What are some ways to promote a culture of innovation and creativity in a disrupted market?

Ask questions like "What are we missing?" "What are we taking for granted?" "What are we assuming that might not be true?" and "What are the alternatives?" to inspire people to think and evaluate more deeply. This strategy helps identify and challenge underlying assumptions that individuals often overlook yet that constrain their thinking and exploration. Questioning these assumptions helps people and teams identify blind spots, prejudices, and be more open to new ideas and answers. Because it challenges people to think beyond the box, it fosters innovation. Looking at problems from multiple angles and exploring other choices can lead to new answers you wouldn't have found otherwise.

Definitely starting to create a safe space where people can come up with crazy, extravagant ideas without fearing judgment. Emphasizing that it's okay to fail, and accepting that this space is our playground, which promotes continuous learning.

To cultivate creativity in markets that have been disrupted, establish a "Idea Accelerator" program in which employees propose and cultivate ideas with the guidance of mentors and access to resources. Organize interdisciplinary "Innovation Challenges" to creatively address market issues. Honor and acknowledge bold and innovative endeavors with a "Brave Idea" recognition program, which rewards intelligent and daring initiatives. This strategy integrates innovation into the fundamental structure of the organization, establishing agility and resilience as essential aspects of its character, enabling it to effectively navigate and take charge in challenging circumstances.

The most important thing to do is to create an environment where creativity can thrive. In order to do this people should feel psychologically secure and unafraid to challenge or speak up. As an organisation you also need to embrace failure and experimentation. Last but not least, don't see failed experiments as a waste of time. They are only a waste of time if nobody learns anything from them.

Market chaos? Fuel innovation with empathy! Step into customers' shoes - understand their struggles. Value diverse perspectives - unexpected solutions spark from different views. Create a safe space for ideas - no fear of judgment for trying. Celebrate "failures" - learn, experiment, & take risks! Reward creative thinking - it drives progress, even if not instant success. Empathy builds a culture where everyone contributes, leading to breakthroughs in disruptive times!

One of the most significant threats to company culture is the assumption by senior management that they always know best. In my previous role, I took the initiative to enhance our company's brand reputation among young people. It turned out that while we were putting a lot of effort into winning over the older generations, we missed the boat with the younger demographic, resulting in a poor reputation among them. Following this research, we established a diversity group focused specifically on young people and led by a diverse team. The change was nothing short of amazing. It shows that bringing in fresh perspectives can make all the difference. And we couldn't have done it without embracing the power of diversity.

Work with a team that isn't entrenched in your niche, ideally bring in perspectives of people who don't work within advertising too. Fresh perspectives come from unexpected connections - worse thing you can do is just copy paste what's been done before.

In my firm belief, fostering innovation and creativity in a disrupted market isn't just about encouraging diversity; it's about ensuring it. Diversity, in all its forms—backgrounds, experiences, skills, opinions, and styles—is non-negotiable for enriching creativity and driving innovation. It's the antidote to groupthink, introducing a spectrum of viewpoints, insights, and methodologies that can redefine possibilities. My approach demands establishing a culture of inclusion, respect, and open feedback, where every team member is not just included but feels genuinely valued and heard. This is the cornerstone of not just promoting but guaranteeing a thriving environment of innovation.

If you need it: how many personas do you talk to every day? How many customers do you have, and how different are they from one another? This is why differences among team members are fundamental. Heterogeneous values, divergent thoughts, and vastly different life experiences bring incredible value to complex strategies. It's up to leaders to unite them without flattening them, bringing them together to amplify their effect.

From my standpoint, motivation dwindles without the means to reach goals. As a leader, it's my responsibility to equip my team with the necessary resources, tools, and environment to meet challenges head-on. This involves not just allocating budgets for innovation projects but also ensuring autonomy and flexibility in schedules. Providing cutting-edge tools and comprehensive training is crucial, as is creating spaces—physical or virtual—designed for collaboration and experimentation. My role is to empower the teams, making sure they have everything they need to innovate and succeed.

In a culture where risk-taking is often avoided, especially in France, I strive to shift this mindset in my agency. Recognizing that people naturally shy away from risks, I lead by example, demonstrating the value of learning from failures and experiments. My approach involves one-on-one conversations to reinforce this, emphasizing that innovation isn't just about successes but about the journey and lessons learned along the way.

I urge my teams not to just follow best practices, but to be the ones who define them. By learning from others, we're not just copying, but gathering insights to forge our own path. This mindset is at the heart of risk-taking: to be pioneers, not followers. I promote looking outward to inspire innovation within, encouraging my team to transform observations into groundbreaking, original practices.

Create a bi-weekly case study meet-up where everyone is asked to bring one successful and one failed case study, each with at least two key insights. It aims to foster a deep understanding of the factors behind our successes and failures, its internal growth hack, and powering our collective progress.