Encourage people to voice their ideas and opinions. Our employees know it’s not only okay to speak up if they have an idea, but it will also actually be valued. They feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, it’s more likely to foster the kinds of discussions required to generate creative solutions.

People have their own ways of doing things. Some people like to work in teams; others prefer to work alone. Some enjoy using a pencil and notepad to jot down their thoughts, while others always make notes on their tablets or make voice recordings on their phones. We allow people to choose how they work – as long as they do their jobs and do them well – they’re happier, and that prompts more creativity.

Creativity – the ability to come up with unexpected, original ideas and solutions – is an integral element of innovation.

Expose people to different work practices to help them see things differently. Simply by changing one or two factors for a limited period of time, employees can start to see things from a different perspective, and that can help them come up with totally new ideas. This is one of our quarterly routines.

The key to an effective guided brainstorming session is to follow viable ideas through to a point where they can be fully visualized. Here’s one approach: After an initial round of suggestions and ideas, discuss each one with your team to determine which ones are exploring further. Select the three best ideas; then work with your team to see how you could develop them to create effective, exciting solutions or products. This is our technical approach for every decision we take to accomplish any timed complicated phase.