What do you do if your business team is resistant to embracing creativity?

Resistance to creativity can be due to fear of failure, lack of confidence in their creative skills, or comfort with routine tasks. Possible approaches to handle such challenges can be: 1. Initiate one-on-one discussions with team members to listen to their concerns and perspectives. 2. Look for recurring themes or patterns in the feedback one receives from team members. 3. Identifying common concerns can help address overarching issues more effectively. 4. Offer resources, training, and support to help team members build confidence in their creative abilities. 5. Celebrate success 6. Provide clarity in goals and expectations

Let's face it, people tend to be skeptical when new initiative is introduced. To relieve their concerns, here are some suggestions to help you: 1) Communicate with the team about the purpose. Team members need to know the purpose and importance of embracing creativity, especially if this is a new effort that company is promoting it. 2) Assessing the team's strength and environment. Before introducing creativity initiative, first assess whether the team has the capacity to do so. Some organisations are process- and compliance-driven. Hence, you may not have the environment or the need for it. 3) Lead by example in Step #2. Monkey see, monkey do. Team will follow once they BELIEVE that the leaders are serious about it.

Following steps should help in Overcoming Resistance to Creativity: Understand the reasons: Talk to team members to identify concerns and challenges. Address concerns: Create a safe environment, emphasize learning from failure, and provide training. Lead by example: Be a creative role model and reward creative thinking. Foster collaboration: Encourage teamwork and cross-functional idea generation. Set creativity goals: Establish specific goals and track progress. Additional Tips: Start with low-risk projects. Use brainstorming techniques. Encourage breaks for creative thinking. Celebrate successes and failures. Building a creative team takes time and effort. Be patient, address concerns, and provide support to unlock creativity.

I always tell my friends this: The only way to make change happen is when you lead by example. I personally love to leave by example in any business relationship where I see the need to influence people. That’s why it is important to lead by example whenever you need people in your team to embrace creativity.

If you want to be a leader, you need to lead by example. 1. Showing the way of how you do your work and let others follow. 2. Create a safe space for people to make mistakes and learn from it. 3. Practice open communication and giving supportive feedback. This will ultimately help to improve workflows and your juniors will respect you more as a leader.

Combat creativity resistance with collaboration magic. Mix up your team dynamics—pair the unlikely allies for brainstorming, or swap roles in problem-solving sessions. Throw in unexpected team-building activities where ideas flow freely. It’s about crafting a space where every voice, no matter how unconventional, can shape the next big thing.

Is resistance to creativity rooted in resource scarcity? Flip the script. Offer your team not just tools, but unconventional avenues for inspiration. Think outside the traditional—maybe it’s a virtual reality brainstorm session or an AI-driven creativity workshop. Show your team that support for innovation knows no bounds.

Shine a spotlight on creativity, even when it leads to unexpected places. Introduce offbeat rewards—a ‘Most Outlandish Idea’ trophy, or a day off to explore creative passions. Celebrating the wild, the wacky, and the wonderful not only bolsters morale but signals that creative risks are not just welcome, they’re celebrated.