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Abstract: This article explores strategies for encouraging innovation among busy employees and teams. As work demands continue intensifying, managers face pressure to maximize productivity while also driving organizational growth through creative problem-solving and idea generation. However, the brief argues innovation need not come at the expense of delivering daily results. Drawing from academic literature and case studies across industries, five evidence-backed practices are presented for helping individuals develop innovative thinking habits even in packed schedules: allocating regular protected time for ideation sessions; infusing meetings with creative exercises; assigning short-term "innovation homework"; encouraging experimental approaches to ideas; and streamlining unnecessary meetings. Real-world examples demonstrate how companies have successfully integrated these strategies to spark new solutions and fuel business success, even for their busiest teams.
Innovation is crucial for organizational success and longevity, yet making time for creative thinking and problem-solving can seem impossible when daily demands and deadlines are piling up. As consultants and leaders, we're all too familiar with the busywork that inevitably fills our days—from meetings to reports to administrative tasks. However, carving out innovation time doesn't need to come at the expense of productivity if the right strategies are employed.
Today I draw from both academic research and practical experience to outline tangible ways for managers and teams to foster an innovative culture even when schedules are jam-packed. We'll discuss the importance of innovation for organizations, challenges to making time for creativity, and evidence-backed best practices for encouraging innovative thinking habits among busy employees. I'll also share real-world examples from different industries of how companies have successfully built innovation periods into employees' routines. By the end, you'll walk away with concrete, actionable steps to start giving your team the gift of time to solve problems creatively.
Why Innovation Matters—Even When You're Swamped
As obvious as it may sound, innovation is critical for any organization that wants to achieve, and maintain, long-term success. According to research, the most innovative companies outperform their peers financially by 84% on average (Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2015). Innovation drives growth through new products, services, and business models. It also helps companies stay competitive by allowing them to solve problems faster than competitors and adapt nimbly to changing market needs (Crossan and Apaydin, 2010).
However, prioritizing creativity is easier said than done when daily to-do lists are overflowing. Busy employees often struggle to find white space in their calendars for innovation activities (Terwiesch and Ulrich, 2009). Managers, too, are under increasing pressure to deliver immediate business results, making them hesitant to divert resources away from day-to-day tasks (Rost and Osterloh, 2009).
Yet dedicating time specifically for ideating and experimenting is exactly what busy teams need in order to innovate effectively. When schedules are fully booked with routines, workers have few opportunities for divergent or lateral thinking (Sawyer, 2012). They lose capacity for problem-finding—zooming out to identify underlying challenges—and instead get stuck solving surface issues (Dorst, 2015). As schedules tighten, innovative output suffers unless countermeasures are taken.
The good news is that creating time for innovation doesn't require a total calendar clear-out or lengthy breaks from regular duties. By implementing small protective measures for creativity into overloaded routines, managers can encourage new ideas to emerge even from their busiest teams.
Strategies for Building Innovation Habits
Based on research and case studies, here are five evidence-backed strategies managers can use to help busy individuals and teams develop innovative thinking habits:
1. Schedule Regular Innovation Sessions
Blocking out recurring time on calendars for ideating, problem-solving, and experimenting gives busy employees permission to shift gears creatively (Amabile and Khaire, 2008). Companies like Apple, IDEO, and Amazon protect weekly or monthly innovation sessions where teams work on passion projects and explore emerging issues (Schein, 2010).
For example, the technology company Anthropic holds monthly "blue-sky days" where employees are encouraged to work on self-directed projects without immediate commercial applicability. These sessions help recharge creativity and lead to new product ideas.
2. Infuse Meetings with Creative Exercises
Incorporating light innovation activities into existing meetings keeps creative muscles flexed, even for busy staffers (Sadler-Smith, 2015). Try dedicating the first 10 minutes of staff check-ins to brainstorming challenges, sharing unorthodox solutions one of your colleagues came up with, or proposing new directions for discussion topics.
Microsoft, for example, starts some staff gatherings with "silent brainstorms," where employees write down as many ideas as possible individually before discussing them as a group. These brief diversions prevent routine meetings from becoming routine.
3. Assign "Innovation Homework"
Give employees open-ended challenges to work on independently between meetings using brief "innovation homework" assignments (Girotra et al., 2010). Have staffers spend 30 minutes per week experimenting with new workflows, researching emerging consumer trends, or coming up with fresh explanations for business problems.
The healthcare technology provider Philips gives teams “innovation assignments” every two weeks to pursue solutions on their own time. These low-pressure prompts spark new concepts without disrupting daily flow.
4. Encourage Experimentation
Foster an environment where trying new approaches without fearing failure unleashes employees' creative energies (Ries, 2011). Block periods on calendars where individuals can explore unproven ideas freely through rapid prototyping, minimally viable product testing, and other experimental techniques.
At Google, 20% of engineers' time can be spent on “skunkworks” where they build personal passion projects. This has led to innovations like Gmail, AdSense, and Google News. Making space for playful experimentation generates new directions for organizations.
