There are numerous methods to encourage your employees to do an
excellent job. However, in most of the cases employers are also great at
securing conditions that can actually kills the creativity of their
team. The following review of the 6 ways to kill creativity offers an
insight into the heart of organizational problems. Teresa Amabile, the
Director of the Harvard Business School conducted a research in numerous
companies and reveals the following results. Check out the most
important factors that can sabotage a fruitful and inspiring
collaboration with your employees.
1. Role mismatch
It is extremely important to give the appropriate assignment to every
employee. If the employer neglects the abilities and studies of a worker
tragedy can happen too often. Motivation is created with projects that
allow every individual to live out his creativity. Therefore, it is
essential that managers consider the skills of every worker.
2. Restrict Freedom
The objectives of a company can be actually defined by the manager,
however it is also important to give free hand to employees to achieve
it in their own pace and through different procedures. One of the
time-tested tricks to kills creativity is to claim that there are no
alternative methods to complete a task; the right way is your way.
Another would be to constantly change the objectives.
3. Ration Resources
Short deadlines can be the greatest weapons to kill creativity.
Employers often restrict the different resources to a minimum level.
Mental space is the name of the game in business. If you’re ready to
give your team enough time and aids to come up with innovative ideas
you’ll be able to boost the number of the creative projects.
4. Reduce group diversity
Managers often group people with similar skills and personalities in the
same party. However it was demonstrated that employees with different
views and characters get more creative when working on the same project.
5. No encouragement
New ideas are often criticized and neglected by managers in order to
kill the creativity of employees. Those who wish to come up with
innovative ideas can be discouraged by the inappropriate attitude of
their boss. Moreover some of them get even punished for their
extra-efforts.
6. No support
Employees become demotivated if they feel threatened by the community
they’re working in. Creative work is sabotaged by gossips and
infighting. Those who have brand new ideas might keep them in secret if
they are treated with cynicism.
These are only some of the most impressive methods managers can use to kill creativity and drive away their employees.