx, highlighted the benefits of using Canva for efficiency and strategic initiatives. Similarly, Expedia’s social media teams use Canva’s AI tools to handle tasks like resizing and expanding images, freeing up time for more creative work.

Canva is focused on empowering organizations to design and think creatively. Their Visual Suite and Magic Studio enable real-time collaboration and visual communication, demonstrating the impact of investing in creativity on business success.

Image: Canva