How to Foster Creativity in Remote Work

• aasheem
• February 3rd, 2022

It is frequently as easy as giving opportunity for innovation to inspire innovative thinking at work. Spit-balling ideas over a pot of coffee are how people come up with their finest ideas. It is always better to have two brains than one, and bouncing ideas off your coworkers is the greatest approach to finding creative gold. 

For this reason, some individuals find creativity and remote working to be incompatible. When your staff is dispersed throughout the nation, figuring out how to enhance creativity at work may be a significant challenge. You may, however, empower your whole team to interact creatively with the correct tools and strategies. 

These are some of the things that individuals may do while they work from home to help them be more creative; 

• Get rid of the time-tracking software. As previously said, creativity and autonomy are inextricably intertwined, which is advantageous for remote employees. Unfortunately, some companies have begun to use monitoring software to track computer use as a means of determining productivity. To begin with, that productivity statistic is dubious at best. Second, it sends the message to your staff that you do not believe in them. Finally, it stifles creativity since you will not take the time to try if you will be punished for it. 

• Although having a procedure may seem to be anathema to creativity, it may really aid in pushing innovative thoughts. For instance, forced word association or timestream of consciousness’ thoughts are excellent strategies to get a creative process started. 

• Make use of the appropriate virtual collaboration tools. Nothing beats a face-to-face conversation. Modern technology, on the other hand, gets quite close. There are a plethora of remote work collaboration technologies available. You can communicate for as long as you want using video conferencing platforms like Teams or Zoom, but that is only the beginning. For discussing and developing ideas, tools like Trello or Asana, as well as chat apps like Slack, might be useful. There are even virtual whiteboard tools if you cannot seem to put your thoughts into words! 

• Approach brainstorming in a unique way. Do not attempt to recreate a sloppy brainstorming session (a few people show up, they have done little preparation, and they are supposed to come up with ideas on the spot). Instead, offer individuals activities and urge them to develop ideas in advance, either alone or in groups, depending on their preferred working method. 

• Encourage folks to do something different from their usual routine. Allow them to do something that will encourage creativity. For various individuals, this will mean different things. For example, to break up your routine, go for a stroll in a nearby park, sit outdoors, listen to music, or meditate. These are simpler to do outside of the workplace. 

• Make time to communicate with others. It is easy to overlook the benefits of a little banter or small conversation. It is, nevertheless, more vital than ever given the absence of a centralized workplace. The deeper your team’s social relationships are, the more likely they will keep in touch between stand-ups and seek each other’s ideas or suggestions. You may even take it a step further and organize some entertaining activities to help break the ice. 

• Instead of hindering creativity, use digital technologies to aid it. There are several excellent collaboration tools available, ranging from mind mapping to shared papers to working together on creative movies. 

• Rather than ‘brainstorming’ on video, let folks work alone and then bring their ideas to a creative group. I adore quiet meetings when everyone is in the room at the same time, but you are all working silently on a shared document until it is time to speak about it. 

• Meeting rooms and workspace should be rethought. Change the workplace idea as soon as Covid permits. Because the things we miss are generally social, you might establish real venues where people can connect and discuss ideas without being interrupted by phone calls and emails. 

• Consider transformation rather than repetition. Many corporations altered their preparations as the epidemic expanded throughout the world, but it became evident soon that adjusting was not going to be enough. While their workers worked remotely, companies needed to reinvent their companies and create and implement new capabilities swiftly. Companies must now comprehend the changes that are affecting whole sectors, as well as how they can supply customers with the answers they desire. 

• Increase the number of individuals who contribute by including people with a variety of experiences, viewpoints, ways of thinking, and cultural perspectives. This is pure genius. 

• To acquire alternative viewpoints, pair individuals from different areas, jobs, and experiences – people who would not ordinarily meet in person. Build-in diverse views to daily thinking not only during the creative process but on a regular basis. 

• Keep in mind that different individuals think in various ways. Your introvert may be your most creative individual, but he or she will never get the opportunity to shine in a large boardroom brainstorming session. Inviting individuals to prepare alone or in small groups and present their thoughts to a larger group might help identify those whose voices are drowned in a large group setting. 

• Include time for contemplation. Being on consecutive calls is the worst thing you can do for your creativity. Allow enough time for everyone to get into the correct mindset before a brainstorming session. 

• Prepare. Learn the technology and have one person in charge of the facilitation. The procedure will operate well if you can all utilize the technologies. 

• Make it possible for people to engage with one another. Employees in a remote work setting lose out on the chance to meet with coworkers during lunch, in the elevator, or at the water cooler. These moments, which are critical to workplace cohesiveness and cooperation, may arise on their own in a normal office setting. However, in a remote location, they must be carefully designed. To sustain that social connection and continual communication, establish a lot more encounters, whether inside a single team or between teams. 

• Consult your staff and pay attention to what they have to say. The quick adoption of new programs and procedures as a result of the move to remote work gave rise to the so-called “new normal.” Systemic alterations that would have normally taken months or years to occur occurred in a matter of days or weeks. It is critical to get feedback and suggestions from the individuals who will be using the technology to ensure that it runs well. They are in the greatest position to identify pain spots and give ideas for change since they have had direct experience. 

• Be present at the moment. Ensure that all gadgets are turned off, that all distractions are turned off, and that emails are not allowed during creative periods. 

• Integrate the agency’s creativity. Encourage folks to find alternative ways to spend their time. Ideas do not originate from sitting in front of a computer; they come from our experiences outside of work. 

Final Words 

In the end, although there are certain barriers to cooperation for remote workers, overcoming them may turn remote workers into some of your most creative and perceptive employees. Experimentation and taking risks are at the heart of creativity. So, if you want remote employees to innovate, you must have faith in their ability to do so.