What are some effective ways to encourage innovation while working remotely?

There are several myths about remote work that need to be busted. The most important one is that it is unproductive. That’s absolutely wrong. Consider the daily grind of commuting to an office—a ritual that can consume hours. It obviously squander energy that could otherwise contribute to productive endeavors. This realization is the bedrock for arguments in favor of a 4-day work week to maximize productivity. Yet, research still shows that something is lost in a fully remote work environment. How to conciliate that? Fact is that we learn a lot by observation. Innovating remotely is all about fostering social learning. It's the opposite of a free-lancing mentality. In the end, there's no secret: what we need is openess to others.

I’ve worked from home for over 25 years, back before broadband and online meetings. The key is organising your workspace. It’s essential to have a place you work in, which is separate from your home. This allows you to completely focus on work, organising that is crucial, whilst being able to switch off when you are done for the day. Modern technology has been useful, replaced phone calls and conferences, but you should schedule a day a week to have face-to-face real human interaction, be that with colleagues or clients/partners. Getting a mix of solo project work and productive meetings with real people is important, as we do need that physical interaction too.

To give the team a common starting point, begin with a brief review of the company/brand strategic plan, mission, and positioning along with the objective , target and timing for this particular innovation. Next, lay out the planned process and ground rules for the session(s) as well as demonstrating any unfamiliar tools/processes that will be used.

Set aside dedicated "innovation time" to foster a culture that embraces new thinking, it is important to encourage new ideas, which create room for creativity, and overcome resource constraints.

The extent to which people contribute from home is probably mostly a function of whether they are intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. Also their home setup and the quality of their space/connection etc matters too - if this is not good enough to meet the individual's or organisation's needs then it won't work. If an individual is intrinsically motivated then I like to believe they will make good use of the freedom afforded from remote working, they can connect with anyone they need to with modern tools and not be confined by the connections in the office they are used to. If however someone is extrinsically motivated they may need someone on their shoulder or just some comradery to get them moving which makes it much less practical

Cultivating collaboration is vital for innovation in remote work. By promoting transparent communication, using shared platforms, and fostering a culture that values diverse perspectives, teams effortlessly exchange ideas. Collaboration breaks down barriers, fostering cross-functional synergy and the pooling of diverse talents. In this environment, employees feel empowered to contribute unique insights, fueling creativity and innovation. Virtual tools are essential for seamless information exchange and teamwork. A collaborative mindset fosters unity, inspiring innovation as team members collectively address challenges and leverage their combined strengths, even in remote work.

We generally favour online whiteboarding tools such as Miro or Mural. Not all participants may be familiar with them, so I'll run some short activities to cover the basic functionality. You should also make the most of features such as timers, anonymous voting, outlines and more to keep everything in one screen and flowing smoothly. In remote workshops, it's much harder to ensure that everyone is engaged. At key moments, I'll check in with those who haven't spoken in a while to make sure that all voices are heard.

Bridge the remote gap, fuel the idea furnace: Digital collaboration hubs: Utilize online whiteboards, collaborative documents, and shared brainstorming platforms to spark real-time co-creation. Feedback loops: Encourage open communication through anonymous polls, virtual "idea labs," and regular check-ins for constructive criticism. Culture of support: Foster a safe space for sharing, celebrating wins, and learning from "innovation fumbles" together. Remember, remote collaboration hinges on the right tools, open minds, and a culture that thrives on shared creativity. Let's build bridges, not barriers, to innovation!

Innovate also in your way of working! There are some many tools out there to work better collaboratively! Start with some murals (I.e Miro) to brainstorm and do better design thinking for example, put all your documents in collaborative mode so everyone can edit comment and add!

During the pandemic days what helped me a lot through the struggles of working in an isolated remote environment, was a weekly slot with the team which we called “Virtual coffee & chat”, it was a slot to simply vent out your feelings, share something personal non work related, share some jokes..etc in my opinion, this was absolutely what kept the team going on and collaborating on work related matters quite well.

Emphasize a user-centered design approach by involving real users in the feedback and testing process. Encourage your team to engage directly with customers or end-users to gather valuable insights and validate their solutions.

Experimenting is a time consuming & expensive process which needs patience along with high motivation and support from organization: -we have experienced that multiple failure in experimenting makes team members demotivated. - But this is the right moment when a little push and motivation to continue experimenting can result into innovation.

