Five Ways to Encourage Creative Thinking

As the chief executive of a private equity firm I am always on the look-out for the UK’s brightest and most innovative talent. My role as chairman of the Government’s Start-Up Loan scheme has made me become even more aware of the need to be constantly watching for the best creative talent in the country.

Creativity can be a difficult notion to grasp but it is a key talent that is always found at the heart of any successful company. I would say that true creativity, along with drive and self-belief, are the defining characteristics of any successful entrepreneur.

Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally recognised expert in education, leadership and innovation, has described creativity in an easy to understand and succinct way. He wrote that creativity is “the process of having original ideas that add value”.

That is a straightforward definition, but the real difficulty comes in actually being able to think differently or “out of the box”. It is a very rare and valuable skill to be able to come up with ideas that are truly original and different to anything currently out there on the market.

Creativity always has to be relevant but it is crucial to the success of any business. Without originality, businesses have no way of differentiating themselves from their competitors in the market place. Being different from rivals has become increasingly important in the modern business environment.

Taking all of this into account, I believe it is vital to encourage staff to think differently and this can be done in several ways.

• Give your staff the time and the space to be imaginative and creative. Apple is a great example of a company which has benefited enormously from this. Up to a fifth of their working day is given to creative thinking sessions. Innovation is a key characteristic of the company so it is vital for Apple to inspire staff and to give them the space to be original.

• Constantly question yourself and your working practices. Instead of sticking with tried and tested methods, business leaders should always be thinking of alternative approaches when it comes to solving issues and problems. Simply posing the question can lead to new ideas and projects, which opens up valuable income streams.

• Encourage people to work in groups. That way, ideas can be shared along with responsibility and the credit for success. A company which has an overly competitive and individualistic culture can stifle creativity.

• Not every idea is going to be a great idea but it is important not to ridicule people who are brave enough to think differently from the rest of us. If people are scared of being mocked then they are going to be reluctant to step forward with new ideas.

• Running a business and hitting targets is serious as people’s livelihoods rely on the success of a company - but the creative process needs to be fun. If you want to inspire people to think differently then you have to create the right culture and environment to allow them to do just that.

However it is important to remember that creativity on its own is not enough to guarantee success. The focus should always remain on how to use innovative thinking to make the company financially successful. Stick to these rules and there is every chance you will have a success story on your hands.

James Caan

CEO of Hamilton Bradshaw

Original Link: 

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Five Ways To Get your Team to Work More Innovatively

You have a great team that performs well and does not disappoint you. They have accomplished many targets, at times before the deadline. They have won you awards and accolades across the organisation and even got you the promotion you aimed for. But it appears that they are stuck in a rut, and are refusing to innovate. Moresha Benjamin lists important tips to keep in mind to get your team to think out of the box.

Hire Dedicated Workers
“Select a team that is passionate about the work,” says Sunil Goel, director, GlobalHunt, an executive search firm. It is vital for the manager and organisation to get people on board who show keen interest and are excited about their work. When people are passionate about their work, innovation follows. The commitment to innovation is crucial and should be visible to the organisation.

Get All Hands On Deck
Innovation is about gaining different perspectives to address a challenge or an opportunity. It is good to create cross-functional teams that can work on time-bound projects. “Having people from various functions come together allows for cross-pollination of ideas and encourages individuals to think out of the box and beyond their function/roles,” says Pavan Dhamija, MD & CEO, DLF Pramerica Life Insurance. Also, identify how your team can do work differently on the same project in order to create or add value.

Make Room For Competition
“Setting ambitious yet achievable goals/ targets enhances team productivity and gives a moral boost to employees once they achieve their targets, so that they keep on coming up with better and innovative ideas,” says Sunil Singh, AVP, HR, Tulip Telecom. Promoting competitive learning amidst teams is important, as learning and unlearning is a continuous process, adds Singh.