5. Cut Unnecessary Meetings
Evaluate recurring sync-ups and cancel low-value gatherings to return lost time to employees for creative focus (Amabile and Kramer, 2011). Studies show that excessive meetings are a top inhibitor of innovation for professionals. By axing non-essential coordination sessions, organizations free time for divergent pursuits.
The online education company Udacity did a "meetings audit" and cut 20% of recurring gatherings, returning hours to instructors each week for course development—spinning off new programs. Trimming the fat preserves precious creative calendar space.
Putting It Into Practice Across Industries
While all teams struggle with packed schedules, innovative companies from various sectors have found success integrating the above strategies. Here are examples of protective innovation-measures implemented in different fields:
Technology: At Slack, each department hosts a weekly "product lab" exploring new app directions without immediate commercialization pressure.
Healthcare: The Mayo Clinic protects one paid hour per clinician each week for "innovation curious" activities like attending seminars on emerging treatments and technologies.
Education: Stanford d.school dedicates 20% of faculty time to experimental teaching initiatives through its "bikeshed sessions" where unstructured ideation occurs.
Manufacturing: Toyota reserves 4% of floor space and staff time at each plant for kaizen events - rapid experiment cycles that have generated factory improvements.
Professional services: Strategy consulting firm BCG protects one Friday per month as an "innovation day" where teams explore adjacencies and develop new offerings.
No matter the industry, these examples show that intentionally prioritizing time—even just small periods weekly—for creative pursuits sparks fresh perspectives and solutions that fuel business growth.
Making Creativity a Habit for Busy Teams
In today's demanding work environments, managers face intense pressures to maximize productivity. However, research clearly shows that fostering innovation is equally critical for long-term organizational success. The good news is that encouraging creative idea generation doesn't demand an entire rework of employee schedules.
By implementing small, structured protections for ideation like regular innovation sessions, creativity-infused meetings, experimental assignments, and strict limits on non-essential coordination gatherings, managers can help ingrain innovative thinking habits within even their busiest teams. Industries from technology to healthcare to manufacturing demonstrate how intentionally guarding focused creativity intervals leads to fresh solutions.
In a world where cycles are accelerating and problems growing more complex, the ability to ideate proactively will only increase in importance. With small changes to build innovation into routines, organizations can fuel both near-term productivity and long-term growth by giving their talented people the cognitive space they need to solve challenges creatively.
References
Amabile, T. M., & Khaire, M. (2008). Creativity and the role of the leader. Harvard Business Review, 86(10), 100–109. https://hbr.org/2008/10/creativity-and-the-role-of-the-leader
Amabile, T., & Kramer, S. (2011). The progress principle: Using small wins to ignite joy, engagement, and creativity at work. Harvard Business Review Press.
Crossan, M. M., & Apaydin, M. (2010). A multi-dimensional framework of organizational innovation: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Management Studies, 47(6), 1154–1191. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2009.00880.x
Dorst, K. (2015). Frame innovation: Create new thinking by design. MIT Press.
Girotra, K., Terwiesch, C., & Ulrich, K. T. (2010). Idea generation and the quality of the best idea. Management Science, 56(4), 591–605. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1090.1144
Hirsh-Pasek, K., Zosh, J. M., Golinkoff, R. M., Gray, J. H., Robb, M. B., & Kaufman, J. (2015). Putting education in “educational” apps: Lessons from the science of learning. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(1), 3–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100615569721
Ries, E. (2011). The lean startup: How today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses. Crown Business.
Rost, K., & Osterloh, M. (2009). Opening the black box of upper echelons: Drivers of poor information processing during the financial crisis. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 17(3), 207–233. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8683.2009.00734.x
Sadler-Smith, E. (2015). Wallas' four-stage model of the creative process: More than one way to model creativity? Creativity Research Journal, 27(3), 276-279. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2015.1062730
Sawyer, R. K. (2012). Explaining creativity: The science of human innovation (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199732208.001.0001
Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (Vol. 2). John Wiley & Sons.
Terwiesch, C., & Ulrich, K. T. (2009). Innovation tournaments: Creating and selecting exceptional opportunities. Harvard Business Press.
Additional Reading
Westover, J. H. (2024). Optimizing Organizations: Reinvention through People, Adapted Mindsets, and the Dynamics of Change. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.3
Westover, J. H. (2024). Reinventing Leadership: People-Centered Strategies for Empowering Organizational Change. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.4
Westover, J. H. (2024). Cultivating Engagement: Mastering Inclusive Leadership, Culture Change, and Data-Informed Decision Making. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.5
Westover, J. H. (2024). Energizing Innovation: Inspiring Peak Performance through Talent, Culture, and Growth. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.6
Westover, J. H. (2024). Championing Performance: Aligning Organizational and Employee Trust, Purpose, and Well-Being. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.7
Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Workforce Evolution: Strategies for Adapting to Changing Human Capital Needs. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.8
Westover, J. H. (2024). Navigating Change: Keys to Organizational Agility, Innovation, and Impact. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.11
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Making Time to Innovate: Strategies for Encouraging Creativity Within Your Busy Team. Human Capital Leadership Review, 14(3). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.14.3.2
