How can you encourage creative thinking in the workplace?

1 Challenge assumptions

One of the barriers to creative thinking is relying on existing assumptions, beliefs, or habits that limit your options and perspectives. To break free from these constraints, you need to challenge them and ask yourself and your team questions like: Why do we do things this way? What if we did the opposite? What are the alternatives? What are the pros and cons of each option? Challenging assumptions can help you identify new possibilities, uncover hidden opportunities, and avoid biases and errors.

2 Seek inspiration

Another way to stimulate creative thinking is to seek inspiration from different sources, such as other industries, disciplines, cultures, or domains. You can do this by reading, watching, listening, or experiencing something new, different, or unexpected. You can also talk to people who have different backgrounds, experiences, or opinions than you and learn from their perspectives. Seeking inspiration can help you expand your knowledge, spark your curiosity, and generate new ideas.

3 Experiment and iterate

Creative thinking is not a one-time event, but a process that involves trying out different ideas, testing them, getting feedback, and improving them. To encourage creative thinking, you need to create a safe and supportive environment where you and your team can experiment and iterate without fear of failure, criticism, or judgment. You also need to set clear goals, expectations, and criteria for evaluating your ideas and learning from your mistakes. Experimenting and iterating can help you refine your ideas, discover new insights, and create better solutions.

4 Collaborate and diversify

Creative thinking is not a solo activity, but a collective one that benefits from the input, feedback, and collaboration of others. To encourage creative thinking, you need to involve your team and other stakeholders in the process of generating, developing, and implementing your ideas. You also need to diversify your team and seek out people who have different skills, perspectives, or backgrounds than you and who can complement and challenge your thinking. Collaborating and diversifying can help you leverage the collective intelligence, creativity, and diversity of your team and create more innovative outcomes.

5 Reward and recognize

Creative thinking is not only a skill, but also a mindset and a habit that needs to be nurtured and reinforced. To encourage creative thinking, you need to reward and recognize yourself and your team for your efforts, achievements, and contributions. You also need to celebrate your successes and failures, as they are both opportunities for learning and growth. Rewarding and recognizing can help you motivate, appreciate, and inspire yourself and your team and foster a culture of creativity in the workplace.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?