What’s one strategy for encouraging creative thinking in your team? Please share how you have successfully implemented this strategy and the results that you have experienced as a result of implementing this strategy.
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1. Create a Safe Brainstorming Space
Mine would be creating a safe space for brainstorming where no idea is too outlandish or too risky to be voiced. I call it the ‘No Judgment Zone.’ This approach fosters an environment where team members feel free to express their wildest ideas without fear of criticism or ridicule. By setting aside dedicated times for these sessions and physically or virtually separating them from the usual work environment, we signal to the team that this is a special time for creativity and innovation. I’ve also found it helpful to use creative prompts or challenges to get the ideas flowing.
For example, I might ask how we could solve a specific problem if budget and resources were unlimited or encourage the team to think about how different industries would tackle our challenges. Implementing this strategy resulted in a noticeable boost in creative solutions and overall team morale. Not only did we start seeing more innovative ideas, but team members also became more engaged and collaborative. They displayed a sense of ownership and pride in the creative process.
One particular instance that stands out is when we were struggling to come up with a new marketing campaign. Thanks to one of our ‘No Judgment Zone’ sessions, we ended up with a unique, cross-platform campaign that increased our engagement rates. It proved to me that creating a safe space for brainstorming is not just good for creativity; it’s also good for business.
– Tristan Harris, Thrive Digital Marketing Agency
2. Provide Multiple Communication Options
Provide all team members with time to speak and share ideas based on how they prefer to communicate. For example, some team members may not want to share ideas in a group meeting but will be happy to do so in a one-on-one environment.
Let employees know that these options are available to them, rather than leaving them to weekly group meetings for the only chance to share ideas or provide feedback on current processes.
– Wendy Makinson, Joloda Hydraroll
3. Embrace Diversity and Disregard Hierarchy
We embrace diversity. This involves two key actions: hiring a variety of talents and disregarding the traditional hierarchy. Creativity can emerge from anyone, so everyone—from interns to senior leaders—should feel equally encouraged to share their ideas. Often, a junior team member might have the best insight into the emerging needs of a certain demographic.
Likewise, it’s crucial to build a team with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and interests. I focus on hiring individuals who bring unique and different perspectives to the team instead of replicating existing skill sets and ideas.
4. Recognize and Appreciate Team Efforts
Recognizing the efforts of your team goes a long way and helps you encourage creative thinking. Most of the time, people give up on creative thinking or stop sharing their ideas with you because they don’t feel appreciated. Even if you consider implementing their ideas but don’t notify them, it may lower their morale because all they wanted was to help, and you being indifferent about it would simply discourage them.
So, it’s best to openly appreciate their efforts and thank them for sharing their thoughts with you. This shows that you value their input and want them to keep coming to you without hesitation. To effectively implement this, I’ve added an ideas section to our weekly meeting agenda where everyone can share their thoughts and openly discuss them with the team.
– Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
5. Implement Inspiration Immersion Days
One unique strategy I’ve implemented to encourage creative thinking in my team is our ‘Inspiration Immersion Days.’ Once a month, we dedicate a whole day for the entire team to step out of the office and immerse themselves in new and stimulating environments. This could include visiting art galleries, attending industry events, exploring local startups, or engaging in outdoor activities or team-building retreats.
To implement this strategy, I allocate a specific budget for these activities and ensure they are diverse and cater to different interests. Each team member is encouraged to take turns suggesting and planning an Inspiration Immersion Day, fostering a sense of ownership and excitement about the experience.
The results of implementing this strategy have been great. Team members return to the office with fresh perspectives, renewed energy, and many new ideas. It has significantly boosted our creativity and innovation, leading to more groundbreaking projects and solutions. Moreover, these shared experiences have strengthened our team cohesion and collaboration, creating a more dynamic and motivated work environment.
– Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media
6. Celebrate Innovation Publicly
To recognize and reward creative contributions from my team, I make it a point to celebrate innovation publicly during team meetings. When someone comes up with a creative idea or successfully executes an innovative project, I highlight their achievement and explain its impact. This public recognition boosts the individual’s morale and also inspires others to think creatively.
Additionally, I provide tangible rewards, such as gift cards or extra time off, to show appreciation for their efforts. This combination of public recognition and tangible rewards motivates the entire team to continue innovating.
7. Schedule Outdoor Group Activities
Changing scenery is a great way to encourage creative thinking in any team. That’s why, at Redfish Technology, I’ve implemented group-work activities that take us outside the office regularly.
For example, we’ll often do a Friday morning hike in lieu of a formal meeting. Workers are encouraged to think ahead to the following week’s tasks and start brainstorming approaches and solutions out loud. Something about the fresh air and exercise gets their creative juices flowing, and since the entire team is present, shared feedback is a given. If the weather is poor, we’ll do brunch instead.
