Businesses need to grow and keep up with the emerging market trends. A business, therefore, needs to transform itself from time to time through creativity, in order to be able to cope and compete in the ever-changing marketplace. Employees help grow businesses through their creativity. If they are creative enough, they can be able to come up with solutions to problems, ideas on expanding sales, and ideas on making products more unique and distinguishable for those of competitors. The manager, however, has to foster and develop creativity in the employees for them to able to come up with productive and proactive ideas (Georgescu, 2005). A stimulating atmosphere provided by the company and a diverse group of employees, for instance, greatly inspires creativity in the workplace. Some of the ways through which a manager can foster and develop creativity in the employees include setting the stage for brainstorming, encouraging individuality, providing a stimulating atmosphere, acting on good ideas, hiring diverse talents, and rewarding employees.
Setting the Stage for Brainstorming
Whiteboards, large sheets of white paper, and different kinds of writing apparatus are some of the requirements for brainstorming (Cohen, 2019). Brainstorming is great when it is done in a relaxed state. For instance, during office break times, employees from different departments may have brainstorming sessions where they play around with ideas as they chat and discuss issues and ideas. Providing employees with the utilities for brainstorming in appropriates places within the workplace allows them to properly and voluntarily brainstorm and come up with surprising ideas.
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Encouraging Individuality
Working in a large workplace with many colleagues can diminish individuality among employees. Most people, therefore, just concentrate on their work and make sure to complete their tasks and call it a day. It is the responsibility of the manager to reassure each employee that their individuality is highly appreciated (Cohen, 2019). Employees will respond quite positively if they are told that they are unique and interesting in different ways. They will be motivated to work on ideas and present them without any fears.
A stimulating Atmosphere
The quality or nature of the workplace is vital for boosting morale and fostering the spirit of creativity. Some of the factors to consider for improving the workplace to provide a stimulating atmosphere for the employees include sound, color, temperature, and lighting (Cohen, 2019). Ambient noise has been found to work best for encouraging creativity among employees. Colors that are easier on the eyes, such as pastel blue and green shades, create feelings of relaxation, which is excellent for brainstorming. Good and comfortable workplace temperature allows employees to think and come up with ideas. Natural lighting is considered ideal for creative thought processes.
Acting on good Ideas
Other efforts to foster creativity among employees will, in most cases, only work if employees’ ideas are actually taken seriously and acted upon. By encouraging creating and providing the atmosphere and opportunity for employees to express their individuality and present their ideas, employees are motivated to create and present ideas which they hope for the management to look at and act on. By acting on good ideas, employees are motivated to keep on being creative (Georgescu, 2005). Once the management is sure about the success and potential of an idea, it must be announced to the staff to acknowledge the idea and the individual behind it. This will, in turn, bolster creativity among the rest of the staff, and also motivate the individual who came up with the idea.
Hiring Diverse Talents
Employees with many similar attributes often come up with similar or almost similar ideas. Diverse employees have differing educational backgrounds and experiences, and are, therefore, likely to come up with different ideas and solutions for various problems (Georgescu, 2005). Women, for example, have different social-economic experiences and, in most cases, provide different solutions to problems. Employees from different cultures, areas, and with different educational backgrounds and work experiences have different views and ideas. Having such a diverse group of employees allows a company to grow, as they are rich in varying kinds of ideas.
Rewarding Employees
Many thinkers prefer intrinsic motivation as opposed to extrinsic motivation when it comes to inspiring employees to be creative and productive. However, employees also need to know that their efforts, contributions, and wonderful ideas are appreciated (Georgescu, 2005). The conventional way to appreciate someone to show them by saying it or offering them a service or a gift. Rewarding an individual for a job well-done sound more appropriate than just letting them know that their effort has been appreciated, verbally. In the workplace setting, rewards can be in the form of prizes, free tickets, raises, free lunches, and dinners at nice restaurants or hotels, among others. An employee will never forget such a good treat, and this will motivate them further to come up with more creative ideas.
Creativity is a key factor for the growth and success of a business. Companies need the help of their employees to be able to come with creative ideas for improving their productivity, products, services, and marketing among other sectors. The manager must, however, find and implement ways of fostering and developing creativity among employees. The various methods of fostering creativity discussed above, such as encouraging brainstorming, creating a stimulating atmosphere, and improving diversity in the workplace, among others, work to motivate employees to come up with ideas that can be acted upon to lift various aspects of the business.
References
Cohen, J. (2019). How to Foster Creativity in the Workplace. Growth & Innovation. WeWork HQ. New York.
Georgescu, P. (2005). The source of success: Five enduring principles at the heart of real leadership (Vol. 294). John Wiley & Sons.
