Creating Team Innovation - Chapter One

As the manager of a group of creative employees, how do you consistently create great Team Innovation?

In order to create constant Team Innovation, first and foremost, the manager needs to understand the characteristics and traits of a well-functioning team.

Here are the Top Seven Charactertistics of a high performance team that leads to steady and substantial Team Innovation:

1. The atmosphere is relaxed and informal, and work is fun
2. The task and goals are clearly understood by all group members
3. Ideas and feelings are expressed freely and openly, and with creativity
4. Conflict is productive and often, centered on issues as opposed to on people
5. The group is aware of its own functioning and dynamics, including inefficiences
6. In almost all cases, decisions are made by consensus, and consensus is not forced
7. When individual tasks are assigned, they are accepted and carried out in a timely manner by group members

*Adapted from Nelson, D. L. & Quick, J. C. (2000) Organizational Behavior: Foundations, Realities, & Challenges, Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing and eCornell.

How does a manager create such a high performance team and successful Team Innovation?

Creating Team Innovation - Chapter Two will provide further details on this.

If you enjoyed reading this Innovation best practice, I recommend the complete list of Creativity Innovation Best Practices.

References:

eCornell