Here's how you can incorporate creativity into the decision-making process as an engineering manager.

Diversity is the mix of differences and similarities that make people unique. Having Diversity is just the first step in fostering Creativity - getting the right mix of talent from diverse background, experiences and ways of thinking but it is useless unless we promote a culture of Inclusion in our team - which is getting the mix to work together. Diversity is like being invited to the party (like to your company) .. and inclusion is like being asked to dance!.. (means to be engaged and involved). it's the inclusive Team which celebrate their diversity without any hinderance which fosters creativity!

Diversity is one of the ways to increases the capacity to find solutions that really works. When the team are made with same skills and perspectives, you narrow your path from the challenge to result! Bring diversity is the first step, then you need to create the environment where people fell safe to express themselves and at the same time, available to accept different views. The goal should be to find the best result for the challenge!

as a team leader, I always encourage my team members to propose new innovative ideas and share their perspectives, in the process of problem-solving, so in the end we can make a more efficient decision.

Incorporating creativity into the decision-making process as an engineering manager involves creating an environment that fosters innovative thinking and problem-solving. It is important to foster an open and inclusive environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas without fear of criticism. Encourage diversity in the team to bring in varied perspectives and ideas, as diverse teams are often more innovative. Additionally, it's crucial to recognize and reward creative efforts and innovative solutions, even if they don't always result in success. we should facilitate brainstorming sessions, empower autonomous problem-solving, provide resources and training, encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration, and lead by example.

Go back to first principles: What does the customer really want/need? What are the physics of the situation? What are the constraints? Then cast your net wide and look for inspiration in nature, other industries, and speak with folks who aren't in your industry for new perspectives. Finally, create a few concepts, virtually test them against your use scenarios and look for opportunities to simplify the concept.

Una vez un profesor en la universidad nos dijo un dicho que decía: No ahí preguntas tontas, sino tontos que no preguntan. Perder el miedo a realizar cambios y cuestionarse en lo ya estipulado; crea oportunidades de mejoras importantes.

Crear un ámbito participativo enriquece la comunicación dentro de nuestro equipo de trabajo. También establecer una metodología de comunicación ágil para los temas diarios, contribuye a la escucha activa y a los ambientes de freak back.

Encourage questions to eliminate some mistakes at the beginning rather than after project has progressed. This applies to who is doing what tasks and what are the project facts, assumptions and codes to be followed .

Algumas perguntas que podem ajudar a explorar e entender melhor a importância e o impacto da diversidade na gestão de engenharia: Como a diversidade de perspectivas impacta a inovação e a criatividade em projetos de engenharia? Quais são os principais desafios ao promover a diversidade em equipes de engenharia e como eles podem ser superados? De que maneiras a diversidade pode melhorar a resolução de problemas complexos no campo da engenharia? Quais estratégias podem ser implementadas para garantir um ambiente de trabalho inclusivo e respeitoso? Como a diversidade influencia a atração e retenção de talentos em empresas de engenharia? Quais são os benefícios tangíveis que as empresas de engenharia podem esperar ao abraçar a diversidade?

In engineering management, it's vital to encourage curiosity as a tool for creativity. When faced with decisions, don't hesitate to dig deeper by asking questions like "What if?" and "Why not?" This approach can spark fresh ideas and solutions. For instance, during a recent project, our team encountered a challenge with material selection. Instead of sticking to the usual options, we encouraged everyone to think outside the box. This led us to explore alternative materials like recycled composites, which not only met our project's sustainability goals but also offered unique advantages. By fostering a culture of inquiry, we were able to find innovative solutions that enhanced our project outcomes.

Risk-taking is essential for innovation. Create a safe space where your team can experiment with new ideas without fear of failure. When making decisions, consider multiple pathways and allow room for trial and error. This approach will enable you to discover unexpected solutions and learn from mistakes, ultimately leading to more refined and creative strategies. Remember, some of the best inventions stemmed from serendipitous accidents or bold experiments. By creating an environment that values and supports experimentation, you can unleash your team's full creative potential and pave the way for groundbreaking innovations.

A culture of risk management not only for the product but specifically for the innovators will promote a greater level of creativity. Under utilized staff will see a risk of loss of experience and earning power and pull away from projects. Over tasked team members will favor iteration over innovation. Properly balancing the developers risks sets a culture of greatest levels of discovery the results in optimal product growth.

Fomentar a experimentação é uma abordagem poderosa para impulsionar a inovação e a criatividade em equipes de engenharia. Através da experimentação, é possível explorar novas ideias, testar soluções e iterar rapidamente, permitindo a identificação das melhores estratégias e tecnologias. Aqui estão algumas formas de fomentar a experimentação no processo de tomada de decisão: 1. Cultura de Experimentação; 2. Estratégias e Metodologias; 3. Ferramentas e Recursos; 4. Tempo e Espaço para Experimentação; 5. Feedback e Iteração; 6. Gestão de Riscos; 7. Capacitação e Desenvolvimento.

