Maintaining a Culture of Innovation and Creativity

In the beginning, a group of friends and/or classmates joins forces to create a company.  They know and like each other. They have what they consider to be the greatest idea of the century, thus have dedication, excitement, and motivation.

How do you sustain this enthusiasm and creative output? 

It seems the larger the company, the more difficult it is to continue to innovate and be creative. I operationally define creativity to be as much a part of the process and innovation as the product.

Having spent many hours interviewing 50 C-Level executives about this topic, I have some ideas as to what goes wrong and what steps can be taken to revitalize the company.

In this course, we explore some of the common problems faced by companies as they grow. These problems include issues of teams, trust, and decision making, as well as the manner in which “good ideas” are expected to go up the chain of command.

I also explain the open-ended questionnaire I developed as I explored this dilemma, as well as the results of the interviews. Lastly, I offer some suggestions for how to encourage and receive the best of ideas from your employees.