99 % of marketers say that a constant stream of ideas is essential in the success of their marketing efforts . But only half of those polled believe they have enough new ideas .
Kick-Start Your Thinking
Using Toolkits to Spark Creativity
The hardest part of innovation is getting started — especially for businesses that haven ’ t explored it before or whose corporate culture has inflexible norms and processes for creation and knowledge sharing .
To effect change within conservative company cultures , innovation leaders have developed unique toolkits to help facilitate creativity . The idea is to promote an environment where everyone is involved — whether they ’ re new to innovation or experienced pros . Such toolkits can shift mindsets by encouraging teams to be creative on cue — making them feel invested , inspired , and innovative .
How to Begin the Spark of Innovation — for Leaders
ÎEVALUATE Î YOUR TEAM ’ S ABILITIES .
ÎOPEN Î THE FLOOR TO SUGGES- TIONS AND IDEAS FOR IMPROVEMENT .
ÎHAVE Î THE TEAM WORK TOGETHER USING INNOVA- TIVE TOOLS THAT HARNESS IDEAS AND CREATE COURSES OF ACTION .
ÎONCE Î CONCRETE APPROACHES HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED , LISTEN AND OFFER SUGGES- TIONS — APPLAUDING EFFORTS AND ENCOURAGING FURTHER WORK IF NEEDED .
Above all , to incorporate innovation in your company , let employees know that new thoughts are welcome and your office is a safe place for brainstorming and idea sharing .
Design and Method Cards When procedures are static and products and services don ’ t quickly evolve , it can be tough to come up with new design concepts , leaving teams feeling stuck and anything but creative . With design and method cards — game sets that provide prompts and explore ideology — design , research , and engineering teams can work to understand the audience they ’ re trying to reach and discover better ways to approach design with the experience in mind . Grab a card set — like KnowBrainer Innovation & Creative Thinking Tool ( available on Amazon )— to get the conversation started .
Gamestorming As innovation becomes the norm , creativity won ’ t be exclusive to those in creative roles . Finance employees understand how money can affect growth . Human resources knows how inspiration can affect employee retention . And operations can tell you what procedures should be streamlined for more efficient production . Building off this knowledge , along with Silicon Valley ideas and practices , the concept of Gamestorming was established . Check out your local bookstore for a copy of , Gamestorming : A Playbook for Innovators , Rulebreakers , and Changemakers . Inside it , you ' ll find games that promote creativity in people with various strengths and insights .
iMindMap When developing new business processes and concepts , it ’ s vital to ensure that the entire team can visualize what ’ s being discussed . Sticky notes are great , but they simply aren ’ t transferable between different cities or easy to use while traveling . With tools like iMindMap , teams can create digital , shareable idea boards that keep inspiration organized and collaborative . The organizational aspects of mind-mapping helps teams brainstorm ideas out of one central thought in order to identify next steps . This tool is available for purchase on imindmap . com .
When it comes to innovation and your business , Sterling National Bank would like to discuss how we can help finance your big idea . Simply contact your relationship manager or call 855.274.2800 .
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