Risk & Business Magazine McFarlan Rowlands Magazine Summer 2018 | Page 27

OFFICE CULTURE BY CHRISTA O’NEIL DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS – COMMERCIAL LINES 5 Tips to Create an Innovative Office Culture E ngaging Innovation is the key to positioning your business for the future. It is more essential to focus your energy on the creation of an innovative office culture than on anything else. Most companies don’t spend adequate resources or time on this. You must motivate yourself to work on this if you want to have an innovative office culture. Here are five tips to nurture innovation in your office: 1. INNOVATIVE WORKSPACE To be more creative and to generate more innovative ideas, every office member needs to work at their best. For many people, traditional office culture is stifling. Ask office personnel how the workspace can be improved to be a more engaging and more creative environment. Start your process by talking with your employees to assess their needs and gather their input. 2. CREATIVE THINKING Creativity varies from one person to another. Some people are more creative than others, but this is a skill that can be achieved through training. Hold regular workshops or training sessions for creative thinking. Encourage your office employees to read books on various strategies of creative thinking and to make these strategies second nature. 3. ENCOURAGE PASSION Drive your employees with passion. Passion for work can be a driving force in creating an innovative office culture. Make sure that everybody’s voice is heard. 4. MEANINGFUL WORK People always yearn to do something meaningful with their lives. Encourage your employees to work in a way that is meaningful to them. Give your employees enough space and ownership of their tasks to motivate them to achieve these tasks by giving their best in a meaningful way. 5. TIME Deadlines are essential, but do not micromanage your employees. Inspire a workplace that gives employees as little interruption as possible. Allow employees a block of creative time within their work schedules. + 27