The document discusses ways to foster creativity in the workplace. It recommends encouraging creative thinking in employees by setting the stage for brainstorming with whiteboards and idea sharing. It also suggests valuing individuality, providing a stimulating work environment, facilitating anonymous suggestions to overcome social barriers, acting on good ideas to motivate employees, and continuing to hire a diverse range of talent. These techniques can help spark creative thinking and establish a culture of innovation.

1. Fostering Creativity

2. Fostering Creativity
Creative employees can help grow your business by
coming up with better solutions to problems, expanding
sales opportunities, and distinguishing your products and
services from competitors.
In order to foster a creative workplace environment,
you have to first help spark creative thinking in your
employees. Many people forget how to let their minds run
wild and come up with innovative ideas. Give them a little
help by encouraging the right mindset to take hold. Try
these ways to allow a creative culture to blossom.

3. Techniques
There are so many ways to foster creative
thinking in your employees. These steps will encourage
your employees to think creatively and facilitate a culture
of innovation at work.
1. Set the stage for brainstorming
2. Encourage individuality
3. Provide a stimulating atmosphere
4. Facilitate anonymous suggestions
5. Act on good ideas
6. Continue to hire diverse talent

4. Set the stage for brainstorming
When employees have a wide-open whiteboard to
work with, you never know what ideas might come up.
When they have an empty slate, with plenty of markers
and opportunities to brainstorm, your business can reap
the rewards.
In place of whiteboards, consider putting down
sheets of white butcher paper down on the break room
tables and scatter with various writing utensils. This will
give employees a place to scribble down an idea when
unprompted—often the scenario in which great ideas
incubate. They may even end up in an
impromptu brainstorming session with someone from a
different department. Loose, pressure-free brainstorming
in a relaxed setting is one of the best ways for your
business to generate new ideas.

5. Encourage individuality
Let your employees know that you value their
thoughts. It sounds simple, but employees get used to
feeling like part of the pack and can sometimes think it’s
better to just keep up with their workload, blend in, and
not become a squeaky wheel.
Employers should take extra steps to let employees
know that individuality is appreciated. Make it clear that
you see them as unique, interesting people, and not simply
as your workers. Employees respond well to these gestures
and will reward you with their insights and ideas.

6. Provide a stimulating atmosphere
• When thinking about how to improve your office space to
encourage creativity, consider the following elements:
 Sound
 Color
 Temperature
 Lighting

7. Facilitate anonymous suggestions
Employees may sometimes feel too intimidated to
make suggestions publicly. Even when you encourage
employees to come forward with creativity, fear of
embarrassment, general anxiety, or something else may
keep some from freely speaking their mind.
Remove social barriers by providing employees with
the ability to share their ideas anonymously. Put
suggestion boxes around the workplace, distribute
identity-protecting forms online, and be sure to show that
even when provided anonymously, employee suggestions
are being heard.

8. Act on good ideas
Employees are more likely to offer their suggestions
if they think their ideas will be implemented. Employees
may stop providing their ideas entirely if they feel nothing
is being done with them. Make a point of letting employees
know when you’re implementing a new creative idea.
Once you’ve determined that the idea is a success,
go ahead and let the staff know how this great new idea
came to be. Don’t make a public announcement about
whose idea it was until you have great results to show.
This will foster creativity in the workplace by increasing
your employees’ motivation to contribute.

9. Continue to hire diverse talent
Diversity contributes to an atmosphere of creative
thinking. It’s good for business to have employees from
different fields, different schools, and different
backgrounds. Employees with too many similarities in
education and experience can often come up with ideas
that start to sound repetitive after a while. To increase
diversity in your workplace, start looking at résumés for
the differences that might benefit your business instead of
choosing new staff members because they’re similar to
employees you already have.

10. Thank You