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Employee creativity is one of the essential functions of an innovative business. You may not realize it, but if you’re not seeing the creative input you’re expecting it may be because you’re management style isn’t conducive to creative thinking. As the manager it is up to you to foster the right environment for your team to thrive and develop new ideas that will drive your business forward. So how do you know if your management style is stifling creativity? Here are some things to think about and improve.

  • Do you micromanage? The biggest mistake that managers make when it comes to crushing creativity is micromanagement. When you don’t allow your team out from under your continuously watchful eye they feel intimidated and are less likely to engage in innovative behavior. They will feel like every move is critiqued, which will hinder their process. When it comes to creative thinking it can’t be put inside a box or governed by too many regulations. Innovation needs to be organic and you need to trust your team to make something happen by giving them space.
  • Do you encourage collaboration? Collaborative work environments are one of the cornerstones of creative innovation. There are multiple reasons for this. First, many of the newest employees are part of Generation Y, a group of young people who have always participated in collaborative activities so their brains are wired for this type of performance. Second, your employees have complementary skills and if you give them an opportunity to collaborate you will tap into into their various abilities which will drive innovation.
  • Do your employees take vacation time? One of the top reasons that employees cite for not taking their allotted vacation time is that they feel they will be seen as a slacker by their managers. They are concerned that they will get fired or that when they return there will be never ending work. Managers don’t even realize they give this impression. Do you wait until the last minute on the day before their vacation starts to ask them to finish a crucial project? This creates stress rather than improve productivity. Time away from the office actually encourages creative thinking and will help your employees recharge.
  • Are you seeing employee burnout? Do your employees generally love coming to work each day? You might think it is the natural order of things for people to dread coming into the office, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. When people feel negatively toward their work environment, their management team, or their coworkers they will start to feel the creep of employee burnout and it will show in the work they produce. Evaluate what it causing this disconnect and make changes.

Do you want to improve your management style to increase innovation in your office?

Anserteam Workforce Solutions can help today!