Although many people do not associate the office environment with creativity, in fact creative thinking is a crucial element in business success. Creativity is risky, and it’s common to feel risk-averse at work. However, creativity can not only spur company growth, but also make your day much more exciting and less monotonous.
Here are some ideas on how to harness business creativity in your workplace.
Emphasize Creative Thinking
Many businesspeople take the easy and safe path of drawing on the same stock ideas when developing new campaigns or projects, but such an approach leads only to mediocrity. Instead, use your talents to the full, take risks, and think outside of the box. Only when you and your employees are willing to step beyond your comfort zones and consider new approaches to workplace challenges will your company become a force to reckon with in your field.
Nurture Creative Strengths
Foster business creativity in you and your employees by nurturing core strengths. For instance, hold brainstorming sessions with your staff during which you encourage them to come up with original ideas, not only obviously practical ones, but also those that are more unique and innovative. Emphasize fluency, which involves coming up with multiple ideas on a singular theme, and flexibility, which encourages the development of numerous ideas on a range of topics. Another valuable creative skill is elaboration, or the ability to perceive additional perspectives and details in basic information.
Encourage Creative Employees
Make it clear to your employees that in your company business creativity will be encouraged and praised rather than stifled. Even if your personnel sometimes come up with ideas that don’t work, let them know that you recognize and applaud the creative effort, and that you’ll welcome more suggestions in the future.
For more advice on business creativity, get in touch with Flex Capital.