How to Promote a Team’s Creativity

In today’s competitive landscape, creativity is a driving force that can help a company experience rapid growth. Creative employees are usually more productive and help in the development of the company. To improve corporate performance from the employee level, companies have been looking for new ways to motivate employees to become more creative and innovative in their work. It is important to test several strategies that encourage creativity in determining which is best for your business. Read more: Creative Problem Solving for Easier Everyday Life.

There are many ways to promote creativity in the workplace:

Realize employee diversity

Creativity will have a greater chance to thrive in a multifaceted team. Employees with creative ideas, different experiences, qualifications, and personalities are some of the main ways to promote a creative work atmosphere. Although a like-minded team that easily agrees on issues in the workplace is cohesive in many ways, it leaves little room for constructively diverse thoughts and the generation of ideas. Employees who have too many similarities in education and experience can often come up with ideas that start to recur over time. Therefore, the company should hire employees from different backgrounds. A diverse team tends to disagree on many aspects of the job, such as strategies to solve problems in the workplace. Therefore, the role of personnel management is important here, which will use disagreements to illuminate diverse ideas and different perspectives.

Create a positive work environment

Too serious a work environment creates an atmosphere of tension – an environment that is at odds with creativity. An interesting environment, on the other hand, usually inspires employees to think creatively. The positive mood created by the fun atmosphere encourages employees to think more. Various companies have used this fact to make their workplaces more enjoyable for their teams. For example, Google has introduced a 20 percent policy that requires employees to devote 20 percent of their time to personal projects that encourage creativity. Researchers suggest unconventional ways to promote a positive work environment, such as playing light music in the office and even introducing pets to create a relaxing mood. Read more: How to Create a Positive Work Atmosphere.

Delegate responsibilities

Micro-management, as opposed to delegating responsibilities, is the enemy of innovation and creativity in the workplace. Delegating responsibilities among employees encourage their active thinking, in contrast to cases where employees are in micro-management, limiting their thoughts and limiting themselves to instructions issued by management. Of course, employees should not be left completely without management, but it would be worth giving enough space for small decisions with a sense of responsibility.

Encourage employees to take risks

Cultivate a work culture that is not afraid to take risks. For the most part, employees do not offer new solutions or ideas because there is a fear of making mistakes. Employees should be given support and indications that they may not be able to implement the new idea successfully.

Reward creativity

Nothing inspires employees to become creative than rewarding their creativity. Now, 59% of companies integrate employee reward system into their talent development strategies. Rewarding employees motivates them to maintain a certain level of course and activity. Awards also set the standard that employees should strive for. To increase employees’ motivation to work creatively, remuneration can be tangible, such as a bonus, or intangible, such as a manager’s announcement at an annual meeting. Read more: How to Reward Employees and Increase Motivation

The more you support creative thinking in your company, the more it will become an essential part of your company’s culture. By allowing employees to explore their potential through creative thinking, your company will open up new opportunities for business innovation and growth.