How To Stimulate Creativity In Your Company -part 2-
2. Intrinsically motivated
Several studies have shown that the intrinsic rewards, such as the satisfaction of doing a good job, are much more powerful than extrinsic rewards (rewards, incentives or money) to stimulate creativity. That is why we must try to assign work and projects in accordance with the interests and passions of the contributors. It is commonly known that companies like 3M and Google will allow employees to work a percentage of their time on projects that excite them the most personal level.
Take time to think: One of the reasons why creativity does not flourish in organizations is because we have no time to get out of everyday thinking. Creativity requires a certain period of “leisure” to incubate and mature ideas. In fact, when I ask people where you place your best ideas, tell me about places like bathroom, car, gym or bed, and almost never mention the job. Scientists believe that “Eureka moment”, that point when creating more of the subconscious to the conscious, is achieved more easily when one is relaxed and without stress.
Promote diversity: It is well known that new ideas emerge when people from different disciplines, experiences and expertise collaborate in the creative process. If you want to stimulate creativity, to promote space for people from different departments interact and form multidisciplinary teams to solve specific problems. We also invite people from outside the organization, to bring a new and different perspective to the challenges you face.
Allow experimentation and failure: When I want to know if an organization is truly creative and innovative, the first thing I ask is: What happens here if someone makes a mistake? The response I received clearly indicates the level of creativity of the company. Fear of failure is the number one enemy of creativity. If employees do not feel a proper environment to take risks and experiment, they will not think of anything very creative. The most appropriate environment to stimulate creativity are to be allowed where “serious game.” It is shown that an atmosphere of humor and fun promotes the search for more creative solutions.
Create the right environment: Regarding what I said previously, it is clear that a cubicle is not the best place to be creative. That is why leading companies like Google, Pixar, GE and many others, their work environments designed to stimulate creativity.
3. Provide incentives to awaken creativity
Contrary to popular belief, it is very difficult to be creative with a blank sheet. Our brain needs stimulation to enable it to generate new ideas.
Freshness Note: If you look closer, our life is a great routine. We work by the same route, we hear the same radio station, read the same newspapers and magazines, lunch with the same people and going to the same places over the weekend. The routine is the antithesis of creativity. Having fresh means to cultivate the habit of yielding to new and different stimuli to get out of the routine to generate new and different ideas. For example, you can take every Friday at a special guest to talk about an entirely different company’s business. These exercises open the mind and stimulate creativity.
Break Paradigms: Pablo Picasso said that “the first creative act is essentially an act of destruction.” This means that if we take care to generate creative ideas to question assumptions and beliefs that everyone has already accepted to find new and different ways of doing things. But to question our assumptions and beliefs is one of the most difficult things in the world because we are so accustomed to them that we take for granted. Many times, we are not even aware of them. Our beliefs and assumptions form the box which we should get out if we want to be more creative. It is for this reason it is often easier to be creative for someone coming from another company or another industry, because it has no preconceived belief about how things should be done or what is possible or impossible in an industry . I have seen companies who have a computer that meets monthly to challenge the paradigms of the business.
credit to: Mario Morales
Source: www.gestiopolis.com/innovacion-emprendimiento/como-estimular-la-creatividad-en-su-empresa.htm
image source: www.americancsn.com/images/americancsn-projects.jpg