Innovation is something that stems from creative thought, and it’s something that is generally not associated with your average business’ IT department. IT tends to be practical and logical, not necessarily creative. All that said, there is immense value in going against the grain and solving problems in a creative way. Today, we want to focus on how you can encourage your IT department to think creatively about their responsibilities so they can innovate and do amazing things for your business.
Creativity is Good
Regardless of whether it is in IT or other departments of your organization, you want a creative team. There are many benefits that can be gleaned from one. Let’s take a look at what they can accomplish if they think of things in new and innovative ways.
More Efficiency
Creative thought leads to better solutions to problems, meaning there will be more of a focus on efficiency in the workplace. Creative thinking leads many to find better, more productive, and faster ways to solve their problems.
Better Problem Solving
With a focus on objectives rather than processes, creative thinkers will lead you toward finding better ways to accomplish your goals. If the processes don’t work, well, they’ll keep trying until they find one that does work.
Improvements to Thought Processes
If you encourage them to be more creative, they will have better thought processes that could lead to alternative perspectives that you might not have considered in the past.
Cultivation of Leadership Skills
When you give your people the agency to take ownership of their work, it can be incredibly empowering. Encouraging your team to think creatively can help to foster these leadership skills and give them the tools to develop into better employees as a whole, improving your operations and processes.
How Can You Build a Better Team?
Next, let’s examine some questions that must be answered to help you build your creative business team.
What Can Be Done to Improve Collaboration?
IT is not going to be the most collaborative part of your business, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t encourage it to be. Consider breaking your IT department up into small groups and having them examine particular problems you might be having. This gives them the ability to zero in on challenges in a low-stakes environment while also encouraging them to work with and learn from one another.
What Do My Customers Want?
Your customers and clients are going to have different wants and needs compared to your employees, so it’s worth considering them, too. Ask your employees to consider what the customer or client wants. This will make them engage with their thoughts in a different way.
How Can You Create an Inclusive Environment Where All Ideas Are Welcome?
While you might not implement all ideas introduced, you shouldn’t discredit the ideas of others. Sometimes it can benefit your company to have dreamers on your side, and the fastest way to ensure that those dreams die—stifling creativity along the way—is to discredit ideas. They could potentially be implemented in the future, if not today.
We Can Help Your Team Be More Creative
If you find your team doesn’t have the time to be creative, then it’s likely their schedules are full of tasks that get in the way of this line of thought. They might be tied up with management, maintenance, or support, lending less time to focus on other tasks. If this sounds like your business, we have the solution.
Through our technology solutions, Lantek can help your business take back its time and work toward more creative and innovative solutions to your day-to-day challenges. To learn more, reach out to us at (610) 683-6883.