Success Advice
Workplace Creativity: Why It’s Important and How to Cultivate It

Whether you are managing a startup, a small business or a large corporation, it’s no secret that fostering creative thinking within the workplace is vital to the growth and success of your organization.
With the increasingly complex issues your business faces every day, sometimes, the same tired concepts and means to solve problems just won’t cut it anymore. A leader is expected to solve these problems, but ideas coming from only one person can only do so much.
This is why an environment where creativity is cultivated is important; a workplace filled with creative thinkers will provide innovative solutions and develop better ways to do things.
Fostering creativity in the workplace can be a challenging task for leaders, especially with the hustle and bustle of each day in an ordinary workplace environment filled with workloads and deadlines that leave only little room for creativity.
Here are 6 ways to encourage creativity among your employees:
1. Leverage freedom and diversity
Give your employees freedom to work towards a specific work goal using any method they want. Always dictating the specific way to do things will only stifle their creativity. Assign a fixed work goal but allow them to use their own approach to achieve it. Leverage diversity by forming teams composed of diverse creative minds that have different perspectives and take on things. A group composed of employees with various points of view is most likely to come up with creative solutions as opposed to a homogenous group where there isn’t much assortment of ideas.
2. Provide enough resources
Although there are certain projects that can be achieved by requiring only little or none of both, time and money are important resources for optimizing creativity. Deadlines can either suppress or heighten creativity, and a limited budget might cause quality to be compromised. Provide just enough resources to support your employees in achieving a work goal.
3. Discourage politics
Make sure to pick the best ideas based on their usefulness and appropriateness, not on hierarchy. If your employees, no matter what position, feel like they have the chance to contribute to the success of the organization, they will feel more encouraged to contribute ideas more often.
“People work for money but go the extra mile for recognition, praise and rewards.” – Dale Carnegie
4. Keep the door open for new ideas
Their creative thinking is useless if your employees feel like their ideas aren’t welcome. Foster a creative environment where everyone knows that if they have an idea, they are free to share it anytime. You can also actively ask for your employee’s ideas by putting up a general suggestion box, where they can suggest ideas that would help in the betterment of the company anytime.
5. Make room for failure
Failure is inevitable when it comes to risk-taking. Creative thinkers will produce a lot of solutions and not many of them will lead to a successful result. Making your employees think that failure is not an option will only make them feel afraid to step out of their comfort zones and keep them from coming up with new ideas, which will stifle innovation. Instead of ostracizing them everytime they fail, let them learn from their mistakes. Let each failure bring them a step closer to success.
6. Recognize your employee’s efforts
Knowing their work matters to your organization will help your employees feel more motivated in contributing to its success. It doesn’t require resources. A simple “thank you” or a short message acknowledging your employee’s efforts and contribution to the business would be enough.
“Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” – Stephen R. Covey
Which one of these 6 ways to foster creativity do you find most valuable? Let us know by commenting below!
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”
While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.
Why This Gap Exists
Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.
What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.
Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap
Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.
1. Practice Mutual Empathy
Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.
2. Maintain Professional Boundaries
Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.
3. Follow the Golden Rule
Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.
4. Avoid Micromanagement
Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.
5. Empower Employees to Grow
Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.
6. Communicate in All Directions
Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.
7. Overcome Insecurities
Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.
8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship
True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.
9. Eliminate Favoritism
Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.
10. Recognize Efforts Promptly
Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.
11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews
When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.
12. Provide Leadership Development
Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.
13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles
Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.
The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role
Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:
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Build diverse talent pipelines
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Embrace flexible work models
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Design compelling career paths
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Simplify HR processes
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Redefine the value HR brings
The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.
Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff
When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.
Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.
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