Your Team Only Knows One Way? Here’s How to Spark Innovation Anyway

You get a little creative. Here’s how we’ve helped leaders shake things up – without turning the place upside down:

1. The “Look Outside” Mini-Challenge

Tell your team: “Bring one good idea from the outside world.” It could be from a podcast, a fast-food joint, even their kid’s school pickup line. Ask questions like:

“How would Amazon fix our wait times?” Or, “What would Chick-fil-A do with our patient flow?”

You’d be amazed what a fresh set of eyes – especially someone else’s – can uncover.

2. Create a Curiosity Space

Not every idea’s gonna be gold. That’s okay. What matters is creating a space where people aren’t afraid to speak up. Use a whiteboard, a bulletin board, or take 5 minutes in your next staff meeting to say: “Tell us something cool you saw this week.” You’re building curiosity muscles – one weird idea at a time.

3. Block “Innovation Hour”

Give folks an hour a month to think, dream, scribble, doodle. Throw in some snacks and music if you want. Just one rule: come back with one idea. Might be half-baked. Might be brilliant. Either way – it’s progress.

4. Ask Weird Questions

Want different answers? Ask different questions. Try these on for size:

1. “What if check-in worked like an airport kiosk?”

2. “How would Disney train our front desk?”

3. “If we had to cut this process in half, where would we start?”

You don’t get new solutions with old thinking.

5. Recognize + Repeat

When someone brings a new idea to the table—celebrate it. Give them the mic. Make them your “Innovation Ambassador” for the month. The more you reward bold thinking, the more of it you’ll get.

Let’s stop asking for out-of-the-box thinking if we never give our teams the tools – or freedom – to climb out of it.

Here’s the truth: innovation isn’t about expensive consultants or flashy tech. It’s about giving your team permission to look around, think differently, and try something new—without getting shut down. So let’s stop asking folks to “think outside the box” if we never hand them a ladder. Need help building your own ladder? Let’s chat. I’d love to swap stories and trade ideas.

Here are several examples of employee-driven innovations in the healthcare sector that have led to significant improvements:

1. Northwell Health's Innovation Challenge

Northwell Health encourages its employees to propose transformative ideas through its annual Innovation Challenge. In 2021, the challenge funded projects such as a 3D imaging device designed to detect tissue pressure injuries early and a spleen stimulator aimed at treating bleeding disorders. Each winning project received substantial funding to advance from concept to implementation.

https://jobs.northwell.edu/blog/2021/06/09/northwell-healths-2021-innovation-challenge-brings-in-breakthrough-ideas-from-employees/

2. UCLA Health Innovation Challenge

UCLA Health invites community members, including staff, to contribute innovative ideas ranging from novel medical devices to optimizing patient experiences. This initiative supports the development of innovations from the idea stage to implementation, fostering a culture of continuous improvement within the organization.

https://www.uclahealth.org/innovation/opportunities/innovation-challenge

3. Healthforce NH's Innovation Challenge

Healthforce NH has developed a multi-stage competition to evaluate and financially support innovative proposals aimed at addressing critical healthcare workforce needs in New Hampshire. This challenge encourages new thinking to enhance recruitment, retention, and sustainability in healthcare staffing.

https://healthforcenh.org/innovation-challenge

4. Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation

The Mayo Clinic's Center for Innovation integrates designers, project managers, IT specialists, and clinicians to develop healthcare delivery solutions. This collaborative environment has led to projects like redesigning clinical exam rooms and implementing "stroke robots" for remote consultations, significantly enhancing patient care.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayo_Clinic_Center_for_Innovation

5. Hacking Health Initiatives

Hacking Health is a social organization that pairs healthcare professionals with IT experts to build solutions to frontline healthcare problems. Through hackathons and meetups, employees collaborate to develop prototypes that address specific challenges in healthcare delivery.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacking_Health

These examples demonstrate the significant impact that employee-driven innovation challenges can have in healthcare, leading to improved patient outcomes, enhanced operational efficiency, and the development of cutting-edge medical technologies.

< More articles