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HELPING THE TYPICAL EMPLOYEE TO BE CREATIVE

There are three things you can do to help your typical employee express his or her creative ideas.

Number 1 - Involve your employees on a group basis in finding creative solutions to business problems.
Repeatedly research has shown that people develop better and more creative solutions to problems when they work together in a group. One advantage of group problem-solving is that employees build upon each other's ideas. One idea suggests another idea.  That idea suggests still another. As the sequence of ideas progresses, typically the ideas presented get better and better. Another advantage of working in a group is that participants are more accepting of and committed to the final solution. In short, people are much more likely to support and implement an idea they helped develop.

Number 2 - In group problem-solving efforts, you should always start with an exploration of the causes of a problem rather than its possible solutions.
Most employees will jump to offering solutions to a problem before it is fully defined. At this stage, the solutions they offer will be traditional tried-and-true ones that are not very creative. Plus, when you don't spend time looking for all possible causes, employees may develop solutions for the wrong problem. You greatly increase your chances of breaking mind-sets and developing creative solutions if you force your employees to start with a search for causes, not solutions.

Number 3 - Use one more of the following group problem-solving techniques to create an environment where people are free to express their ideas.
Most people can be creative. But most people are reluctant to express their creative ideas because they fear their ideas will be ridiculed and/or rejected. Since no one wants to appear foolish, most people stay silent when asked for a suggestion, or else they make a suggestion they are confident will be accepted. All of the following techniques for group problem-solving, at least in part, are designed to break down this barrier to creativity.  In most cases, they do so by creating an environment in which ideas are not evaluated as they are presented. No one is allowed to say, "That won't work." Additionally, these techniques are designed to remove personal ownership and identification with individual ideas.  During the process, the presenter of the idea becomes anonymous and the ideas become the group's ideas. As a result, when the ideas are evaluated and some are rejected, the rejection carries no personal stigma.

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