Gain insights and innovation from within

When we encounter business problems, it’s quite natural to look outward for imaginative solutions. For many leaders, this is a knee-jerk reaction. However, you don’t have to venture too far in your quest for answers.
Thursday, April 14, 2022

Imagine your workforce is adept at understanding how they personally get inspired and harnessing that creativity to fuel innovative ideas.

This is an ideal state, which we if we’re honest with ourselves, cannot attain overnight.

We must cultivate a culture of innovation that inspires employees to create solutions with confidence.

But how do you truly inspire innovation?

First, you need to create an environment where employees are encouraged to think creatively and work collaboratively. Put simply, encourage your team to take risks and reward those who dream up new ideas. There can be no judgment for exploring and trying new ideas and ways of operating. But remember it’s up to management to turn these ideas into reality

If employees don’t feel supported throughout the innovation process, not only will they lose enthusiasm, but they’ll also start to fear failure and criticism. From there, it’s just a short leap back to re-entering the vicious cycle of stagnation, or much worse, regression.

When employees are encouraged and rewarded for being creative, they are more likely to offer new ways of doing things. As a result, the whole business benefits from their innovative thinking. By entrusting them with autonomy and responsibility, they’ll feel that you have faith in their decisions, which will encourage them to put in the time and effort needed to co-create, imagine, and innovate.

They will also feel more valued, which will lead to greater engagement and motivation. And although it might seem obvious, employees are more likely to volunteer ideas that they genuinely want to bring to life, rather than what they think management wants to hear.


Parker Lee

Parker Lee is the managing partner of Territory, a design consultancy, who has developed and led teams in transformation, design thinking, and business development for decades. Co-author of The Art of Opportunity, he has created and facilitated dozens of design and visual thinking engagements.


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