As an entrepreneurial company one of your biggest advantages over large corporations is your flexibility and ability to innovate and create new solutions quickly. If you want your employees to make a positive contribution toward your company’s innovative success make sure that you don’t allow any of the following to stifle your employees creativity. Controlling Management – A manager that feels the need to be in control probably has some fear that his employees are going to come up with something great and end up with his job. Make sure to incentivize your employees and your managers in a way that will spur innovation. Give them freedom and then give credit where credit is due. Old Thinking – This is not to be confused with old people, although there seems to be a positive correlation between your age and your openness to innovation. Old thinking is the type of thinking that is happy with the status quo. It is the type of thinking that is happy to just do your “job†and then go home. Your thinking should be, “how can we change the world?†Rules - If you have strict vacation policies, or your employees must work from 8 to 5, or your employees must keep track of their activities every minute of every day, then your rules are probably hindering creativity at your office. Hire great employees, compensate them fairly, give them freedom, and then watch as innovation flourishes. Lack of Positive Outcomes for Innovators – If you don’t have a system to encourage and then reward innovation, why would your employees think outside of the box? If you take the idea of a creative employee and then simply use it for your company without rewarding the employee properly, rest assured that your employee is going to leave and make things happen on their own. They may take their skills to your competitor or start their own company and become your competitor. Reward those who deserve it. Innovation drives our economy and will drive your business forward. Lack of innovation will drive your business to its death. It is not enough to simply enact policies that are conducive to innovation, you must also actively spur and reward creativity in the workplace to create something truly great.
yeah, as funny as it may sound, all 4 were the major players at my last and final desk job.... too many chiefs and not enough indians
And don't be afraid to fire those that need it. People can be replaced, funds can only be spent once.
Important, but I'd like to comment on the rules bit. Rather than having rules and times, have deadlines. And rather than deadlines, have goals and a way ot mark your progress. Just throwing money as employees and saying, "Here, do this act that will eventually.. someday.. maybe contribute to something our company is progressing towards." is a bit of a bad idea, at least in my book.