Hosts Merv Jersak and Tim Jerome discuss the importance of innovation and creativity in project management, emphasizing the need to focus on the human aspect of project delivery. They explore concepts like prototyping, Kaizen, and fostering a culture that encourages open communication and creativity. The episode covers strategies for building strong teams, using innovative approaches, and recognizing contributions to cultivate a motivating environment. They also address barriers to creativity, such as time pressures and fear of failure, with practical solutions to overcome these challenges.

Main Take-Aways

The project leader can employ creativity and innovation to develop stronger teams and motivate individuals:

• using prototyping and Kaizen methods
• fostering a culture of creativity and innovation
• using knowledge management and information management through lessons learned
• servant leadership
• giving individuals permission to try creative ideas and permission to fail
• helping to motivate team members
• employing intellectual challenge
• studying the practices of highly creative and innovative individuals
• recognizing barriers to creativity and innovation

Show Notes

Today’s Project Managers Coffee Chat: Creativity and Innovation in Building Stronger Teams

00:28 Exploring the concepts of innovation and creativity.

01:02 Using prototyping and Kaizen methods to initiate creativity and innovation on a smaller scale for both proof of concept and continuous improvement.

03:04 Building stronger teams by fostering a culture of creativity and innovation.

04:22 Using knowledge management and information management, collecting innovations through lessons learned.

05:38 Fostering creativity and innovation through servant leadership by supporting and empowering team members.

06:12 Giving team members permission to be creative and permission to fail in attempting innovative ideas.

07:15 Using creativity and innovation to help motivate individuals through personal satisfaction, curiosity, and sense of purpose.

11:11 Leveraging the creativity and innovation that are naturally found in your career as an IT professional. Intellectual challenge that is an aspect of your profession fosters great creativity.

12:06 Habits and practices of highly innovative individuals.

14:58 Recognizing barriers to creativity and innovation (e.g. time pressures, fear of failure or ridicule, over conformance to rules and regulations).