HOW TO ENCOURAGE INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY IN THE WORKPLACE

One of the most impactful ways to encourage innovation and creativity in the workplace, is by asking new and different questions. Start by asking our favourite question: “what if?” Seek new possibilities by asking other profound and challenging questions that chart new paths from point A to point B – then connect the dots! 

Consider these inspiring, thought-provoking questions (inspired by FastCompany):

• What could I look at or use in a new way? 
• What could I recontextualize in space or time?
• What could I connect in a new way? 
• What could we stop, start, continue?
• What does this moment require of us?
• What could we create that is truly new?

The SCAMPER model is another great way to refresh your perspective or discover innovative and creative solutions:

• Substitute – replace a part, material, or process with something else.
• Combine – Bring elements or ideas together in new ways.
• Adapt – Change something to better suit a new purpose or context.
• Modify – Alter attributes to experiment with the effects.
• Put to another use – Change the context of the element instead of the element itself.
• Eliminate – Pare down the essentials.
• Reverse – Re-order or invert cause and effect. Turn it upside down.

What makes a good innovation team?

Besides the minnow trap, there are dozens (maybe hundreds!) of other traps that can keep your organisation and team from progressing. You will feel stuck without an innovation mindset.

Keeping with the under water analogy, there is a scene in the Pixar movie Finding Nemo where hundreds of fish get caught in a fisherman’s net. One of the main characters, Dory, gets swept up by the large net, while the other two main characters, Marlin and Nemo, narrowly miss the net’s deadly catch.

Nemo, Marlin’s son, who is the smallest fish and also has a deformed fin (which he calls his lucky fin!) has an unusual plan to free his friend. Against his dad’s best judgement (driven by a paternal desire to protect him), Nemo swims into the net and begins telling all the other fish to swim down, pushing against the net. Amidst panic and uncertainty, the fish band together and begin to all swim downward, eventually breaking the net. They swim away to freedom and Dory and Nemo are reunited with Marlin.

Business as usual would have meant certain death, but an innovative idea and teamwork saved all their fishy lives. So what characteristics does an innovative team possess that can similarly save an organisation from its biggest, most complex problem?

Be willing to ask big, bold questions that challenge the norm and question the status quo. Do things really have to be the way they have always been? Can I swim in a different direction?

Avoid the comfort trap. The same old routines and habits won’t lead us to our full potential. Big picture possibilities and a fed-upness with the status quo is part of what fuels innovation. Instead of shying away from complexity, it’s time to lean in (or swim down!). 

Remember that innovation isn’t a solo process. It’s easy to think of Nemo as the hero in the dramatic fishing net scene, but it took every single fish in that net working together to embrace a new direction and save themselves. In order to move out of your comfort zone, you need to be surrounded by others who are committed to fresh thinking and fundamentally new ways of responding to these unprecedented times. This is what drives a team towards innovation.

Is your team equipped with the frameworks, tools, and mindset to breakthrough? Schedule a discovery consultation with our team to learn more about how our approach to innovation can transform your team.