How Project Managers Can Encourage Creativity
If creativity is the heart of the business, managers are the ones who keep it beating. Fostering creativity in your teams isn’t just good for company culture; it’s good for business in general. Many managers reserve the role of creativity for actual ‘creative’ endeavors. But, creativity doesn’t only mean artistic expression. Creativity is imaginative thinking, innovative problem solving, and recognizing new opportunities. All these are essential traits required to keep your business at its best. While some people may be more inherently creative than others; most just need the right encouragement to get them to think differently. This is where a good project manager steps in.
The Role of a Project Manager
Like a compass, a project manager keeps the team on track and always headed north. Certainly, the specifics of a project manager’s role vary from one industry to the next. That said, most project managers are in charge of a particular project from start to finish. This includes the scope, the team, the budget and timeframe, and ultimately, the project’s success.
While there are several tasks to handle, one of the greatest challenges for project managers is ensuring the employees they’re responsible for are fulfilling their potential. But tapping into unexplored promise is no easy feat. Project managers have to commit to creating and supporting a space where their teams can put their best foot forward. This starts by encouraging creativity across the board—from ideating to operating, problem-solving, or adapting. Thankfully, there are several ways to ignite your team’s creative spark:
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Create a Productive Workspace
Your workspace is where most work gets done, so if the space is uninspiring there’s a good chance the work will be too. As a project manager, it’s important to surround your team with creative stimuli. While changing the office floor plan may be a larger project, you can start with smaller things that make a big difference. Adjusting the lighting from fluorescent options to warmer accent lights can have a big effect on reducing stress and boosting creativity. Similarly, an office full of plants can do wonders for productivity. Use the walls as your canvas, utilizing art and brighter paint to bring energy into the office space. Likewise, calmer shades can be used for relaxation, especially for break rooms or balconies.
Of course, in light of COVID-19 several employees are working from home—but you can bring these ideas to them! Encourage remote employees to set up a designated home office space. You can send them plants, or even host a virtual session on how to create a productive work environment at home.
Use Creative Tools and Approaches
Managing a project can quickly become overwhelming, from segregating information and delegating tasks to rein in ideas and meeting deadlines. With task-based projects like these, the key lies in your approach. Using creative tools like mind maps helps bring a team together to tackle the task head-on. An added benefit is that mind maps work just as well even when team members are working remotely!
Mind maps start with a central thought or topic branching out to connecting ideas and related topics. What these do is allow for creativity, brainstorming, and collaboration amongst team members. Research shows that mind mapping also increases productivity by 20-30%.
If creativity is the heart of the business, managers are the ones who keep it beating. Fostering creativity in your teams isn’t just good for company culture; it’s good for business in general. Many managers reserve the role of creativity for actual ‘creative’ endeavors. But, creativity doesn’t only mean artistic expression. Creativity is imaginative thinking, innovative problem solving, and recognizing new opportunities. All these are essential traits required to keep your business at its best. While some people may be more inherently creative than others; most just need the right encouragement to get them to think differently. This is where a good project manager steps in.
The Role of a Project Manager
Like a compass, a project manager keeps the team on track and always headed north. Certainly, the specifics of a project manager’s role vary from one industry to the next. That said, most project managers are in charge of a particular project from start to finish. This includes the scope, the team, the budget and timeframe, and ultimately, the project’s success.
While there are several tasks to handle, one of the greatest challenges for project managers is ensuring the employees they’re responsible for are fulfilling their potential. But tapping into unexplored promise is no easy feat. Project managers have to commit to creating and supporting a space where their teams can put their best foot forward. This starts by encouraging creativity across the board—from ideating to operating, problem-solving, or adapting. Thankfully, there are several ways to ignite your team’s creative spark:
Create a Productive Workspace
Your workspace is where most work gets done, so if the space is uninspiring there’s a good chance the work will be too. As a project manager, it’s important to surround your team with creative stimuli. While changing the office floor plan may be a larger project, you can start with smaller things that make a big difference. Adjusting the lighting from fluorescent options to warmer accent lights can have a big effect on reducing stress and boosting creativity. Similarly, an office full of plants can do wonders for productivity. Use the walls as your canvas, utilizing art and brighter paint to bring energy into the office space. Likewise, calmer shades can be used for relaxation, especially for break rooms or balconies.
Of course, in light of COVID-19 several employees are working from home—but you can bring these ideas to them! Encourage remote employees to set up a designated home office space. You can send them plants, or even host a virtual session on how to create a productive work environment at home.
Use Creative Tools and Approaches
Managing a project can quickly become overwhelming, from segregating information and delegating tasks to rein in ideas and meeting deadlines. With task-based projects like these, the key lies in your approach. Using creative tools like mind maps helps bring a team together to tackle the task head-on. An added benefit is that mind maps work just as well even when team members are working remotely!
Mind maps start with a central thought or topic branching out to connecting ideas and related topics. What these do is allow for creativity, brainstorming, and collaboration amongst team members. Research shows that mind mapping also increases productivity by 20-30%.
The Synami team is the collective voice behind Synami’s project management solutions, providing guidance, tips, and industry expertise to help teams plan, manage, and deliver projects more effectively.
