Complacency is never a good thing, particularly at the corporate level. In order to combat complacency and find your competitive edge, constant innovation has become a necessity. You can motivate your IT team to start innovating – and it’s even easier than you think.
Starting with some basic ideas and turning your team loose will encourage them to put themselves into a more creative mindset and ensure that you won’t have to keep after them. It may take a few weeks, but once your IT team is in the habit of innovating, it will come naturally to them.
Turn Problems Into Solutions
One of the easiest ways to foster creativity is to list all of the current problems your IT department is experiencing and turn them into solutions. Instead of getting stuck and looking at an issue as insurmountable, encourage your team to find new solutions. This will get their analytical side going and get them revved up to find the answer. Remember, IT members typically have an innate love of problem solving and they excel at it. Give them the license to create solutions out of problems and watch your team change!
Schedule Creativity
While at first it may seem counter intuitive to “schedule” creativity, you’ll be surprised at just how effective planned brainstorming meetings can be for your IT team. Set aside at least one day per week where the entire team can sit down and begin talking over their past ideas and developing new ideas. Encourage your team members to set their own brainstorming sessions during the week before the meeting so they’ll come to the table with plenty of fresh ideas. Remember, in order to keep your team creative, and productive, you’ll also need to implement at least some of their suggestions, or the sessions will seem pointless.
Stick With Your Mission
One common thread among companies who have concern about going too far with their innovations is learning how to stick with your original mission, but find creative ways to accomplish that. Don’t let your IT team drift away from their main purpose and where you want them to be. These creative planning sessions aren’t intended to reinvent your entire processes or the way you run your company – they simply help find ways to operate smarter.
Do you have a question on how to get your IT team excelling creatively? Let the experts at Contemporary Staffing give you some ideas today!