Few things are more exciting than starting a new job. A brand new career opens doors, creates personal and professional growth opportunities and just like the beginning of a romantic relationship, the job can do no wrong. However, as time goes on, it can be easy to get sucked into the monotony of a seemingly mundane work week. Once someone is mired in the sluggish waters of disengagement, it can be hard to light a fire in the belly again.
Finding a strong go-to for creative influences can be just as daunting. The MIT Technology Review reported changes over the past 15 years in working environments has led to shorter product lives and higher employee turnover due to unpredictable economic conditions. Sparking renewed creativity in the workplace is essential for the future success of companies and individuals.
Here are some tips to get you started:
Daydreaming
According to Psychology Today, daydreaming on the clock won’t always get an employee in trouble with their boss and may actually help ignite creative ideas. While initially the concept may appear to be counterproductive to actual work, daydreaming as a means of critical problem-solving through imagination is truly at the core of human efficiency.
Many innovative companies believe in the daydreaming philosophy and have begun to implement it at their workplaces. For example, Google provides the 20 percent initiative that promotes employees taking 20 percent of their time spent at work to relax, let their mind wander and do whatever they want.
The idea behind the dream scheme is by allowing employees to envision problems to find creative and interesting solutions thorough an uncensored lens in the mind’s eye. Workers feel safe and free of criticism by thinking in an uninhibited manner that allows for the use of free-association to make create unplanned outcomes through tapping into complex regions of the brain.
Collaborative thinking
Modern businesses are comprised of an employee base with a multitude of skills, interests and most importantly, ideas. A great way to keep workers inspired is through collaborative idea sharing, according to Forbes.
As employers make the shift to tailor to specific niche clientele needs, talent, too, is expected to be just as versed in a range of distinct skill sets. Employers can capitalize on the amount of random, but necessary knowledge and thinking patterns of their employee pool but putting their great minds together.
Collaborative thinking can encompass a wide range of purposes such as providing emotional support, opening dialogs on diversity, asking questions and building company cohesion. For example, if companies opt to use incentive compensation software, they can propose creative team sales incentives that require collaborative efforts from representatives who typically work independently, and track the progress through the company’s software.
Design an office that fosters thinking outside the box
Its no wonder why employees who sit in cubicle feel isolated, restricted and produce less work that offices that utilize an open “newsroom” style floor plan.
By opening up an office space, employees are able to physically see those who they work with and are more apt to refer to their coworkers for guidance, questions and to bounce ideas off one another. A method suggested by LinkedIn is to place a visualization board, or collaborative writing space such as marker or chalkboard, in a shared space where other workers can see what’s on the board. Superiors can pose questions and challenges on the board and make them accessible to everyone to participate in.
Although there is a misconception that being at work can mean a death sentence for creativity, with the right incentive compensation strategies, the workplace can be the ideal environment for fostering innovative problem solving.
