Veja como você pode promover a criatividade e o pensamento inovador em sua equipe de estratégia de TI.

Diversity is the cornerstone of creativity. By fostering a team composed of individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, you create a fertile ground for innovative thinking. Encourage open dialogue and respect for all viewpoints, creating a culture where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute their unique ideas. This inclusivity not only propels your team towards groundbreaking solutions but also enriches the overall work environment.

It's essential to acknowledge that bringing together diverse perspectives enriches the final solution. When different viewpoints are combined, the result is often more comprehensive and innovative. In such an environment, no idea is considered bad; instead, every contribution helps the team move forward. By valuing every input, teams not only foster a culture of inclusion but also ensure that the solutions they develop are well-rounded and effective. Embracing this mindset is key to unlocking the full potential of creativity within a diverse team.

Diversity is a catalyst for creativity in IT strategy teams. Encourage a culture of inclusivity where all voices are heard and respected. This diversity fosters a positive work environment and drives innovative solutions. By valuing different perspectives, you can unlock the full potential of your team.

Encourage calculated risk-taking in your IT strategy team. Let them know that failure is a valuable learning experience. This approach will embolden them to experiment with new ideas without fear, potentially leading to breakthrough innovations.

Innovation thrives in an environment where calculated risks are embraced rather than feared. To foster a creative IT strategy team, it is essential to cultivate a culture that encourages experimentation and learning from both successes and failures. By emphasizing that failure is a natural part of the process, you empower your team to explore new ideas without hesitation, potentially leading to groundbreaking discoveries.

Encouraging risk-taking is about creating a safe space where every attempt is valued. Starting with assumptions, a "fail fast" approach helps quickly evaluate the business case impact during the PoC phase, allowing teams to pivot or scale as needed. As assumptions are tested, they either evolve into facts or lead to discarding the idea. Often, the greatest benefit comes from identifying which risks are worth taking. This mindset not only drives innovation but also ensures that calculated risks can lead to significant rewards.

Use constraints to draw out creativity. Complex systems have many variables, controls and parts. Set strict constraints for the problem-solving team before a brainstorming session and you'll be amazed what the team comes up with. The development of our board game got going only after we introduced a constraint that the game had to fit into a founders pocket.

Providing your team with the right tools not only enhances productivity but also unleashes their full creative potential. Cloud technology plays a crucial role in this by offering scalable, accessible platforms that facilitate collaboration and idea generation. Additionally, generative AI is becoming a powerful tool, not just in the ideation phase but also in more advanced stages of evaluating ideas. By leveraging these technologies, you can empower your team to work more efficiently and creatively, allowing ideas to flow freely and be refined with the help of cutting-edge tools.

Techniques are KEY to this, because our minds are taught to think in a particular way. This is usually helpful but has the consequence of being constraining for idea generation. Edward de Bono derived a set of techniques (and process) to breakout of the constraints and generate new ideas, which are practical and do work. External consultants facilitating these sessions relieves the indigenous team from the logistics and maximises breadth of ownership of the ideas and their implementation - for which you need a credible robust PLAN and hence a real project manager. "Don't spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar"

Continuous learning is essential for maintaining a creative edge. By providing your IT strategy team with training in areas like design thinking, creative problem-solving, and emerging technologies, you equip them with the tools to spark innovative ideas. Tailoring training opportunities to individual career goals and organizational objectives ensures that the team remains engaged and motivated to explore new concepts and methods.

Incorporating training on design thinking, creative problem-solving, and emerging technologies sharpens your team's skills while structuring their approach towards more agile and effective results. Many of these methods are frameworks that guide structured thinking, helping to organize ideas and drive outcomes systematically. Aligning training with both personal and organizational goals ensures that the learning process directly contributes to team success.

To encourage out-of-the-box thinking, present your IT strategy team with challenges that push them beyond their comfort zones. These challenges can be internal hackathons, innovation contests, or real-world problems that require unconventional approaches. By stimulating the team to think differently and collaborate intensively, you can foster an environment where unexpected and innovative solutions can emerge. Ensure that these challenges align with your strategic goals to maintain focus and motivation. Strategies are challenged every day and every step thus a plan to think in a strategic mindset and challenge oriented will get you moving a lot.