Creativity is a driving force behind a successful small business, as staff members who are innovative, motivated and productive will be able to deliver top-notch products and services on a regular basis.
As a result, you should be constantly on the lookout for ways to make your team more creative. On the other hand, a stagnating, boring work environment can have a negative effect on the company's financial plan, so avoiding these problems is a priority. Creativity is directly tied to progress, and for your small business to move forward this needs to be a factor each day.
Thankfully, fostering a creative atmosphere is easier than it sounds. Here are a few tips and tricks to ensure an innovative culture at your company:
Be supportive at all times
Creativity requires taking a leap of faith every once in a while. In fact, if management isn't there to catch employees when they fall, they may not want to be so risky in the future. With that in mind, you should be interested in creating a strong support structure to further encourage this behavior.
Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile, in her book "The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work," explained that little compliments can have a large effect on a business, according to Forbes. For example, treating others with respect will make them happier, and in turn they will work harder and be more committed to the task at hand.
"You can get a positive contagion effect going if you treat your co-workers with respect," said Amabile, Forbes reported. "You'll boost the inner work life of the person you say it to, and in turn, that can enhance how you feel at work."
Allow workers a level of freedom
Freedom is also an important part of a creative work environment. According to Inc. magazine, if employees aren't allowed to set out on their own path they may have trouble innovating.
Instead of restricting them, you should create a structure that still lets them come up with their own ideas. However, make sure you are watching to see if a few key elements are met regardless. For example, their work must be on brand and in line with what your customers want. Plus, it has to tie in to your overall business goals and financial plan, and it must be fiscally possible, of course. While keeping an eye on these elements is helpful, it doesn't prevent people from being creative.