Do your employees need an extra push when it comes to creativity?
A lot of people think that new ideas will just come to them and wait to be inspired by something that never appears. But, innovative thinking is really about applying the knowledge you already possess and using the environment around you to conjure up new thoughts.
When we talk about innovative thinking, we’re referring to the process of coming up with a new concept that’s different.
Whether it’s a product or business idea, it’s something that requires creativity. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be one thing, it can start as small parts and develop into a single idea.
Innovative thinking is big business for your company. Employees who show their creative potential through new concepts or even by solving old problems are always an asset to your workforce- and the truth is everyone has the potential to be an innovative thinker.
Of course, you can’t force someone to come up with good ideas. This is a sure way to not get the final product you’re looking for! It’s got to come naturally. But, there are a few things you can do to encourage-to slightly nudge-your employees to get creative and think outside the box.
By providing your employees with the right tools and the best work environment, you can ignite the creative spark that’s going to bring success to your business and fulfillment to your employee’s career.
So, how can you encourage innovative thinking in the office? What are these tools we’re talking about?
Well, a great way to promote creativity is through using the right training materials. Don’t worry, we know what you’re thinking. Training doesn’t typically stir up much excitement amongst employees…
But, if you have the right kind of training materials that don’t feel like hard work at all, you’ve got a new way to learn and motivate creative thinking. (Hint: it’s all about keeping it interesting!)
After all, most employees want to learn. You’ll find that if you can bring out their passion, they’ll perform better at their job and out will come a lot of innovative ideas and fresh perspectives.
You’ll have new and valuable ideas floating around the office in no time!
Let’s have a look at the best ways you can encourage innovative thinking in the workplace.
Online Discussion
Innovative thinking doesn’t have to be by one individual nor by working on your own.
In fact, you’ll find that great ideas come from the inspiration of many. By providing a platform on your LMS where employees can brainstorm and share ideas together, you can encourage everyone to have their say on a topic.
An online forum is a place where you can bounce ideas and express new concepts together as a team. By creating an interactive place where employees can go to communicate, ask questions and support each other, new ideas can come to fruition and point towards future success.
You can create topics to discuss or leave it up to your employees to guide the way and choose what they want to discuss.
E-Learning Courses
Employee training is rapidly moving to online resources and this is for good reason. There’s a lot of e-learning courses out there now that are doing a great job in keeping training interesting and engaging for employees.
Let’s be honest. Nobody wants to listen to someone lecturing on for hours on end – e-learning courses cover the important stuff in half the time.
What’s more, there’s courses out there that are delivered through amusing and colorful animations that keep employees interested in learning and feeds your imagination.
Pictures and stories can help your employees to create an image in their head and this can encourage them to come up with new concepts and ways to approach things in business.
If they’re more engaged with the information, the more likely they are to use it in real life scenarios and come up with new business ideas using what they’ve learned.
In addition, since a lot of e-learning courses are integrated onto mobile phones and tablets now, employees can learn on the go and at a time that suits them.
This is important for innovative thinking – it means they are fully switched on and ready to learn. This is going to boost their creativity and bring out the best in your employees.
Assessments and Simulations
A great way to make employees think about what they’re learning in training and apply it to future situations is by including e-learning courses that have assessments. These are usually featured at the end as simulation questions.
It’s easy to sit through training and listen to the information, but it’s another thing to understand it and use the key points. Simulations will not only test and evaluate your employee’s knowledge, but it can also help to bring out new ideas and new ways to approach a subject.
Employees can use these simulations in their workplace in the future, solving different problems and coming up with creative ways to tackle everyday tasks.
The great thing about all three of these ways to encourage innovative thinking is that they can be added to the LMS in your office instantly.
Plus, they’re all interlinked and can be used together simultaneously to help employees grow and promote successful business for your company.
It’s all about finding ways to release an employee’s skills and creativity. We’re all capable of innovative thinking – we’ve just got to realize it!
