Building an Innovative Team

Creativity and innovation are prized qualities in today’s workplace. The problem businesses face is how to develop environments where those traits flourish. How do you put together teams who can innovate? Here are some ideas.

Hire people who are passionate

Creativity and passion are tied together. It is difficult for someone to be creative about something they care little about. Research has shown that intrinsic motivation is a key factor in innovation. Innovation is about solving problems, and people are not going to be innovative when they have no interest in solving them.

People have to really care about what they are doing, share in the sense of the mission of the company, if they are going to be innovative.

Create an environment of tolerance

Innovation is often messy. It requires a lot of brainstorming, where people spout off ideas and bounce them off each other to find what might work. There has to be a lot of give and take. But this kind of back and forth will only work in an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable spit balling ideas and opinions, without having to fear rebukes or put downs.

Diversity matters

It is nice to be with people who have similar backgrounds and share similar interests, but it is not conducive to innovation. In a homogenous group of people, for the most part, everyone thinks alike, so you are not going to get a lot of different perspectives or ideas.

This is why diversity is important. When people with different backgrounds come together, you get a mix of viewpoints ,opinions and beliefs, which becomes a driving force of innovation.

Hire people who value teamwork

The idea of the creative personality, the individual with superior insight and wisdom who comes up with innovative ideas alone is mostly a myth. Innovation does not pour forth from an individual oracle. It comes from groups of people working together, sharing ideas and forming networks to tease out connections and insights. The problems facing business today are far too complex for one person to be able to find solutions without any help. It takes teamwork, and you need people who realize this and are eager to work together if you want innovation.

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