How to Unlock Your Team’s Creativity

How can leaders unleash the full range of creative potential on their teams? If a team is creatively blocked, a first step for managers is to examine whether the processes that surround people are holding them hostage in their thinking. An over-reliance on systematically following rules can shut down collaborative brainstorming, as some may feel they have no flexibility to express outside options that run counter to the standard process and way things have always been done. If this is the case, try removing the limitations of particular procedural structures during creative sessions, so that everyone can feel freer to contribute without bureaucratic constraint. To inspire creativity, leaders should encourage healthy conflict and debate. Instead of micromanaging, empower others and give them the reins to explore and take risks, which can lead in unexpected directions. Guide people to step out of the norm, crack their old assumptions, and stay open to new possibilities for creative insights.