Most of us are on social media, and they play an active part in both our personal and professional lives.  When social media first emerged, there were widespread concerns about its impact on productivity, but while those concerns have largely dissipated, there is still discussion about the best way to utilize social media for professional success.

A recent study from INSEAD suggests that innovative uses of social media are strongly correlated with creativity in our professional lives.  The researchers quizzed a team of engineers from a multinational IT company, all of whom used a combination of internal social networks, such as Yammer, and external ones, such as LinkedIn and Twitter.

Each participant was asked to complete a questionnaire detailing how they used these technologies to both forge new connections and maintain existing ones.  Their creativity was also measured using an 11-item scale assessing things such as problem identification and idea generation.  Their creativity was also gauged via interviews with their managers.

Boosting creativity

A number of findings emerged from the data.  Firstly, engineers who frequently played with new technology were also regarded as more creative, with the researchers attributing around 18% of their creativity to their online social connectivity.

The most innovative engineers tended to use social media to connect with other engineers, and especially to those they weren’t previously connected to.  This practice was believed to be responsible for around 21% of the creativity of the engineer.

It seems to be a point that scarcely needs making, but in an age where companies still often place restrictions on the use of social media at work, the finding that it can boost our creativity is perhaps one that still warrants repeating.

From an individual perspective, it’s a timely reminder of the value inherent in using online social networks to foster new relationships, whether it’s with new colleagues, employees at partner organizations or even fellow professionals in our industry.

It’s also perhaps worth managers keeping an eye out for employees who embrace such behaviors, as you may be yielding a significant creativity dividend as a result.