What do you do if your team is resistant to thinking outside the box and embracing innovation?

If your team is resistant to thinking outside the box and embracing innovation, foster a culture of psychological safety where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas without fear of criticism. Encourage creativity through brainstorming sessions, reward experimentation, and lead by example by embracing new ideas yourself. Provide training and resources to support innovative thinking, and communicate the benefits of innovation in achieving team goals and staying competitive.

When it comes to innovation, most people get a mental block when you just ask them to "Think outside the box" as if it was easy as remembering to tell a joke, oh wait! That's not easy too Introduce them to the process of the innovation and assure that they don't need to have a prior experience or worked in "Creative" teams and on projects. Everyone can contribute to innovation and its perfectly OK if they run out of ideas or suggestions, the intention is to get the ball rolling and instill the growth mindset

If your team isn't embracing innovation, it's time to introduce more PLAY at work. Look, I know play isn't a word we usually associate with work BUT... research consistently shows the hugely positive relationship between a playful mindset and fostering innovative thinking. Here's 3 ways leaders can cultivate a more playful team culture 👇🏽 1️⃣ Adopt a coaching leadership style (so you foster an environment of collaborative problem-solving) 2️⃣ Learn together (engage in professional development activities as a team) 3️⃣ Organise non-cheesey team building activities (think: workshops, cross-functional projects, games etc) 🚀

Here's how to nudge your team toward embracing innovation: 1. Spark Curiosity: Encourage questions and exploration. Share interesting articles or case studies showcasing successful innovations. 2. Celebrate "What Ifs": Create a safe space for brainstorming. Let go of initial practicality and encourage wild ideas. 3. Focus on Challenges: Frame innovation as solving problems they face. Ask for their input on tackling current roadblocks. 4. Reward Experimentation: Recognize and appreciate attempts at innovation, even if they don't lead to immediate success. 5. Empower Your Team: Give them ownership over projects and the freedom to try new approaches.

To overcome resistance to innovation, assess the root causes behind your team's reluctance. Probe for fears of failure, confidence gaps, or discomfort with change through open dialogue. Understanding these reasons allows you to tailor strategies that foster a more receptive attitude towards creativity and innovation.

Facing a team allergic to out-of-the-box thinking? Time to sneak some innovation into their daily diet: 'Fail Fridays': Celebrate the most spectacular fail of the week. Shows it's okay to try and tumble. Plus, who doesn't love alliteration? Idea Speed Dating: Rotate ideas, not partners. Gives everyone a minute to pitch the wildest concepts. Sparks fly, creativity ignites. Vulnerability Workouts: Start meetings with a 'what scared me' share. Builds trust one gulp at a time. Before you know it, your team's innovating like it's going out of style. Remember, trust is the secret sauce to embracing the new.

All resistance comes from the fear of judgement, so assessing the root causes is the first step to address it. Establish whether the causes lie within the team members themselves - fear of failure (emotional) or lack of knowledge (technical). These can be addressed with appropriate training. Consider your own communication style. Do you say that you want your team to embrace innovation - but your everyday language is negative and judgemental, particularly in unrelated topics, which the team them extrapolates to the consequences that will befall them if they fail to meet your expectations. Thirdly, consider the external environment. Does the organisation's culture support innovation? Are there other managers that are noticeably critical?

To foster innovation, prioritize building trust within your team. Demonstrate value for their opinions, maintain transparency, and commit to supporting them through change. When team members feel secure and trust your leadership, they're more inclined to embrace new ideas and take innovative risks.

The fastest way to build trust in your team as a leader is to role model. Show your team that it's absolutely okay so think outside the box, to operate a little differently, and there's nothing to fear with you standing by their side on this innovation journey. Remember, your words and actions need to communicate a strong message of trust.

Building trust is the most important thing you can do as a leader in an effort to support and develop your team. It's important to first look at how trust is created and supported as part of the organization's culture. If trust is lacking there, it will be tough to create that within your team. Is it a "psychologically safe" company or team that you're leading? Do people feel safe to challenge, disagree, fail, etc. and know they'll still be supported? When trust is created as part of the culture, professionals feel more free and relaxed to think creatively and to therefore be more innovative in their approaches, ideas, etc..

To promote innovation, encourage risk-taking within your team. Cultivate a culture that celebrates both successes and failures as valuable learning experiences. By rewarding calculated risks, you empower your team to think creatively and explore new ideas without fear of failure.

I had the experience of having a leader who encourage risk. The leader allowed the team to share ideas and try them. Like, Thomas Edison, not all ideas worked but at least we strike off what doesn't work. We didn't worry of failures or judgement. Foster a culture where out of the box thinking thrives. When you encourage risk, it's a powerful message that leadership supports and trust the team. It comes with the understanding that there are uncertainties and are willing to take calculated risks to move forward. Provide the platform for people to either learn out of the box thinking or let their out of the box thinking flow.

Empower your team by providing them with the necessary tools and resources for innovation. Offer training in creative thinking techniques, provide access to relevant information, and allocate time for brainstorming sessions. By equipping your team with support, you enable them to generate innovative solutions and drive progress effectively.

Lead by example by demonstrating your own willingness to think creatively and challenge the status quo. Share your experiences with taking risks and learning from them, inspiring your team to embrace innovative thinking. Your proactive approach will encourage your team to follow suit, fostering a culture of creativity and innovation within the organization.

Good issue! First, embody a curious and open mindset. Be seen actively seeking out new information, attending industry events, and even experimenting with new tools or processes in your own work. This demonstrates your commitment to continuous learning and growth, inspiring your team to do the same Second, embrace calculated risks and celebrate failures as learning opportunities. Publicly share examples of when you tried something new and it didn't work as planned. Focus on the learnings gained and how they'll inform future approaches. This normalizes taking risks and creates a safe space for your team to experiment and innovate Challenge the current situation

Foster collaboration within your team by creating a supportive atmosphere where all members feel comfortable sharing ideas. Organize brainstorming sessions and establish cross-functional teams to encourage diverse perspectives and generate innovative solutions collectively. Collaboration not only enhances creativity but also strengthens team cohesion, making it easier to drive innovation forward.

From my experience advising leaders, to become a valuable resource in your professional network under the relational leadership paradigm, start by investing time in building authentic connections with others. Actively listen to their needs, offer support and assistance, and be willing to share your expertise and insights without expecting immediate reciprocity. By consistently demonstrating genuine care and willingness to contribute, you'll establish yourself as a trusted and valuable ally in their network.

Thinking outside of the box and embracing innovation are 2 different things entirely TOTB = generating ideas without blocking or denying or thinking anything is out of the bond. It is true creativity without boundaries or limitations of any description. Which includes finance staffing hours and what has been before - it is new and random in many cases and from that come the great ideas that change the world whereas embracing innovation is about accepting change. 2 completely different things and should not be confused with a leadership position

Provide constructive and regular feedback. Provide a platform for out of the box thinking and innovation. By doing so, it's either you have someone with ideas to share or someone who wants to learn how to generate ideas. This platform should come with feedback and guidance. This will help refine ideas, open communication and support for continuous improvement.

Addressing this situation would require a participative process with the team to unpack which barriers are preventing or discouraging the innovative work to occur. There could be factors at the individual, team, manage, or organizational level. For example, if the organization does not embrace or reward failures as learning opportunities it might discourage people from experimenting with new ideas. I would start by making a link between why the innovation is critical to the team/organizations success first. Then explore what needs to be changed in the environment to allow more innovation to occur. When a flower isn't growing, you don't blame the flower first.