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Recruiting, Hiring and Managing Creative and Innovative People

In today’s rapidly evolving marketplace, technical skills are undeniably important.  Programmers need to know coding languages.  Actuaries must understand how to analyze statistical data.  And Cinematographers must know how to use 4D cameras to shoot a film.  They must know the nuts and bolts of their profession.  However, for a business to rely solely on employees’ technical skills is akin to building a house on sand.  The bedrock of sustainable success lies in fostering a culture of creativity and innovation.  For business owners, prioritizing the recruitment and development of those “soft skills” is not just a competitive advantage; it’s a necessity for survival and exponential growth.  

The Power of the Idea: Revenue and Beyond

Studies consistently demonstrate the tangible impact of employee creativity and innovation on a company’s bottom line. A report by McKinsey found that companies with a strong culture of innovation achieve significantly higher revenue growth compared to their less innovative peers. Furthermore, a study by Adobe revealed that companies that prioritize creativity see a 1.5x greater market share. When coupled with robust Research & Development initiatives, the results are transformative.  While creative employees develop new ideas, R&D fosters a pipeline for those new ideas to be brought to life, resulting in products and services that disrupt markets and create entirely new revenue streams.

Take a Bite of a Highly Creative and Innovative Apple

Case in point.  Consider Apple. While technical expertise is essential to their product development, it’s their relentless focus on creativity in design, user experience, and user interface that sets them apart. From the Macintosh to the iPhone, Apple consistently pushed boundaries, not just in technology, but in how people interact with it. Their success stemmed from a culture that prioritized creativity and innovation over technical proficiency.   Their impact stemmed from a powerful synergy of vision, design philosophy, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

On one hand, Steve Jobs possessed an unparalleled ability to envision the future of technology and how it could seamlessly integrate into people’s lives. He wasn’t just interested in technical specifications, but in how it was served up in the user experience.  Jobs understood that technology should be intuitive and enjoyable. He championed user-centered design, prioritizing simplicity and elegance.  For this reason, he instilled a culture of demanding perfection, pushing his teams to create products that were not only functional but also aesthetically beautiful.  He had a keen eye for detail, ensuring that every aspect of a product, from its hardware to its software, was meticulously crafted.  And he could identify and articulate the product’s core essence, simplifying complex technology for the average user.  

On the other hand, Jony Ive was a Master of Industrial Design, with a deep understanding of materials, form, and function.  He led the design of iconic Apple products, including the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, shaping the aesthetics of modern technology and making Jobs’ idea come to life.  Like Jobs, he had a passion for minimalism.  Ive placed a large emphasis on the materials used in the products, and the way those materials were crafted. This brought a level of quality to Apple products that had been unseen in the tech industry.  

Basically, Jobs provided the visionary creativity while Ive translated that vision into tangible, beautifully designed products. Their combined creative forces transformed Apple into a global powerhouse, setting new standards for innovation and design.

Recruiting for Spark and Innovation

So how does a company recruit and hire people who are highly creative and/or innovative?   During the hiring process, there needs to be a shift from traditional interview tactics to a focus on identifying creative and innovative individuals.  Here’s how.

Ask Behavioral Questions – Ask behavioral questions that delve into past experiences, such as:  “Describe a time you came up with a unique solution to a challenging problem.” Or “How do you approach situations where there’s no clear answer?”  Or pose the following situation:  “Tell me about a time you challenged the status quo with a creative shift.”

Request Portfolios / Project Demonstrations – Do an interview version of a “Show-and-Tell”.  Encourage candidates to showcase past projects that highlight their creative thinking and problem-solving skills.  They can bring documentation or actual work product that demonstrates the idea and how it was implemented.

Pose Scenario-Based Situations – Present hypothetical scenarios and ask candidates to brainstorm solutions based on the situation.  

Conduct Personality Assessments – Utilize assessment tools that measure traits like curiosity, creativity, open-mindedness, proactivity and ambiguity tolerance, such as the Indicator of Ambiguity, which is a scientifically-validated psychometric assessment that measures a person’s approach and response to ambiguity.

Design Collaborative Exercises – Formulate group activities that assess how candidates work together to generate and refine ideas.

Cultivating Creativity in Existing Employees

But it is not enough to recruit and hire creative and innovative people.  It is also important for companies to nurture creativity within existing employees.  This is just as crucial as hiring for it because it takes time for a company’s approach to hiring for creativity and innovation to filter though to every position.  So current employees need to be encouraged to be creative and/or innovative. 

To cultivate creativity in the workplace, a company must foster a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and risk-taking.   Here is a list of a half dozen strategies that can serve as a starting point for drawing out creativity in existing staff.

1. Foster a Culture of Psychological Safety – Encourage open communication, where employees feel comfortable sharing ideas without fear of judgment. There can be no ‘bad ideas” or “dumb questions.”  Sometimes, genius ideas can come from the most unlikely places, such as employees’ dreams.  That was the case with the invention of the Sewing Machine.  Employees must understand that it’s okay to offer ideas that might fail or might not even be viewed as tenable.  For this to happen, management must view themselves as equals with direct reports in a flat management environment. 
   
