Management Tip of the Day: Apply the right kind of pressure

Reuters: Many managers unintentially kill innovation, and instead need to figure out what drives creativity in the people who generate and develop new ideas, says Harvard Business Review.

“Too many managers unintentionally kill innovation by relying heavily on carrots and sticks to motivate employees. When it comes to creativity, there’s good pressure and there’s bad.

For example, avoid applying extreme time constraints. Competitive pressure with coworkers can also be a killer.

Instead, use positive pressure in the form of a challenging assignment that’s tough but that the team has the skills to solve. If you give people an important problem that no one else has been able to crack, it can supercharge motivation and creativity.”

- Today’s management tip was adapted from “What Doesn’t Motivate Creativity Can Kill It” by Teresa Amabile and Steve Kramer.