by Fast Company Executive Board

Oftentimes, in the business world, employees may be afraid to get creative or express themselves freely because they are certain their ideas will get shot down, especially if those ideas fall outside of traditional regulations. However, in the evolving digital landscape, company leaders must keep an open mind about potential ideas that may sound risky but could be exactly what is needed for the company to thrive in the long run.

Below, 11 members from Fast Company Executive Board each discuss one way employers can balance innovation with regulation to avoid stifling team creativity while ensuring safety and ethical standards.

1. BE OPEN TO GATHERING STAFF IDEAS TO INSPIRE FUTURE BUSINESS INNOVATIONS

Serial processing standards and creativity can be stifling. Instead, build innovation sprints into team meetings to nurture ideation and out-of-the-box thinking. Rather than discard ideas, create a treasure trove that can inspire future innovations. – Dr. Camille Preston, AIM Leadership, LLC

2. STRENGTHEN TEAM COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT.

Good relationships balance creativity with business standards. Ensure that team communication is consistent and genuine. Offer more than an ‘open door policy.’ Offer engagement programs and detailed performance reviews with feedback, making sure to hear them out, too. Work closely with employees as often as possible to show your understanding of their work and value while leading by example. – Larry Brinker Jr., BRINKER

3. REFRAME YOUR MINDSET ABOUT INDUSTRY REGULATIONS OVERALL. 

As a former chief innovation officer in the highly regulated financial services industry, I saw the regulations as a stimulant for innovation. Reframing regulation in this way creates a more positive starting point to open up creative thinking than seeing it as a metaphorical brick wall. – Amy Radin, Pragmatic Innovation Partners LLC

4. ENABLE STAFF TO PARTICIPATE IN A CULTURE CREATED FOR THE ‘SAFE SHARING’ OF INNOVATION.

One way employers can balance innovation with regulation is by fostering a culture of “safe innovation.” Encourage teams to explore new ideas within clearly defined ethical and safety guidelines. Implement regular training on compliance and ethics while allowing room for creative problem-solving. This approach maintains regulatory standards without stifling the innovative spirit of the team. – Maria Alonso, Fortune 206

5. DESIGN WORKSHOPS THAT BRIDGE CREATIVE PLAY WITH THOUGHTFUL INNOVATION.

Implement a culture of workshops that blend creative play with thoughtful innovation, focusing on how innovation intersects with ethics and security considerations for clients. Weekly challenges foster team-building and creativity while reinforcing compliance, ensuring this balanced approach. – Sheila Karns-Gierek, TrueDialog

6. EXPLAIN THE RULES.

“Tell me the rules, and let the games begin.” When you define what cannot be changed or altered while giving unlimited creative space around it, teams can begin crafting ideas outside the norm and finding innovative ways to evolve concepts or processes. – Adam Coughran, Safe Kids Inc.

7. KEEP THE COMPANY’S ETHICAL STANDARDS AT THE FOREFRONT OF YOUR CONVERSATIONS.

At the company I was previously with, we referred to the legal group as “The Department of No.” Things got markedly better when we screened and hired lawyers who knew how to balance the benefit of innovation and creativity with reasonable risk, rather than taking the most conservative legal stance on every idea. Ethical standards, however, should always be clearly defined and non-negotiable. – Rob Davis, Novus Media

8. BE A PROBLEM SOLVER INSTEAD OF A NAYSAYER.

This is such a real issue! Employees are often afraid to be creative in regulated industries because the risks are so high. Imagine the creators of PillPack saying they would organize pills by the time taken, not by medicine. As a result, there would be plenty of safety risks! Instead of tossing that idea, post it, and then identify the mandatories needed to solve it, such as safety and accuracy. Then find solutions for those. – Gretchen Goffe, DTLiveLAB

9. EMBRACE PRESSURE TO HELP YOU FOCUS BETTER.

Ask any great artist and they’ll tell you that they’ve “never had enough budget or time.” But these restrictions didn’t limit their thinking—they sharpened it. All restrictions, including government regulations or safety concerns, can do the same thing. They can inspire new solutions and new ways of thinking. Limitations force you to focus. They put pressure on your thinking, and pressure makes diamonds. – Barry Fiske, Merkle

10. GET EMPLOYEES INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPANY COMPLIANCE MEASURES.

Employers can foster experimentation within clearly defined ethical boundaries. A flexible framework allows creative exploration while upholding company standards. Encouraging open dialogue about risks and involving team members in developing compliance measures ensures innovation thrives without compromising safety or integrity. – Evan Nierman, Red Banyan

11. BREAK TEAM BRAINSTORMING SESSIONS UP INTO TWO PARTS.

Start every brainstorming session with a conversation for possibility that lets ideas flow unfiltered. Then evaluate the ideas through a feasibility lens. By breaking up the conversation into two parts, the team can explore their creativity without worrying about whether an idea will pass regulatory gatekeepers. – Barry Lowenthal, Inuvo, Inc.

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