The Takeaways
- Everyone is capable of creativity, but they may be reluctant to tap into it.
- Even if your team wants to innovate, they’re likely concerned about something else. They need to be persuaded that the goal is more important than their concerns.
- Creativity and curiosity are intrinsic, waiting to be activated.
Why Isn’t Your Team Innovating?
If you’re frustrated with your organization’s innovation efforts, you’re not alone. Maybe you feel stuck. Maybe it seems like you’re carrying the weight of the team. Or perhaps, you’re wondering why your team isn’t stepping up to contribute new ideas. Chances are, this frustration stems from concerns about your team’s ability to grow or evolve.
There’s a reasonable explanation for all this. People aren’t unwilling to be creative—they’re reluctant. The challenge is understanding why and addressing it.
Before jumping into another brainstorming session to force ideas out of your team, reframe the problem. The way you define this challenge will directly affect how (and whether) you solve it.
Over the past 30 years, I’ve worked with countless managers and teams, and I’ve found that when people are reluctant to innovate, it’s usually due to one of these three reasons:
- Unwillingness: They’re uncomfortable with change and want to protect the status quo.
- Aversion: Past attempts to innovate failed, making them cynical about future efforts.
- Hesitation: They’re willing to innovate but don’t feel a sense of urgency.
Recognizing the Signs
Imagine you’re kicking off a new project and want to develop a vision for the future, aiming six months to two years ahead. You schedule an entire day for brainstorming. Depending on your team’s mindset, one of the following scenarios is likely to unfold:
- The Unwilling are quiet, hesitant to share ideas. When they do contribute, they seek validation with questions like, “Is that what you mean?” They’re more concerned about being “right” than being creative, indicating a fear of change.
- The Averse are skeptical and often resistant. They may participate but focus on why things won’t work, offering ideas laced with defensive language and risk-avoidance. Their skepticism is rooted in past failures, where they’re more concerned about avoiding blame than seeking new solutions.
- The Hesitant will contribute, but with a measured pace. They share ideas, but only in the context of their current workload and schedules. Their concept of the future is short-term, shaped by what they know today. Their lack of urgency about long-term innovation is what creates concern.
Notice how none of these scenarios have to do with the team’s ability to be creative? That’s because the issue isn’t a lack of creativity or curiosity. Everyone has those skills; they’re intrinsic. The real issue is that these natural abilities need to be activated.
Creativity is Like Caffeine
Think about caffeine. Many people assume caffeine gives us energy, but what it really does is block receptors, allowing dopamine—the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure—to flow more freely. The energy was already there; the caffeine simply turns it on.
Similarly, creativity is already present in your team. But like caffeine, you need to activate it by addressing the concerns that are blocking their potential.
How to Activate Creativity
Instead of trying to “make” your team more creative, focus on removing the barriers that prevent them from tapping into their natural creative energy. Here are some suggestions:
1. Clarify why innovation matters to the organization. Why is this important now? What’s at stake if you don’t innovate? For instance, what’s keeping you up at night? Sharing this sense of urgency can help align everyone around a common goal.
2. Replace “innovation” or “creativity” with the actual desired goal. Sometimes, the words “innovate” and “be creative” can sound vague and intimidating. Instead, focus on the concrete outcome you want to achieve—whether that’s solving a specific problem, improving a process, or meeting customer needs.
3. Address your team’s specific concerns based on their perspective. Whether their concerns stem from the past (fear of failure), the present (overwhelming workload), or the future (uncertainty), acknowledge them and explain how innovation will address these issues.
By following these steps, you’ll move beyond surface-level innovation efforts and unlock your team’s true creative potential. The goal is not just to innovate for the sake of it, but to focus on meaningful growth and problem-solving.
This version uses the caffeine analogy to clarify that creativity already exists within the team and focuses on strategies to remove obstacles rather than force innovation. It reinforces the idea that addressing concerns is the key to unlocking creativity.