Learn how to foster a culture of creativity and innovation in your team, and help them generate original and relevant ideas for any project.

Designing to encourage divergent thinking requires 1.) fostering a fail-tolerant and playful mindset 2.) structuring sessions that oscillate between private and public engagement. giving folks time to think alone and together in a thoughtful way

How can you create original and relevant creative output for your team?

Creativity is a valuable skill for any team, especially in a competitive and dynamic environment. However, generating original and relevant ideas is not always easy, especially when you have to balance deadlines, budgets, and stakeholder expectations. How can you as a manager foster a culture of creativity and innovation in your team, and help them produce high-quality creative output? Here are some tips to consider.

1 Define the problem clearly

Before you ask your team to come up with creative solutions, you need to make sure they understand the problem they are trying to solve. A clear problem statement helps to focus the team's attention, avoid confusion, and set the scope of the project. A good problem statement should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). You can use tools like brainstorming, mind mapping, or the five whys to help your team define the problem clearly.

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Patrizia Bortolin Wellness Creative

Award-winning Wellness Designer, Spa Trainer & Wellbeing Specialist
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In my experience people can unlock their potential when they start knowing themselves in creatives ways, understanding how they “function”, what make them resonate and which are their strengths to live in flow state. Suggesting to take The via character strength test based on positive psychology is a very good starting point

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2 Encourage divergent thinking

Divergent thinking is the ability to generate many different ideas from a single problem or topic. It is essential for creativity, as it allows your team to explore various possibilities, perspectives, and alternatives. To encourage divergent thinking, you can use techniques like free association, brainstorming, or SCAMPER (substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate, reverse). You can also challenge your team to think outside the box, ask open-ended questions, or use analogies and metaphors.

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Jimmy Lepore Hagan

Design and Innovation Strategy at Publicis Sapient
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Designing to encourage divergent thinking requires 1.) fostering a fail-tolerant and playful mindset 2.) structuring sessions that oscillate between private and public engagement. giving folks time to think alone and together in a thoughtful way

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3 Promote collaboration and feedback

Creativity is not a solo act, but a collaborative process that involves sharing, building, and refining ideas. You can promote collaboration and feedback in your team by creating a safe and supportive environment where everyone can express their opinions, suggestions, and critiques without fear of judgment or rejection. You can also use tools like online platforms, whiteboards, or sticky notes to facilitate communication and documentation of ideas. You can also encourage your team to seek feedback from other sources, such as customers, experts, or peers.

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Wyman Dean

As a passionate coach, mentor and an expert in leadership development and on-boarding, I am dedicated to helping people unlock their full potential and achieve their goals with confidence.
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I've discovered that fostering a safe and supportive environment enhances creativity and encourages the development of new ideas..

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4 Implement and evaluate ideas

Once your team has generated a number of creative ideas, you need to select the ones that are most promising and feasible, and implement them in a prototype or a pilot. This is where you test the validity and effectiveness of your ideas, and gather data and feedback to measure their impact and value. You can use tools like experiments, surveys, or interviews to evaluate your ideas. You can also use criteria like novelty, usefulness, feasibility, and alignment with the problem statement and the goals of the project.

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5 Celebrate and reward creativity

Finally, you need to celebrate and reward your team's creativity, not only for the final outcome, but also for the effort and process. This helps to motivate your team, recognize their achievements, and reinforce a positive attitude towards creativity and innovation. You can celebrate and reward your team's creativity by giving them recognition, appreciation, feedback, or incentives. You can also share their success stories with other teams, stakeholders, or the public.

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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?

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April Carpio, FMP, CDHRP, CBPsychol

Commercial Manager at Julius Berger Nigeria PLC
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Original and creative output can be generated after thorough assessment of a specific situation. Originality can be achieved if the approach is customized/personalized. Creativity is flexible. One must focus on achieving the best results and drive the team towards that. Assess what is already in place then think out of the box. It is important to note that one’s working environment play an important role in generating creative and original ideas from your teams. It is good to encourage team contributions to get as much ideas as possible but make sure to assign a researcher to check for originality if it is a major requirement. Do not be afraid to be creative as long as your organization’s mission, vision and values are not compromised.

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Juliet B.

Educator | Leadership Development | Personal and Professional Success Coach | Mental Fitness | Founder of PetalTalks | Awakening your Genius | Views are Mine
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Lean into the diversity of your team -neurotypical and neurodivergent and play to everyone's strengths and challenge No one wants to be in a room where they know everything and aren't being challenged and growing. Seeking for innovative experiences and make your mantra "What can we do differently" and "Who else can we collaborate with" In collaboration there is magic and witnessed this recently in an intergenerational project and collaboration with a Football club. Where young people worked with my tutors to support a community.

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How can you create original and relevant creative output for your team?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Define the problem clearly

2 Encourage divergent thinking

3 Promote collaboration and feedback

4 Implement and evaluate ideas

5 Celebrate and reward creativity

6 Here’s what else to consider

Management

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How can you create original and relevant creative output for your team?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Define the problem clearly

2 Encourage divergent thinking

3 Promote collaboration and feedback

4 Implement and evaluate ideas

5 Celebrate and reward creativity

6 Here’s what else to consider

Management

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

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