In a world where competition has increasingly become a game of generating the best and most ideas, the best creative work is often done in teams. Therefore, I encourage leaders to drive greater creativity and innovation by encouraging teamwork at all company levels.
Teamwork Boosts Creative Thinking
The old saying, “Birds of a feather flock together,” perfectly illustrates our tendency to seek out people with similar perspectives, but this can dampen creative thinking. Harvard economics professor Richard Freeman noticed the tendency of scientists to work with those who were similar to them. Chinese scientists in one lab, Indians and Europeans in two others. He analyzed the publications put out by similar-minded scientists and found that papers with more diverse groups of authors received more public citations and prestige. Diverse input is a strength.
Often, I construct a world of creativity around me by engaging people in conversations and drawing inspiration from their perspectives. Merging the creative energies of others with your leadership problem-solving skills helps formulate better decisions with more complete information. By setting this example, you can establish teamwork as an expectation for creative thinking at all levels. Teams learn to work together on creative tasks, improving camaraderie and general team outlook while boosting employee engagement.
Diversity Matters
Diversity of thought is why teams succeed. Adam Galinsky, a social scientist, claims that those who have close relationships with individuals from other countries perform better on tests of creativity. Just thinking about those relationships can temporarily improve creativity. The more dimensions of diversity — culture, gender, age, sexuality, ethnicity, educational background, experience level and expertise — we build into our team, the more likely those team members are to draw inspiration from seemingly unrelated places.
A company with a diverse leadership board will know to consider more of its customers and better respond to their needs. A 2020 McKinsey study found that the companies more likely to earn higher profits also had the most ethnically diverse leadership teams. Company executives can lean into the wisdom of a diverse board for tried and tested solutions from their broad range of previous experiences.
Drive Teamwork And Greater Creativity
Teamwork and diversity lead to better problem-solving and more effective solutions. Still, leaders who attempt to drive teamwork at all levels need to be careful to avoid micromanaging. You need to trust in your team’s capacity for creative brainstorming by engaging the right people in the right way with a two-pronged approach: hiring and inspiring.
- Hire creative people who will work well together on a team. Take inventory of a candidate’s potential for creative thinking as a part of a team from the initial interview. You can deduce a lot about a person by whether or not they ask questions and the kinds of questions they ask. Are they thoughtful or superficial? Do they ask about the company and its challenges or salary and holidays?
The right candidate for a creative and collaborative team will show a strong work ethic and open-mindedness regarding others’ points of view. You can also evaluate their rapport with those interviewing them. Their ability to strike up healthy and engaging conversations can tell you a lot about their ability to work on a team and think creatively.
- Inspire and train team members to collaborate even better. Building a strong team of creative workers doesn’t happen overnight or without any thought. There are a few ways to build that team from the ground up:
• Encourage teamwork. Make it clear that teamwork is an expectation and ensure all team members understand the value of such collaborative work.
• Give positive feedback and reward success. Beyond just encouraging teamwork, leaders should also reward those efforts with positive feedback and recognition. When we acknowledge and praise the results of successful teamwork, we ensure that team members continue to strive for it.
• Communicate. Nurture a culture of collaboration by keeping the lines of communication open, including for team member feedback. Welcome these conversations and demonstrate that you take teamwork seriously by acting on their input for improvements.
• Share your vision and set clear goals. When all employees fully understand the company mission, vision and values as well as their organizational goals, they can work together to form independent decisions.
• Set a good example. Seek out teamwork for creative decisions and be open to considering and implementing team members’ good ideas, no matter where they come from. Leave your ego at the door.
• Build a healthy office environment. Develop a culture of teaching and learning. Make the office a place where people feel safe and comfortable offering and reaching out for help.
• Provide opportunities for development. Look for team members who can mentor or be mentored to nourish executive skills and leadership. The right people for a collaborative team will seek out constant learning opportunities and new ways to improve.
• Give employees the space they need to thrive. A company’s greatest innovations often come from worker initiatives, so leaders should give them a significant amount of autonomy. If we can trust that we built the best team of creative thinkers, it becomes easier to step back and let them take the wheel.
Teamwork brings diverse perspectives to the table and makes creativity easier. When we come at a problem from different angles and incorporate insights from various experiences, we end up with a more complete picture of the issue and a means to brainstorm more creative solutions.
Especially in the face of so much uncertainty, creativity is critical. By hiring the right people and inspiring them to work together, leaders can build a diverse team of collaborators who can carry a company through anything.
