6 Ideas To Promote Innovation In Your Workplace This Year
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
The startup scene today is an overcrowded space where companies are constantly vying for talent. But hiring talented people is only the first step in cultivating an innovative and creative environment.
Building a workplace where there is a constant exchange of ideas involves finding the right formula for your company and culture.
You can’t force creativity, but the right setting will put your team in the right frame of mind to find imaginative solutions. Here are six ideas to help cultivate creativity in your company:
1. Be easygoing.
A relaxed and flexible work environment increases your team's productivity by letting ideas flow. Encourage an atmosphere where the boss is more likely to make you a coffee than expect you to make them one.
Let go of the traditional 9-5 work week and have team members come in to work when they are rested and at their best. Not everyone is an early-bird, and that's good! Embrace your employees’ natural rhythm, they'll show up to work fresh and ready to go.
2. Hire for culture.
Look for team members who understand your vision and align with your culture. Having a team that shares one vision and works together helps the organization run smoothly. This doesn't mean only hiring people who always agree with you, though. Encourage different perspectives -- it will help your company stay ahead of the curve.
3. Bring on people who love what they do.
Hire people that are passionate about their work. You want people at your company who really care; people who are excited to go to work everyday because they believe in the product. Adding people that want to improve your product will be the most beneficial for your company.
Point #2 goes hand-in-hand with this one. It's far more pleasant to work alongside interesting, friendly, and driven people working towards the same goals.
4. Encourage diversity.
Put together a team with different backgrounds, passions, and capabilities. Having a group with a diverse set of ideas and problem-solving approaches helps push your product forward. Embrace and celebrate your team members’ individuality -- out of the box ideas and problem-solving approaches helps push your product forward.
5. Incorporate sprints
The hustle and bustle of daily office life can wreak havoc on your concentration: emails, phones, meetings -- the distractions are endless. That's where a "sprint," a set amount of time in which your team works to finish a project, can be the solution.
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Building a workplace where there is a constant exchange of ideas involves finding the right formula for your company and culture.
You can’t force creativity, but the right setting will put your team in the right frame of mind to find imaginative solutions. Here are six ideas to help cultivate creativity in your company:
1. Be easygoing.
A relaxed and flexible work environment increases your team's productivity by letting ideas flow. Encourage an atmosphere where the boss is more likely to make you a coffee than expect you to make them one.
Let go of the traditional 9-5 work week and have team members come in to work when they are rested and at their best. Not everyone is an early-bird, and that's good! Embrace your employees’ natural rhythm, they'll show up to work fresh and ready to go.
2. Hire for culture.
Look for team members who understand your vision and align with your culture. Having a team that shares one vision and works together helps the organization run smoothly. This doesn't mean only hiring people who always agree with you, though. Encourage different perspectives -- it will help your company stay ahead of the curve.
3. Bring on people who love what they do.
Hire people that are passionate about their work. You want people at your company who really care; people who are excited to go to work everyday because they believe in the product. Adding people that want to improve your product will be the most beneficial for your company.
Point #2 goes hand-in-hand with this one. It's far more pleasant to work alongside interesting, friendly, and driven people working towards the same goals.
4. Encourage diversity.
Put together a team with different backgrounds, passions, and capabilities. Having a group with a diverse set of ideas and problem-solving approaches helps push your product forward. Embrace and celebrate your team members’ individuality -- out of the box ideas and problem-solving approaches helps push your product forward.
5. Incorporate sprints
The hustle and bustle of daily office life can wreak havoc on your concentration: emails, phones, meetings -- the distractions are endless. That's where a "sprint," a set amount of time in which your team works to finish a project, can be the solution.
Page 1 / 2