Creativity at work can increase satisfaction and productivity

Habit tends to put a damper on professional routine. The same structure, the same ways of doing tasks, the same functions, the same formulas for resolving the (same) obstacles… The problem is that, when a crisis happens, you have to renew all the processes to keep the company firm and strong. . This is why stimulating creativity at work is so important.

There are those who consider creativity a great differentiator in an employee. After all, depending on the vacancy, a college degree and even a postgraduate degree are the minimum expected on the resume. But the ability to see possibilities and solutions that no one has yet observed can make all the difference, especially in times of market turbulence.

Do you value creativity at work? An environment that encourages ideas and innovation can have many benefits. Check out!

What is creativity at work?

It is the possibility of developing ideas that can be used in the professional environment. They are fundamental for an ordinary company to transform into an innovative business.

Many of a company’s problems are solved through pre-formulated and standard responses. This way, when someone comes up with another solution, they are quickly “censored”. For example: a new employee has to perform a task in a certain way and suggests another more practical one, which could optimize work processes, but is quickly “boycotted” because the company is already used to acting that way.

This problem would be quickly resolved if there was a department that could receive and analyze the applicability of ideas or if the employee could put their way of working into practice, even if it was as a test.

What is the difference between idea and innovation?

Even though they are similar concepts, ideas and innovation are different factors. The idea is the origin of innovation. In short: innovation is the practical result of an idea.

To know the viability of an idea, there needs to be planning. Firstly, it is easy to think that planning is not something very creative, but this step is essential for the theory to be applicable and bring benefits to the company.

It is also important to point out that an idea may not come from something completely new, but rather from adjustments to some processes that already exist in the company, which may be stagnant and hinder  job satisfaction .

How to increase creativity at work?

There are ways to increase creativity at work: encouraging your team with actions such as valuing ideas, brainstorming and offering training

There are those who treat creativity as a gift. In fact, there are people more predisposed to innovate. However, an extremely rigid work environment can undermine this quality.

But let’s look at the positive side: it is possible to stimulate creativity at work. Check out our tips:

Value ideas

Employees will only feel encouraged to work on creativity at work if they see that their ideas are valued. There is no point, for example, for the human resources team to collect suggestions if they will be shelved. The manager must observe and be aware of what the team says, take advantage of everything that is useful and, whenever possible, give both positive and negative feedback.

Giving benefits and  incentives , such as prizes and bonuses, is also a way of valuing ideas. Don’t leave this aside: if the company is going to benefit from the employee’s ideas, he must also receive something compensatory.

Brainstorm

Brainstorming (or “brainstorming”) is a very old technique, but extremely useful for awakening creativity at work. In it, participants give random ideas, which can be combined or developed to solve company problems. Large companies often develop creativity at work through this strategy.

There are several types of brainstorming, but if you want, you can follow a step-by-step process. Look:

• agenda creation: what problem does that brainstorming aim to solve;
• choice of meeting participants;
• generation of random ideas, which may be based on material previously researched by the participants. Any suggestion is valid — tell everything that comes to mind;
• analysis of ideas and the possibility of practical application, both in technical, structural and  financial aspects ;
• choosing the idea that will be responsible for solving the problem. It can also be a combination of two or more ideas.

Offer training

To stimulate creativity at work, it is interesting to offer training, workshops and seminars for your team.
Creativity does not replace knowledge. On the contrary, they are complementary: with a theoretical basis, it is much easier to see new opportunities. Furthermore, any creative idea follows a logical line of reasoning.

Therefore, offer your employees workshops, lectures and seminars with important professionals in the company’s sector and the team’s activities. This way, she will acquire useful knowledge for herself and develop ideas consistent with her field, in addition to being up to date with market and technology news.

As you have seen, creativity at work does not arise without encouragement. On the contrary: in an unfavorable environment, it can be restrained. That’s why encouraging the creation of ideas among your employees can bring unusual solutions in the most difficult times.

Among the suggestions, knowledge may be one of the most underestimated, as people tend to see creativity as something innate. But offering workshops and meetings with big names in the market will bring insights that can take your company to another level.