Innovation is the lifeblood of any successful business.
It helps you solve problems faster, outthink competitors, and build an environment where new ideas thrive.
But most workplaces stifle creativity without even realising it. Unspoken rules, rigid processes, and fear of failure can keep even the most innovative teams stuck in safe, predictable thinking.
So how do you actually foster creativity in your workplace?
Over the years, working in marketing, improv, and startup ecosystems, I’ve seen that creativity isn’t random flashes of inspiration. It’s a skill that can be nurtured, if you create the right conditions.
Here are six practical ways I’ve found to build a workplace that fuels creativity every day.
1. Build a Culture of Psychological Safety
Nothing kills creativity faster than fear.
If people worry that their ideas will be dismissed, criticised, or even penalised, they’ll stick to what’s safe. They won’t take creative risks, even when they have better solutions.
Psychological safety is the foundation of creative workplaces. It means making sure people feel comfortable speaking up, challenging ideas, and experimenting without fear of looking foolish.
That doesn’t mean there’s no feedback, just that feedback is framed as a tool for improvement, not punishment.
How to implement this:
- Leaders should openly admit mistakes to show that failure is okay.
- Encourage managers to ask for input from junior employees.
- Celebrate lessons learned from failed experiments, not just successes.
Example:
Your team is brainstorming a new product feature.
Instead of shooting down ideas too quickly, you encourage everyone to build on each other’s suggestions. Even half-formed or ‘wild’ ideas are welcomed.
The result may be an unexpected but brilliant feature that wouldn’t have emerged in a high-pressure environment.
2. Encourage Cross-Team Collaboration
The best ideas often come from unexpected connections. If your team is stuck in their own silos, they’ll keep approaching problems the same way.
Cross-functional teams force people to think differently. When marketing sits with product designers, when engineers talk to customer service, when leadership listens to frontline employees – that’s when fresh perspectives emerge.
Collaboration can come from assigning new people to a project. But even better is when you create ongoing dialogue between different departments.
How to implement this:
- Pair up employees from different teams to work on short-term projects.
- Hold company-wide “open forums” where anyone can pitch ideas.
- Temporarily rotate team members (safely with consent) into new roles to gain fresh perspectives.
Example:
A company wants to improve its onboarding experience for new hires. Instead of just asking HR to handle it, they form a team with a senior employee, a new hire, a manager, and a UX designer.
This gives them a revamped onboarding process that’s engaging, practical, and actually useful for new employees.
3. Make Time for Unstructured Thinking
If every minute of the workday is packed with meetings and deadlines, there’s no room for creative thought.
Innovative workplaces carve out time for deep, unstructured thinking. That might mean giving employees a few hours a week for creative projects, setting aside “no-meeting” afternoons, or just allowing people the flexibility to work in ways that suit them.
Google’s famous “20% time” allowed employees to work on passion projects that weren’t part of their official job description. This policy led to the creation of Gmail and Google Maps.
While not every company can afford a full day of open work (but maybe you can’t afford not too!), small pockets of time dedicated to creative thinking can make a difference.
How to implement this:
- Introduce “Creative Fridays” where employees can explore ideas outside their usual tasks.
- Cut unnecessary meetings to give people time to think.
- Allow flexible work schedules for deep-focus tasks.
Example:
A company implements a three block of ‘creative time’ where employees can spend time each week exploring ideas outside their usual tasks.
One developer uses the time to prototype a small internal tool. A month later, it turns into a key productivity boost for the whole team.
4. Improve Brainstorming Methods
Traditional brainstorming often favours the loudest voices in the room.
The best ideas don’t always come from the most confident speakers, they come from the people who’ve had time to think.
Instead of chaotic group sessions, try structured brainstorming:
- Start with solo brainstorming: Let everyone write down ideas privately before sharing.
- Use anonymous idea collection: Gather ideas before discussion to prevent groupthink.
- Create a two-stage process: Start with a rough draft of ideas, then revisit them after reflection.
The secret to great brainstorming is separating idea generation from idea evaluation. Too often, teams try to do both at the same time, which leads to premature judgment and fewer creative ideas.
How to implement this:
- Use online tools (like Miro or Mural) to allow quiet team members to contribute before discussion starts.
- Encourage teams to come up with “bad ideas” first to remove pressure.
- Follow up brainstorming sessions with structured refinement.
Example:
Your team is developing a new marketing campaign.
Instead of jumping into an open discussion, everyone writes down their ideas first. Then, they share them in a structured, no-judgment session. The next day, they refine and build on the strongest ones.
This gives them more thoughtful, creative ideas to test in their campaign.
5. Reward Experimentation, Not Just Success
Most companies say they want innovation, but the moment something doesn’t work, people get blamed. That teaches employees one thing: play it safe.
A workplace that feels creative treats failure as part of the process. It rewards learning, iteration, and small-scale testing over perfect execution.
One of the most successful business strategies for innovation is rapid prototyping, testing small, low-risk versions of ideas before committing significant resources.
How to implement this:
- Set up a “failure fund” to invest in small experiments.
- Run small pilot programs before scaling new initiatives.
- Share stories of past failures and what was learned from them.
Example:
A team is testing a new subscription model. Instead of rolling out a big, high-stakes launch, they start with a small pilot.
The first version flops, but they learn that customers want more flexibility. They tweak the offer, test again, and eventually land on a winning model.
No one was punished for getting it wrong the first time. And they all reaped the benefits the second time round.
6. Design a Workspace That Sparks Creativity
Physical environment has a huge impact on creativity. If your workspace feels dull, cluttered, or uninspiring, it can limit fresh thinking.
Companies like Pixar design offices that encourage movement, spontaneous conversations, and different ways of working.
They include open spaces for collaboration and plenty of whiteboards for capturing ideas. But important, they also create quiet areas for focus.
It’s this space for focus, which has gotten lost in our passion for open offices, that gives people the space and safety to explore and create.
How to implement this:
- Create flexible workspaces that include both open collaboration areas and quiet focus zones.
- Use visual idea boards where employees can pin suggestions.
- Add elements of play (like creative lounges, brainstorming corners, or standing desks).
Example:
Your company wants to encourage more spontaneous collaboration, but the current office layout makes it hard, everyone stays at their desks or in closed-off meeting rooms.
To fix this, you redesign common areas to include flexible seating, writable walls, and casual meeting zones where employees can sketch ideas and brainstorm freely.
You also introduce “idea pods” – small, informal spaces where teams can gather for quick creative discussions without needing to book a meeting room.
This gives you more impromptu conversations, faster problem-solving, and an increase in new ideas flowing across teams.
Final thoughts
Creativity isn’t just for “creative people.” It’s a muscle anyone can develop.
But it doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when workplaces deliberately create an environment where people feel safe to experiment, collaborate, and challenge ideas.
If you want to build creativity in your workplace, start by making small changes:
- Give people space to think.
- Break down silos between teams.
- Reward learning, not just perfect outcomes.
Creativity is a habit, not a talent. And the best workplaces don’t wait for inspiration to strike, they make it a daily practice.
What’s one thing you could do today to make your workplace more creative?