   
2. Provide Dedicated Time for Creativity – Establish “Curiosity Days” or allocate time for employees to explore new ideas and projects.  Creativity in the workplace does not have to mean creativity in the workspace. Sometimes a change of scenery can help spark new ideas. Allow staff to witch up the team routine with off-site or action-oriented meetings, such as walking around a lake or park.  Or they can brainstorm at a coffee shop or an art gallery lobby.  Remote or hybrid employees should do the same.
   
   
3. Encourage Cross-Functional Collaboration – Break down silos and facilitate collaboration between departments to spark new perspectives.  Also, allow opportunities for teams to visit other types of workplaces and/or places that could spur creative thought.  After all, that’s how Henry Ford got the idea of adopting the system used by the meat-packing industry and adapting it for the automotive assembly line.
   
   
4. Invest in Training and Development – Offer workshops and training programs that focus on creative problem-solving, design thinking, and brainstorming techniques.  That is an expense that delivers a huge ROI.
   
   
5. Celebrate and Reward Ideas – Recognize and reward employees for their creative contributions, both big and small.   Big ideas should be compensated with big financial reward.  And, management must ensure that colleagues who collaborate and come up with winning ideas are recognized and rewarded equitably, not just those who dominate, are most outspoken or have a special connection with someone in leadership.
   
   
6. Create a Flexible Work Environment – Offer flexible hours, remote work options, and a comfortable workspace that fosters creativity.  The more comfortable and less stressed employees are, the more they can concentrate on solving problems and finding opportunities.

Encourage Existing Employees to Act on Ideas

Of course, the strategies that encourage innovation are different than those to boost creativity.  While creativity generates ideas, innovation entails turning those ideas into reality.  Innovation isn’t born from boardroom brainstorming. It is the action-oriented, on the ground process of taking seeds of ideas and turning them into systems, processes, services or products that improve operations, reduce waste, save money, boost existing revenue streams or generate new ones.  Innovation is action-oriented. Management’s role is to cultivate an environment where these ideas don’t just get pitched but are actively pursued and implemented. Here’s how:

1. Combat Fear of Judgment – Managers should actively listen and avoid dismissing possible actions prematurely.  Even seemingly outlandish suggestions can prove to be the path forward.  Let staff try new things and compare results.  Everyone should be invested in results, not worried about what bosses or colleagues might say.
   
   
2. Empower Employees with Autonomy and Resources – To do this, managers should decentralize decision-making and give employees the authority to make decisions within their areas of expertise. This fosters ownership and encourages proactive problem-solving.   They should also allocate time for employees to experiment and try new approaches.  This could involve dedicated “innovation days,” project budgets or explore relevant tools and technologies.  
   
   
3. Implement Structured Innovation Processes – To do this, establish clear goals and objectives.   Define the areas where innovation is desired and set clear, measurable goals. This provides direction and focus for employee actions.  Then allow them to freely take the necessary actions to meet the goal.  
   
   
4. Support Moves that Shift Ideation to Implementation – The key to action-oriented innovation is supporting the transition to tangible results. Managers must create systems that support the transition from ideation to implementation.  Encourage employees to quickly build prototypes and test their ideas in real-world scenarios.  Establish clear feedback loops to gather data and refine ideas based on user feedback.  Greenlight pilot programs that test new ideas on a smaller scale before full-scale implementation.  
   
   
5. Light a Fire on Employee Action – To speed up innovation, utilize Agile methodologies.  Embrace iterative development and rapid prototyping. This allows for quick testing and refinement of ideas.  And implement management systems to capture, track, and evaluate employee ideas being implemented. This ensures no valuable suggestions are lost and actions don’t get stuck midstream.  To further accelerate results, implement Innovation Challenges and Hackathons.  Such events can generate a burst of energy and spur employees to hasten work.  It’s how Mark Zuckerberg got programmers to develop the initial code for Facebook.  
   
   
6. Recognize and Reward Performance – Talk is cheap.  It is important to acknowledge and celebrate breakthroughs by publicly recognizing and rewarding employees who contribute to ideas that are implemented. This reinforces positive behavior and motivates others.  Managers can also implement Performance-Based Incentives such as tying innovation metrics to performance evaluations and reward systems. This provides tangible incentives for employees to pursue innovative projects.
   
   
7. Lead by Example – The most important thing for leadership to do in order to get staff to innovate is to lead by example.  During the creation of Facebook, Zuckerberg demonstrated a commitment to innovation by actively participating in innovation initiatives and demonstrating a willingness to experiment and try new things.  He was there, boots-on-the-ground, as coders worked 18-hour shifts implementing his ideas.  But he was also adaptable and open to new options and acted as an advocate for their initiatives by securing resources and overcoming obstacles.

By implementing these strategies, management can cultivate a workplace where innovation is not just a concept, but a core value. This will empower employees to take action, drive positive change, and ultimately contribute to the organization’s success.  Managing creative and innovative individuals requires a different approach than traditional management styles. It requires empowerment, autonomy, freedom, mentoring over micromanagement, a focus on outcomes and solid feedback.  By prioritizing creativity and innovation, and by implementing the strategies outlined above, businesses can unlock their true potential and achieve unprecedented levels of success.

Quote of the Week
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Thomas Edison

© 2025, Keren Peters-Atkinson. All rights reserved.