Barriers to New Ideas, Creativity, and Innovation 1.01B Cause and Effect: Barriers to New Ideas, Creativity, and Innovation

There are a number of workforce barriers to new ideas, creativity and innovation. List six barriers that keep employers from accepting new ideas.

Immovable Forces Cause: Human nature to be uncomfortable with change Effect: Old habits, beliefs, and assumptions cloud openness to ideas

Judgement Cause: People mock and ridicule what they don’t understand Effect: Reluctances to share ideas, fear of being ridiculed

Playing by the Rules Cause: Inflexible and rigid organizational structures stifle any innovative or creative processes Effect: Oppressive environments force employees to conform and hampers creative thinking

Hard Work Cause: Too much time and effort Effect: Negativity and lack of hard work

No Process Cause: No policy or procedure has been established to submit new ideas Effect: Suggestion box ideas never materialized

Misunderstanding Cause: Management doesn’t recognize employee ideas as innovative Effect: Inaccurate impression of what is creative can result in workplace conflicts

Now, what are some strategies to overcome these barriers?