To empower your team to experiment with different solutions and test them with real users, you can use tools like remote usability testing and OKRs. You should give your team the autonomy and resources to try new things, and to learn from the results. Establish a feedback loop that allows your team to collect and analyze data, and to iterate on their prototypes. Promote a growth mindset that values learning over perfection, and that embraces uncertainty and change. Encourage your team to share their ideas, provide feedback, and work together to achieve the product vision

There are always members in the team who have the ability to think or handle things differently, might it be different then what you believe. Need to observe and empower them to do the right thing. Eventually it will grow leadership attributes among them.

Hier sind einige Schritte, um das zu ermöglichen: Geben Sie Ihrem Team die Freiheit, neue Ideen und Lösungen auszuprobieren. Lassen Sie sie verschiedene Ansätze testen und autonom handeln. Stellen Sie die Ressourcen zur Verfügung, sei es finanzielle Mittel, Zeit oder den Zugang zu speziellen Werkzeugen, um Experimente durchzuführen. Implementieren Sie eine Feedbackschleife, die es Ihrem Team ermöglicht, Informationen zu sammeln, zu analysieren und sich kontinuierlich zu verbessern. Ermutigen Sie Ihr Team, eine wachstumsorientierte Denkweise zu entwickeln. Betonen Sie, dass das Lernen aus Erfahrungen wichtiger ist als die Suche nach Perfektion, und ermutigen Sie sie, Unsicherheit und Veränderung als Chancen für Wachstum zu akzeptieren.

Cognitive psychologists differentiate what is intrinsically motivating from what is extrinsically motivated. In business, as in the blooming AI field, it's all about rewards (every action is seen from a reinforcement learning angle), which are the means of extrinsic motivation. The actual problem with remote work is that this perspective applies even more, which in practice means that jobs are not designed to be as fulfilling as their hybrid and physical counterparts. In sum, it's important to think beyond rewards and try to make the experience of working in solitude more significant. That will boost performance. I have many companies where I'm trying exactly that.

In der Remote-Arbeit ist es wichtig, die Leistungen Ihres Teams angemessen anzuerkennen und zu belohnen. Hier sind einige Schritte, wie Sie das tun können: Anerkennung und Wertschätzung für die Beiträge und Erfolge Ihres Teams. Zeigen Sie Dankbarkeit und Lob für die harte Arbeit und die erreichten Meilensteine. Schaffen Sie Anreize und Belohnungen, um die Motivation Ihres Teams für Innovationen aufrechtzuerhalten. Das können finanzielle Anreize, besondere Anerkennungen oder Weiterbildungsmöglichkeiten sein. Bauen Sie ein Gefühl der Zugehörigkeit und Gemeinschaft in Ihrem Team auf. Fördern Sie Teamaktivitäten und eine positive Arbeitskultur, die Freude und Engagement am Arbeiten fördert.

The science of recognition and reward is, in many respects, dirt simple. Because, when your team has busted its hump and massively over-delivered for the org, no Zoom shout-out or gift-wrapped-case-of-artisan-beer will motivate them to do it again more than a tangible reward will. Want to reward engineers for innovation? Give them additional days of annual leave when they come through. Want to incentivise ROI concerns in product development? Cut your product teams into the fruits of their labours with a profit share agreement. For more than a decade, tech has tried to game employee reward incentives with costless gestures. But the best way to induce brilliant performance is to open the company accounts and reward it tangibly.

Vincular al equipo, desde dos puntos de vista: 1/ entre cada miembro, como personas individuales. 2/ como conjunto, fomentando el sentido de pertenencia a la empresa. Es un grandísimo reto. Sobre todo cuando hablamos de trabajo remoto. Demostrar que a la compañía realmente le importan como personas y su bienestar, que el equipo se apoya y que los éxitos son compartidos, permite sostener la unidad y la creatividad. Las recompensas intangibles sin duda funcionan mejor, pero también son mucho más difíciles de gestionar. Fundamental tener cierta periodicidad en incentivos, pero sin descuidar el reconocimiento inmediato que permite guiar el camino.

Recognising the talent and efforts made by the team members in terms of monetary and appreciation rewards is a must for any good team leader. Think of it as an investment which will nurture the team in the long run.

Sometimes team members might take a different trajectory of thinking which may not be in line with the company philosophy or line of business. It would be great to have some initial leadership presentations to explain the Vision and direction the organization is taking and have a structured methodology to align the team members with this vision. Proliferation of the vision, and Strategy in the minds of leadership is necessary for the team members to first understand and align the thoughts before proposing new ideas. Some basic workshops like "Empathy based Design Thinking workshops are really helpful to crate that innovation environment across the organization.