Recognise Efforts
“A culture of recognition helps drive innovation. Team members should be encouraged to share their thoughts, and innovative suggestions/ ideas should be supported in every possible manner,” says Dhamija. “Even though all ideas and innovations may not be great, the manager should be receptive and encourage them,” says Goel.

Invest In Training
Companies can make investments to train employees to think innovatively by facilitating their participation in training programmes, giving them live case studies and projects to work upon, and so on. This is extremely satisfying for employees who are keen to contribute and make a mark, adds Dhamija. Another investment one can make is in procuring latest technology to keep your business growth steady and profitable. Technology breeds innovation. Suggest that your employees take up an existing product and work on it to make it better using technology.

(Courtesy: The Economic Times)

Five Ways to Improve Your Creative Thinking

Edward de Bono said, “There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.”

For individuals and organizations to succeed – Creative Thinking plays a vital role.

While some people may naturally be more creative than others, creativity can be built and developed. I am going to cover a few building blocks that anyone can use to improve their creativity.  First though let’s define what Creative Thinking really is.

Creative Thinking:  Looking at problems or situations from a fresh perspective that suggests unorthodox solutions.

Creative thinking should not be confused with Critical Thinking. You cannot successfully do both at the same time.  While they are both often needed, they should be done separately.  What is the difference between the two?

Creative Thinking is – Generative; Divergent; Lateral; Possible.

Critical Thinking is – Analytic; Convergent; Vertical; Probable.

Use these five approaches to improve your creativity:

Separate Idea Generation from Evaluation

When you generate ideas, separate the generation of ideas from the evaluation of ideas.  This is the most important creative thinking principle.  The reason is simple: idea generation is divergent–you want as many ideas as possible.  Idea evaluation is convergent–you want to narrow down the pool of ideas and select the best ones.  Save the “Yeah butts” and critical thinking for later, after you have generated all the ideas you can.  

Challenge Assumptions

Challenging assumptions is probably the second most important creative thinking principle, because it is the basis for all creative perceptions.  In other words, you see only what you think you see.  Challenging assumptions can help you shift perspectives and view situations in a new light.  The result often is a breakthrough idea or unique problem solution.  To challenge assumptions, use questioning techniques like:  Asking why 5 times; Examine assumptions for flaws – dare them not to be true; and contemplate what happens when you “Break rules”.

Break and Make Connections

This is where most of the work of creativity gets done.  Take a “systems level” perspective, look at the entire process from end to end cross departmental boundaries and functions as needed. The instant you break a powerful connection, new and perhaps useful connections can be made.  Intuition may persuade you to leave the old connection permanently broken.  Sometimes you may find yourself uncomfortably between connections.  Try to get used to the confusion.  Resist the urge to resolve it.   Confusion and anxiety are integral to creativity. 

Fail Fast

It’s been said that what makes a great bronco cowboy isn’t how long they stay on a horse, but how quickly he can get back on a horse, after he has been knocked off.  Fear of making a mistake can reduce creativity. We learn from mistakes.  We must accept failure and allow this to occur with our organizations.  The secret is to minimize the effects of failure by “Failing Fast”.  As Edward de Bono said, “It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.”

Avoid Groupthink

Groupthink is the lack of dissension in group decision making.  Groupthink often results in groups’ reaching consensus too quickly and making poor decisions because key assumptions are not sufficiently challenged by group members.  Groupthink can kill creativity and must be avoid during the creative process.

About The Author: Byron Headrick

As a Certified Six Sigma ‘Black Belt”, Byron has over 15 years experience as a successful LEAN implementer – a methodology that provides businesses with tools to improve the capability of their business processes. After implementing this philosophy successfully in other large companies, Byron formed his company, LEAN Frog, in 2009 in order to share his knowledge, expertise and unique practical approach with small businesses across North Alabama. Byron has experience successfully implementing LEAN tools in all types of businesses including: medical practices, accounting firms, retail shops, restaurants, mortgage brokers, insurance agencies, commercial printing, and manufacturing companies

(Source: http://leanmachineradio.com/2011/04/five-ways-to-improve-your-creative-thinking/)