The important thing is stepping away from desks for an hour or so. A sort of tunnel vision can become commonplace when you’re staring at the same document or screen for too long. Some of our best ideas are brought forth in these moments because people feel freer and more sociable without familiar walls closing in around them.
– Rob Reeves, Redfish Technology
8. Attend Industry Events and Workshops
You can foster creative thinking by encouraging your team to attend industry events, workshops, or seminars. There, they can learn from the experts and know how to think outside the box. These events invite veteran business professionals, industry experts, and mentors representing diverse industries and domains.
So, attending these events helps you learn a lot and enables you to remove the limiters on the way your imagination works. You basically learn to think like the pros and gain a new perspective on viewing things.
– Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
9. Conduct SWOT Analysis Sessions
The SWOT analysis, but in person. And feed people when you do this. People think better on a full stomach. What I like to do is gather our team and have each person go online to our competitors’ websites. Then, after a few minutes, I ask them to share and tell us why they would hire our competitors or why they wouldn’t use their services. We use that as the foundation for our analysis of companies’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Also, telling people the goal is to brainstorm and have fun—not to necessarily come out of this with action steps. Then, having a note-taker jot down the ideas allows management to review later about what suggestions are viable.
– Givelle Lamano, Lamano Law Office
10. Foster a Welcoming Idea Environment
One strategy I use to encourage creative thinking is to foster an environment where ideas are well-received. I believe if you create a workplace where people feel comfortable sharing ideas, brainstorming, and coming up with new approaches or innovations, creative thinking naturally follows. There’s a big difference between criticism and critique. We try to avoid the former and embrace the latter. Ideas that are put forward are shared with teams, discussed, refined, and often implemented. The process is open, free-flowing, and inclusive, with everyone participating.
Don’t underestimate the power of creating a safe space for ideas, where people feel comfortable suggesting new things, and where we all collectively discuss and improve those ideas. Every time staff see their ideas brought to life in a product or service, you make that culture stronger, and more creative thinking follows.
11. Promote Continuous Learning
One way to facilitate creative thinking in your team is by promoting continuous learning. To do this, you can consider creating a centralized knowledge base where your team can easily find relevant resources or informational material. These resources may not just be industry-specific but also encompass different fields.
Facilitate access to articles, books, podcasts, documentaries, and online courses to ensure that the resources align with different learning styles. Easy access to useful and diverse information cultivates creativity and helps your team come up with innovative ideas.
12. Facilitate a Reading Culture
I’ve successfully encouraged creative thinking in my team by promoting the reading culture. Whether you do it the old-school way or leverage digital resources, reading complements your imagination and fuels your thought process. Reading exposes you to diverse perspectives and introduces you to new ways of solving different problems. It boosts your critical thinking and refines your analytical skills.
Books and relevant resources inspire you to come up with different ideas and new concepts. It not only improves your wisdom and emotional intelligence but also helps you tap into your immersive potential for creative thinking and problem-solving. To promote the reading culture at work, we have created a book club where we share our learning and key takeaways from the books or learning material we’ve explored recently.
13. Hold Regular Brainstorming Sessions
One strategy for encouraging creative thinking in our team at Velvet Caviar is to hold regular brainstorming sessions where all ideas are welcomed and encouraged, no matter how unconventional they might seem. These sessions create a safe space for team members to express their thoughts freely without fear of criticism.
To successfully implement this strategy, we schedule dedicated brainstorming meetings focused on specific challenges or projects. During these sessions, we use techniques like mind mapping and ‘yes, and’ thinking to build on each other’s ideas. We also rotate the role of facilitator to ensure everyone gets a chance to lead and contribute.
– Michelle Aran, Velvet Caviar
14. Tie Financial Rewards to Success
One effective strategy for encouraging creative thinking in our team is making sure everyone feels financially invested in the success of our projects and client relationships. We’ve integrated this approach by tying a part of our team’s commissions and key performance indicators (KPIs) to client retention. By doing this, every team member has a stake in not just their own tasks but in the overall success of our services and client experiences. This setup has motivated everyone to think more creatively and proactively about improving our processes, products, and services.
The results have been very positive. Our team members are more willing to suggest innovative ideas and solutions, knowing they play a direct role in the company’s success. This has led to better client satisfaction, higher retention rates, and a more engaged and inventive team. By linking financial rewards, on top of a generous salary, to collective success, we’ve created an environment where creative thinking thrives.
– Travis Schreiber, Erase Technologies
15. Encourage Team Experimentation
One way to improve creative thinking in your team is to encourage experimentation. Sticking to tried-and-tested methods or strategies is great, but you should offer a certain level of flexibility to your team. You should encourage them to try different things and come up with new ways of achieving the set goals.
Even when things don’t go as you expected them to, be patient and encourage the effort of your team. Tell them it’s OK to make mistakes and fail as long as they learn from them and are better the next time around. This motivates your team to come to you with creative ideas and contemporary solutions without any hesitation.