Your team is struggling to innovate. How can you inspire them to think creatively?

1 Encourage divergent thinking

Divergent thinking is the ability to explore multiple possible answers to a problem, without judging or limiting them. It helps you to expand your perspective, challenge your assumptions, and generate more options. To encourage divergent thinking in your team, you can use techniques such as brainstorming, mind mapping, SCAMPER, or the six thinking hats. The key is to create a safe and supportive environment where everyone can share their thoughts freely and build on each other's ideas.

2 Apply constraints

Contrary to what you might think, constraints can actually boost creativity, not hinder it. Constraints force you to think outside the box, use your resources wisely, and focus on what matters most. To apply constraints to your team's innovation process, you can use techniques such as the 5 whys, the 3-12-3 method, or the 30 circles test. The key is to set clear and realistic goals, boundaries, and criteria for your team, and challenge them to find the best solution within those limits.

3 Seek feedback

Feedback is crucial for innovation, as it helps you to validate your ideas, learn from your mistakes, and improve your outcomes. To seek feedback for your team's innovation process, you can use techniques such as prototyping, testing, or the feedback matrix. The key is to collect feedback from different sources, such as customers, stakeholders, experts, or peers, and use it to refine your ideas and make them more feasible, desirable, and viable.

4 Embrace failure

Failure is inevitable in innovation, as it is part of the trial and error process. But instead of fearing or avoiding failure, you should embrace it as an opportunity to learn, grow, and innovate. To embrace failure in your team's innovation process, you can use techniques such as the pre-mortem, the failure resume, or the fail fest. The key is to create a culture of learning from failure, where you celebrate your efforts, analyze your results, and apply your insights to future projects.

5 Reward creativity

Creativity is a skill that can be developed and nurtured, but it also requires motivation and recognition. To reward creativity in your team's innovation process, you can use techniques such as the WOW award, the idea bank, or the innovation champion. The key is to acknowledge and appreciate your team's creative contributions, provide them with incentives and opportunities, and showcase their achievements and impact.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?