When you think creativity in an organization, do you think…brainstorm?

This is the term many people think of and while brainstorms have their place when generating ideas, they are not the only ways nor the best way to foster creativity. The most effective ways of fostering creativity is to approach it very strategically. Here are four ways to foster creativity in your workplace.

Measure and track your creativity

Do you know what your test scores were for the SAT or the ACT? Or have you ever taken an IQ test and know your score? How about a CQ (creativity quotient) test?

Creativity sounds like a metric that’s too subjective to measure. But it’s no strange topic to psychologist and creativity experts in the field.  Through over 50 years of psychological research, psychologists have found that you can accurately measure someone’s creativity using a psychometric approach.

We’ve developed an automated way of measuring your Creativity Quotient (CQ) through open-ended thought-provoking, outside-the-box-thinking exercises. Your CQ, which determines your ability to come up with novel ideas that are adaptive and applicable, can be assessed using four dimensions: Fluency, Flexibility, Originality and Elaboration.

To learn more about characteristics of a creative person, click here.

Conduct exercises to improve your creativity

Believe it or not, creativity isn’t always something you’re just born with and you can improve your own creativity over time. But, it takes work. We’ve conducted extensive studies on this subject and we’ve developed five scientifically-proven daily exercises that, if used consistently, will improve your creative juices.

You can find a list of exercises to help you improve your creative chops here.

Build programs to encourage creativity

Internal innovation programs have been successful built in many companies and there is no reason you can’t build one at your organization. And if you already have one and think it could be better, here is a list of some great ones: Five Examples of Companies with Internal Innovation Programs.

Create a culture that rewards those ideas

Motivation is key with any idea program to stimulate creativity. You need to have everyone on board – leadership, staff and employees. The best way to get them on board is to have incentives in place for all three that continue to drive the program over time. It’s likely some form of recognition, financial benefit or alignment with annual goals to increase status internally. There is no one-size-fits-all model. The only way to determine the best fit is to assess your environment and determine what motivates your team/company.

Tune in for our post later this week to find out more about these idea programs!