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Failure to do so not only means your firm will fail to benefit from innovation, but flow of ideas may well dry up if staff feel the process is pointless. Provide the time and resources to develop and implement those ideas worth acting upon. Creative thinking is only worthwhile if it results in action. You could even demonstrate your recognition that not all ideas work out by rewarding those who just have a rich flow of suggestions, regardless of whether they are put into action at work.Īct on ideas. Motivate individuals or teams who come up with winning ideas by actively recognizing creativity, for example through an awards scheme. Never put off the creative flow by penalizing those whose ideas don’t work out. Allow people to learn from their mistakes. A certain amount of risk-taking is inevitable with creative thinking. Give even the most apparently outlandish of ideas a chance to be aired. Respond enthusiastically to all ideas and never make someone offering an idea, however hopeless, feel foolish. Ask people whether they have considered alternative ways of working and what might be achieved by doing things differently.īe supportive. Encourage employees to keep looking anew at the way they approach their work. Encourage people to look at how other businesses do things, even those in other sectors, and consider how they can be adapted or improved.Ĭhallenge the way staff work. Short-term job swaps and shadowing in-house can introduce a fresh perspective to roles. Broadening people’s experiences can be a great way to spark ideas. You may find training sessions in formal techniques such as brainstorming, lateral thinking and mind-mapping worthwhile.Ĭross-fertilize. Your staff may be able to bounce an idea around, but be unfamiliar with the skills involved in creative problem-solving. Place suggestion boxes around the workplace, appeal for new ideas to solve particular problems and, quite literally, keep your door open to new ideas. You should also give individuals the space to reflect privately on their work if you think they need it.Īctively solicit ideas. Individuals within the team can feed off each other – exploring, testing and refining ideas. A team involved in a brainstorming session is likely to be more effective than the sum of its parts. For example, set aside time for brainstorming, hold regular group workshops and arrange team days out. Unless they understand how innovating your business processes can keep your firm competitive, your efforts at encouraging creative thinking risk falling flat. Ensure all your staff know that you want to hear their ideas. The Marketing Donut listed 10 ways to encourage creative thinking in the workplace.
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Motivating creativity is important to the productivity and cohesiveness in a company.