Encourage the team to spend time managing their professional skills development. Share ideation or a collaborative space to swap learning links, tutorials, courses, credentials and free learning resources and materials to create a supportive learning environment. I can’t stress enough to value of time spent learning and supporting skills growth. Life long learning is imperative to success. It’s well worth the time and investment in the team. Also respect that everyone has a unique learning style and pace…growth is personal.

A organização do trabalho remoto, cria a possibilidade de espaços de tempo onde atividades de aprendizado on line são grandes incentivadores de aprendizado.

Always takeout some time from your busy schedule to do new learnings based on your expertise. Be updated with the new Innovations being done across the industry or the other field. Make a habit of reading white papers or research articles. Brainstorm how to incorporate those in innovations or research relevantly in your field.

From my short time in marketing as part of a small team, the most beneficial thing I have found is being given a plethora of resources, at first this seems overwhelming, but I was able to flick through and find the ones that suit me best. This a.) Saved me time researching different sources b.) Introduced me to ideas I never would have thought of otherwise c.) Helped me understand exactly what was expected of me

"Think Differently," said the Apple advertisement back in the day. Easier said than done. How about "See Differently"? Probably the same. One thing that many people were able to think about or see differently was the time and the way they approached the problem. If you like the problem more than your solution, you can start to play with the problem and see it from different angles, perhaps some that were not seen before. Perhaps don't challenge the team to think differently; challenge them to play with the problem and not jump to the first solution.

Be open and ready to receive new ideas, and create spaces for those working with you to create and share ideas through remote discussions. Use rewards to encourage all ideas to be suggested, even if they are not implemented. Where employees feel appreciated for their efforts would push them to produce more.

One can challenge common ways of thinking by exposing the product in a scenario with several constraints. It doesn’t quite matter whether this constraints are real or feasible, yet it is as means to provide a different environment where the product should perform or deliver. Alternative can one also create different requirements for the product to challenge the design. Again as means to think in alternative ways of delivering the value, and maybe find hidden value in your current product design.

Utilizar o brainstorming é super indicado, pois ajuda o time a expressar suas ideias de uma forma colaborativa, mas o mais importante é dar autonomia as pessoas nesse processo e incentivar para que elas se sintam confortáveis nesse processo.

Wardley mapping is the best tool I've ever found to deal with this and increase shared understanding of strategy options and landscapes. Challenge the map, not the person. Simple and therefore brilliant.

I can only share what works for us. My Dad taught me at 14 that our subconscious minds were 1000x times more powerful than our conscious mind. When you learn how to control yours it will become your greatest asset. Now when I go to sleep, I present the problem I am solving to my subconscious before I close my eyes and I tell it "I expect an answer to this problem when I wake up." Without fail, it has worked 100% of the time. I hope this helps someone else here. -Who is John Galt

It’s impossible to innovate under pressure! Be sure to create the mind space to innovate, and the space to be comfortable to get it wrong, to make a mistake.

Innovation is about trust, trust that your team will listen to you and that your idea will get the right recognition , trust that failure is part of the process and you won't be judged on that, without building trust in remote environment, innovation will be management driven and for sure won't give the expected outcomes

Als Führungskraft können Sie selbst kreatives Denken vorleben. Teilen Sie Ihre eigenen Ideen und zeigen Sie, dass Sie offen für neue Ansätze sind. Starten Sie Projekte oder Initiativen, bei denen Ihr Team die Freiheit hat, neue Ideen zu entwickeln und umzusetzen. Schaffen Sie eine offene Kommunikationskultur, in der Teammitglieder sich frei äußern können, Ideen teilen und Bedenken ansprechen können. Dies fördert den kreativen Austausch und das Hinterfragen von Annahmen. Reservieren Sie regelmäßig Zeit im Arbeitsablauf, in der sich Ihr Team auf kreative Aufgaben konzentrieren kann, ohne von anderen Aufgaben abgelenkt zu werden.

Retrospective and lessons learned It is very important to do retrospective after pre defined intervals to note down the things gone right and things gone wrong. It takes small efforts to note down learning but end of the day you have a huge knowledge of things which can work for you and what can’t. One can always pass on the learnings to new projects/team which can overall improve the success rate of projects.