Fostering Creativity in a Tech-Centric World
Introduction
What do you emphasize at work — creativity or productivity? If your answer is the latter, take a minute and reconsider. While productivity is important, it can only ensure short-term benefits. In the long run, it is key to foster a culture of creative thinking.
As workplaces and industries are constantly changing, creative thinking is essential for any company to adapt to new technologies and market trends. Plus, AI is on the rise and is replacing human action in various tasks. At such a juncture, creative thinking is all the more crucial for people to stay competitive and apply new, emerging tech solutions in different situations.?
In fact, in a recent Amazon survey involving 6,500 employees and 2,000 employers, critical thinking/problem solving and creative thinking emerged as the most important skills required to use AI tools in 2028.
To promote a culture of creative thinking, leaders must be intentional about encouraging teams to explore their creative sides while examining critical issues. This blog will go over a few important steps a leader, and a company, can take to foster creativity in the workplace.
Lead your team into the playground
Encourage collaborative creativity
Regardless of whether you work in a traditionally creative field or not, creativity is an indispensable problem-solving skill in any workplace.?
To encourage creativity, conduct regular brainstorming sessions. But first, make sure you create a safe environment, one where people from different backgrounds can share their perspectives, collaborate, and work with each other.?
Offer guidance
Guide your team with vision, clarity, and focus. Identify the problem you are trying to solve and consider using frameworks like design thinking, allowing employees to devise creative solutions.
Let your employees falter - mistakes are an important learning experience - and do not punish errors. Innovation always involves risk-taking, and not all risks pay off. However, leaders should use a gentle, encouraging communication style that acknowledges and appreciates when your employees take initiative and help them bounce back.?
My experience
A few years ago, when I was leading a team of Go-to-Market leaders, we had an opportunity to create a program that brings partners together and share their ideas. I had assigned one of my team members to work on the project. Soon, I realized she was stalling. Not because she lacked motivation or was slacking off, but because she was unclear about how to get started.?
So, we blocked off an afternoon to brainstorm, during which we ensured we were on the same page and created an actionable plan to kickstart the project. The project ended up being recognized as best practices globally and her efforts received compliments and accolades!
领英推荐
Innovation-friendly environment
Optimize your workspace
Physical surroundings greatly impact creativity and innovation. So, in order to foster creativity, you must create a workspace that inspires and motivates your employees. Find ways to optimize your company’s internal structure and policy to make room for innovation. In case your team is remote, make sure all employees have adequate hardware and technical support to comfortably work from home.
Further, if you want to consistently encourage creative thinking, try and avoid high levels of time pressure. Deadlines are inevitable, but identifying ways to make your workflows more efficient and reduce bureaucratic work with the help of technology leaves space for employees to engage in creative work.
Set realistic goals
Goals should be challenging but achievable, and your employees should have enough time to complete the tasks and add some novelty.?
You can help them achieve goals by providing regular feedback and enabling them to pursue new, creative ideas instead of completing tasks just for the sake of it. You can also incorporate a reward system to honor employees who came up with unique solutions that worked and encourage others to follow their footsteps.
My experience?
Creativity often comes hand in hand with positive engagement and having a structure in place that allows for such engagement. A great example of this is my current team.?
I work remotely, and so do my regional colleagues. Despite not having fixed offices, we compulsorily make time to engage with each other on a regular basis. This helps us align our goals, deliverables, and expected outcomes.?
Have the right people
Finally, hiring the right people is essential for a creative workplace. A diverse and inclusive team welcomes different perspectives and ideas. As people come from different backgrounds and have varying experiences, promoting empathy and trust within the team becomes the norm.?
Keep in mind that hiring a diverse team is not enough. Promote continuous learning and skill development, offer training programmes and mentorship opportunities, and help employees stay up to date with latest trends and technologies. This helps them get better at work, stay motivated and engaged, and come up with practical and creative ideas.
Conclusion
Fostering creativity at work is essential for the long-term success and adaptability of any company. The key to a creative workplace is an open leadership style and company policies that encourage creativity while developing a culture of innovation. Moreover, prioritizing diversity and inclusion, having the right people onboard, and providing them with continuous learning opportunities further enhances creative thinking within the organization.
Sources