Your team is in a creative rut. How can you spark new ideas and inspire innovation?

Change the context, and afford the time for it. At first, one could think that if we give the time for a team to work on new ideas, creativity would boom. In reality, that's not the case. It takes time for a team to disconnect from their current commitments, and before you notice it, you are back to roadmap execution. Apart from dedicated innovation teams that work without the restrictions and commitments of others, what I have found that works quite well, is to mix teams and talent during this period. New ideas often come from those that do not share the same context and, for that matter, the same thinking constraints or habits.

Take a break and do an activity that is foolish, dumb and completely unrelated. Once the team has relaxed and regained composure, start with first principal

Give everyone a surprise day off, and plan non work activities for that day. When it comes to being in a creative rut it often comes from the mundane of doing the same thing day in and day out. Book a team day at an arcade, an afternoon at the movies, a group hike to a beautiful location. Its important to rest parts of the brain to get those creative juices flowing. Find ways to do something totally different from the day to day and you will start to see the creativity flow! Do this often!

Refresh the team's understanding of the vision. Sometimes when teams are in the thick of an effort, they may miss innovation opportunities because they are laser focused on day-to-day details or obstacles. It can be helpful to have review sessions (with key stakeholders present, if possible) to refresh the team's understanding of the strategic direction and vision of the product. This might spark new ideas, or new approaches that the team otherwise may have missed.

- Encourage Cross-Functional Collaboration: Encourage open discussions, brainstorming sessions, and knowledge sharing across departments. By combining different perspectives and expertise, team members can inspire each other, spark new ideas, and unlock innovative solutions to overcome creative challenges. - Provide Time for Exploration and Experimentation: Dedicate specific time for team members to explore new ideas and work on passion projects. Allow them the freedom to experiment, take risks, and think outside the box.

Encouraging divergent thinking by generating varied ideas without initial judgment can unlock innovative solutions. Techniques like brainstorming and SCAMPER foster this creativity. It's vital to cultivate a safe space where ideas flow freely, allowing team members to explore all possibilities. This approach not only broadens the solution pool but also enhances team cohesion, as members feel valued and heard. By embracing diverse perspectives, teams can discover unconventional solutions, driving forward innovation and problem-solving in dynamic ways.

"Inspire innovation by encouraging divergent thinking. Create an environment where team members feel empowered to explore multiple perspectives, challenge the status quo, and think outside the box. Divergent thinking opens doors to fresh ideas, fostering a culture of creativity and pushing the boundaries of conventional thought. 🌐

Please find 4 tips to trigger innovation: Hire for Mission: Seek team members who genuinely care about solving problems. Their passion will drive better solutions. Promote Psychological Safety: Create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their ideas openly. Embrace Diversity: Research consistently shows that diverse teams are the most creative. Different perspectives lead to innovative solutions. Value Teamwork: While the lone inventor stereotype persists, collaboration is key. Great solutions emerge when we work together12. Remember, innovation thrives when we combine individual brilliance with collective effort

I doubt whether I can elaborate more here but since I am in people management with longer time and I would like to Encourage my teams creativity by fostering an open environment, acknowledging contributions, hosting brainstorming sessions, leading by example, providing support, and celebrating successes.

En un laboratorio clínico, fomentar el pensamiento divergente puede ser esencial para abordar desafíos complejos. Por ejemplo, al enfrentarnos a la mejora de procesos, podríamos utilizar la técnica de lluvia de ideas para generar diversas opciones, desde cambios en los protocolos de ensayo hasta la implementación de nuevas tecnologías. Al no juzgar inicialmente las ideas, se promueve la exploración de soluciones innovadoras que podrían optimizar los procedimientos y mejorar la precisión del diagnóstico en el laboratorio.

Sometimes it’s important to get outside of your team, Industry and self. Shake things up. Get out and move your body. Get into the field, and change up the perspective and viewpoints you’re seeking to gather. I often find going even outside of your industry to understand how other companies are framing problems, approaching materials and solutions spark the best ideas with parallels and transferable opportunities everywhere

Uma estratégia que gosto de usar é promover uma conversa sobre referências. Geralmente estabeleço um tempo por pessoa (1 minuto ou 5 minutos). Durante esse tempo, a pessoa pode falar sobre alguma coisa muito legal que descobriu recentemente: pode ser uma experiência que viveu, um perfil que passou a seguir, um livro que leu, uma série, uma conversa com alguém, uma campanha... qualquer referência é válida. O objetivo é sair de nossa bolha conhecendo coisas que naturalmente não teríamos contato no dia a dia.

Sometimes you need an external person with strong credibility to re-ignite the team and get them to Re-Imagine Possibilities! All teams get in a rut and this can work well and is something I am called upon to do often. Another way of doing this is being intentional about and proactively run a Big Thinkers Master Class with monthly speakers from a variety of backgrounds come and speak. Internally you can also do this by rotating leaders around different teams on a quarterly basis to discuss learnings and new ideas. This is a great morale booster and you can empower your team, not just your leaders.

La inspiración fuera del ámbito médico puede abrir nuevas perspectivas. Por ejemplo, al optimizar los protocolos de laboratorio, el equipo podría explorar las mejores prácticas en eficiencia operativa utilizadas en la logística empresarial. Observar cómo otras industrias gestionan el flujo de trabajo y la cadena de suministro podría inspirar ajustes innovadores en la gestión de muestras, mejorando la eficacia del laboratorio. La búsqueda de inspiración en diversas fuentes puede llevar a soluciones creativas y eficientes que benefician directamente a la calidad y la velocidad de los procesos en el laboratorio clínico.

