To release creativity in employees, managers must get involved in their employees' work. Look at each employee as if he or she is the expert on the job and tap into their creative energy.
When we engage our employees and tap into their creative energy, they can show us ways to improve. All employees can be thinking about how to reduce costs, looking at safety issues, reducing wastes, and improving the environment, while at the same time developing skills to identify, articulate and communicate those kinds of things.
What can people do with their creative energy?
Michael took some wood, cardboard, and tape and made a 'flipper' to close boxes, eliminating the work he was doing.
Omar used a cardboard box to protect coworkers from a hot pipe. Later the box was replaced by a plastic coated wire guard.
Claudia designed a fixture to hold bubble wrap she used for packaging.
Physicians at UCLA Medical Center created software for storing medical images on Apple iPods, making the results mobile.
Hyman Lipman took an eraser and put it on top of a pencil. I know you've used the result of his creative energy.
So go out and ask your employees, "What can you do to make your job easier, more interesting, build your skills, and help the company save some money, improve safety, reduce defects, improve customer service, and reduce the time it takes us to deliver our products and our services?"
Involvement is demanding and requires listening. Any process, any product, any service can be made better in some way, somehow. So involve your people and tap into their creative energy.
Chuck Yorke is an organizational development and performance improvement specialist, trainer, consultant and speaker. He is co-author of "All You Gotta Do Is Ask," a book which explains how to promote large numbers of ideas from employees. Chuck may be reached at ChuckYorke@yahoo.com
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