As SVP, Professional Services at BairesDev, Damian oversees the entire customer relations life-cycle, safeguarding the company’s operations.
What do you think about when you hear the word “creativity?” Problem solving? Or the mysterious mojo bestowed by the muses? While people probably thought something akin to the latter, creativity simply refers to using new and original ideas. It helps solve problems and is an indispensable asset in any workplace, whether you work in a traditionally creative field or not.
That’s why encouraging creativity within your team can improve job performance, professional satisfaction and increased productivity. With that in mind, I’ve gathered eight simple strategies to boost your team’s creativity, encourage collaboration and reward innovation. Let’s dive in.
1. Encourage brainstorming sessions.
Encouraging brainstorming sessions allows the team to freely express their ideas without fear of being judged. It can lead to innovative solutions and ideas that would not have been possible otherwise. For teams operating in a remote environment, this can be done online. In fact, recent research indicates that virtual brainstorming is more conducive to innovation than in-person sessions.
For this practice to be effective, teams must not shy away from “dumb” ideas to focus on the “right” ones. Often, the best ideas will be either a combination of both or a “dumb” idea with some tweaks to turn it into a working project.
2. Provide space for creativity.
Creating an environment that fosters creativity is essential. This could be as simple as providing a dedicated space for brainstorming or working on creative projects. A separate area will allow your brain to switch from execution mode to creative mode.
Space can also mean allocating time to simply rest. Sometimes the best ideas will come when you’re not racking your brain to develop the next great concept. It might come while walking, driving, showering or looking into oblivion. Creativity thrives when we take time to unplug and let our brain do its job on the backend.
3. Experiment with new ideas.
Fresh ideas are welcome, especially unconventional ones. It’s important to take calculated risks and explore new avenues.
Ask for help from colleagues in different areas for diverse angles. Even if you don’t consider their advice, it may spark new, creative thinking to get you where you need to go. You can leverage digital company tools to collect ideas or questions (even anonymously) in order to enhance participation.
When working with a team, try the “six thinking hats” strategy to shed new light on the issue. This way, you will guarantee at least six different perspectives on the same topic.
4. Promote cross-functional collaboration.
Collaboration between different departments can lead to a fresh perspective, empathy and innovative ideas.
Andrew Ng, co-founder of Coursera and Landing AI, once said: “In my own life, I found that whenever I wasn’t sure what to do next, I would go and learn a lot, read a lot, talk to experts. I don’t know how the human brain works, but it’s almost magical: when you read enough or talk to enough experts, when you have enough inputs, new ideas start appearing.”
5. Provide opportunities for professional development.
Offering professional development opportunities can help team members expand their skill sets and develop new perspectives.
At BairesDev, we offer internal workshops and masterclasses about programming languages, frameworks and other tech topics to all team members. We also partner with Udemy, an e-learning platform where everybody can be updated on their skills, obtain certifications or simply learn something new.
Professional development opportunities should encourage teams to be more imaginative. For example, if a director needs to improve their public speaking skills, instead of taking public speaking lessons, per se, why not enroll them in an improv comedy club? This way, they will learn to feel comfortable in front of an audience and be forced to think creatively.
6. Allow time for passion projects.
Allowing team members to pursue passion projects on company time can lead to creative breakthroughs and a more fulfilled workforce.
Passion and creativity are intertwined. Hobbies such as playing a musical instrument, playing sports, reading fiction or collecting something can help you relax and fight stress while boosting your creativity.
Taking a break from the sensory bombardment of the world gives your brain even more reason to wander. A report from the University of Utah showed that subjects performed 50% better on standard creativity tests after four days alone in nature. While it is unlikely that you have four days to spare before a brainstorming session, a simple walk can be helpful.
7. Embrace diversity.
Encouraging diversity in your team can lead to various perspectives and ideas. Different backgrounds and experiences can lead to innovative solutions and fresh ideas.
This applies to your sources of inspiration. Look for innovation in industries and niches other than yours. Research what they are doing differently from their competitors and how you can apply those ideas to your sector. The research and the process of adapting ideas will boost creativity.
Embracing diversity starts in the recruiting process. At BairesDev, we’ve invested in technology to help us match skills and potential with open positions, eliminating any background bias.
8. Recognize and reward creativity.
Recognizing and rewarding creative achievements can encourage team members to continue to think outside the box and innovate.
Offer intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Intrinsic rewards are the internal feelings of satisfaction, enjoyment and fulfillment from doing a great job. Extrinsic rewards involve praise and recognition, which can be a public shoutout for a team member’s excellent idea or performance. Adding bonuses might also help.
Final Thoughts
Even in nontraditional creative professions, creativity can be beneficial. Innovation and new ideas can streamline processes, increase efficiency and improve job performance. It leads to engaged and fulfilled professionals, higher retention rates and increased productivity.
Creativity is not something restricted to novelists, musicians and artists. It is an essential asset for any team in any industry, no matter the job description. By applying these strategies, you will see a boost in your team’s creative output and be ready to adopt innovative solutions.
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