When looking at creative challenges, you have to look at the people involved. Every person finds creativity in different areas. Knowing the people, their interests and what inspires them in and out of work is always a good place to start. I personally find telling stories about my own personal life experiences and being taken away on a memory or the journey, whilst integrating the individuals into the story helps to spark creative thinking. Build a narrative show how involved you emotional you are and then get the team to share stories.

I believe in setting big goals, letting employees be creative on the way to achieving the goal. To completely avoid micro-management, and to give feedback for any achievement or failure on the way to achieving the main goal.

En una posible situación dentro de un laboratorio de biología molecular donde podriamos aplicar el enfoque de experimentación y prototipado. El equipo podría enfrentarse a la mejora de un procedimiento de ensayo molecular específico. Al utilizar métodos como el design thinking, podrían idear prototipos de nuevas etapas del proceso. Al poner a prueba estas ideas en un entorno controlado, aprenderían rápidamente sobre su viabilidad y eficacia. Esto fomentaría la cultura de la experimentación, permitiendo al equipo abordar desafíos con mayor creatividad e iterar para lograr soluciones más innovadoras y eficientes en el laboratorio.

Try everything, assume nothing. This is easier said than done but so important within the creative process. When our teams discover a new idea, we validate it by either creating it (if a design idea) or by launching within a test market (product market fit). Don’t be afraid to try new and unknown ideas. It’s the “crazy” ideas that often hold the most potential.

The focus on experimentation and prototyping is crucial for innovation. To effectively implement this, it's important to adopt a 'Fail Fast, Learn Faster' approach. By rapidly prototyping and testing ideas, teams can quickly gather feedback and iterate, leading to more refined and viable solutions. This process also helps in building resilience and adaptability within the team.

Brainstorming Sessions: Hold structured brainstorming sessions to encourage team members to share their ideas freely. Use techniques like mind mapping, round-robin brainstorming, or reverse brainstorming to approach problems from different angles. Cross-disciplinary Collaboration: Encourage collaboration across different departments or disciplines within the team. Bringing together diverse perspectives often leads to innovative solutions. Prototyping Workshops: Organize workshops where team members can create quick prototypes of their ideas. Prototyping can be a tangible way to explore concepts and make ideas more concrete.

Recognize and celebrate both individual and collective creative achievements. Acknowledging efforts boosts morale and reinforces the value of creative thinking within the team. Establishing a culture of appreciation for innovative contributions encourages a sustained flow of fresh ideas.

Highlighting the importance of reward and celebration is key for sustained innovation. Implementing a 'Celebration of Failures' event, where teams share lessons from unsuccessful attempts, can be a great way to encourage risk-taking and learning. This not only fosters a positive work culture but also reinforces the value of experimentation and learning from mistakes.

En el contexto de un laboratorio clínico, reconocer y celebrar contribuciones sobresalientes podría incluir premiar al personal que introduce métodos más eficientes o propone mejoras en los procedimientos de análisis. Además, el reconocimiento por alcanzar objetivos específicos, como reducir los tiempos de procesamiento o mejorar la precisión en los resultados, puede fomentar una cultura de innovación. Establecer programas de reconocimiento mensuales o anuales que destaquen los logros individuales o de equipo puede inspirar un ambiente colaborativo y motivar al personal a buscar continuamente maneras de mejorar los procesos y servicios del laboratorio.

Rewarding and celebrating the hard work and creativity of your team can boost morale and inspire innovation. Recognition, incentives, social activities, and opportunities for growth are all effective ways to motivate team members. By recognizing achievements, providing incentives, and offering growth opportunities, you can create a positive and innovative culture that encourages creative thinking and continuous improvement. Organize social activities such as team building exercises or outings to celebrate the team's success and encourage collaboration.

Implement a reward system for innovative ideas and celebrate achievements. Recognizing and appreciating creativity boosts morale and encourages team members to contribute their unique perspectives, fostering a more innovative and dynamic work environment.

A creative team hitting a dead end or a rut is a given thing we are humans and not machines. The good part is coming out of it is also easy, as i have been working with a large team for a few years now. What has worked for me and the team is that people react differently to different solutions, it's not one solution that will solve everyone's problem. So first thing is in your mind segregating team basis what would excite a set of people. For some it's rewards, for some it's throwing a challenge, while others just need a break and do silly things. A common thing that also holds true is connecting with nature, a bare foot walk on the beach, walking through forests, going on small treks on mountains. Keep it simple and let nature cure

It's important to provide additional trainings to team members related to Data analysis or design thinking etc., so that they can identify the opportunities for Innovation. Any idea, irrespective of scale, which might help in either monetary benefits or value addition in service should be promoted.

Keep going back to the purpose. What are you trying to achieve? What are you REALLY trying to achieve. Sometimes we get so buried in what we're trying to make happen that we can forget why we're doing it. Sometimes going back to why, and looking at the outcome from different angles can spawn a new solution.

Regular reflection is key to creativity and innovation. When you can openly (and safely) inspect what went well, what didn’t, and put new ideas to the test, you can adapt to the market, your customers/stakeholders needs, and deliver innovative and meaningful solutions.

One thing I would add is that it is helpful to take a collective break from the pressures of generating these new ideas. The Human mind often needs recharging and you would be amazed at how ideas can begin to flow after a hiatus spent on something fun and random as a group.