Toda idea debe contar con un plan piloto el cual desde el inicio debe tener sus objetivos y sus procesos para que luego si tiene éxito se implementa de lleno y sino pues se puedan analizar las razones y causas del fracaso de dicho plan piloto.

Constraints can be a great motivator for success. All startups (including the likes of Amazon and Apple) started with huge constraints. In fact, the constraints help determine the 'success factors' for the project/organization. Hence articulating the constraints, identifying the critical success factors based on those constraints and modeling the design/execution accordingly is a key engineering management decision.

Constraints always bring out the best in teams and individuals. Humans thrive best under constraints because they are challenged.

Budget tight? Time crunched? Don't sweat it! These constraints can actually force your team to think outside the box and come up with even more creative solutions. Think of limitations as a design challenge - restrictions breed ingenuity!

As restrições devem ser vistas como oportunidades para fazer algo diferente e colocar o individuo a pensar nas alternativas que estão liberadas, quais delas serão mais viáveis a ser utilizadas e quais novas podem ser internalizadas. Restrição não é negação, é condição de contorno e todos os profissionais devem saber quando e como contorná-las.

Use constraints as a catalyst for creativity. Constraints can drive innovation by forcing teams to think outside the box and find unique solutions within given limitations. Example: Set a challenge to solve a problem with limited resources or under tight deadlines. This can spur creative problem-solving techniques that might not emerge under normal circumstances.

Encourage constant refresher trainings to your crew in order to remind them on what they are supposed to do. Through this, vigilance and competency is enhanced.

Embracing reflection in the decision-making process can significantly enhance creativity as an engineering manager. For instance, in a recent project, after implementing a new design approach, we took the time to reflect on the outcomes. We discussed what aspects of the decision-making process contributed to its success and what areas could have been improved. This reflective discussion led to valuable insights and ideas for future projects. By encouraging such reflection sessions regularly, we fostered a culture where team members felt empowered to share their perspectives and propose innovative solutions. This not only improved our decision-making skills but also strengthened our team's creativity and collaboration.

The basics of all proceses are Plan, Do, Check, Act. When you innovate it Is even more important to run this cycle carefully. Make sure you check the results and the drivers behind those results. After that, determine actions and run the cycle again. The bigger the innovation, the more control you need to have on each step of the process.

Do well and Do better This an invested and powerful time to join all members to made a reflection about the experience at the end of any project or partial segment of the time frame, even if things are not happening. Force teams to identity where need to keep doing the good work but where need to make different things to apply the lessons learned in the new journey.

Don't just move on! After a decision, take time to dissect it together. What worked? What could be better next time? This "lessons learned" session helps your team continuously improve their decision-making muscle.

Mistakes will be made. Face that fact, then move on swiftly. Because, in the fast-paced world of engineering, rapid iteration is key to maintaining a competitive edge. We can refine ideas and solutions more efficiently by developing prototypes quickly and seeking immediate feedback. This agile approach allows us to identify and address issues early, continuously improving and adapting swiftly to changes. Rapid iteration fosters an ongoing learning and adaptability culture, which is crucial for innovation. Encouraging your team to iterate rapidly helps to keep the momentum going, ensuring that projects evolve and improve in real-time, ultimately leading to higher quality outcomes and faster time-to-market.

Iteration is the fastest path to innovation. Developers asked to adhere to a linear path of development are not able to follow the natural trajectory of discovery. Thinking in “passes” verses stage gate deliverables allows an innovator to evolve a product and reach the highest level of efficient innovation - feeling free to deviate in a iterative pass at the project and learn while staying inbounds with project deliverables, budgets and timelines.

This is also called co-evolution. In disciplines like engineering, one often needs to try solving the problem before it can be understood. So the solution and the problem definition evolve together. Making people aware of this phenomenon can help them be more creative in the way they explore problems.

This is called co-evolution - when your understanding of the problem becomes clearer as you try to solve it. This is essential for most engineering problems. It is therefore a practice you, as an engineer in any role, should become comfortable with and utilize.

Sin dudas el contexto es uno de los condicionantes principales a la hora de tomar decisiones. Por eso tenemos que estar abiertos a los cambios en el ámbito de la Ingeniería de Proyectos. Identificarlos rápidamente, dar un tratamiento y realizar el seguimiento, para luego evaluar los resultados.

A culture of innovation starts by channeling individual passions into a common purpose. Top innovators want to see themselves in the work they do and so need to be incorporated into the vision of the project not just its deliverables.

Embracing the child in team with fun activities... - I had seen significant increase in creativity when it was accepted in the team to be little more playful and joyful. The most creative age of any person is his childhood. Imagination is the soul of innovation. And that is best in being playful like child. - As a manager try creating such fun events as a part of our team meetings. And then people open up more. Then once in a while u can add some innovation meetings also when the team is in this rhythm.

These LinkedIn questions are quite absurd. If you are an engineering manager consulting one of these staged questions to find your creative genius then I'm afraid all hope is lost for you. Go for a walk, a run or a swim. Listen to some music, meditate or get high on whatever works for you in finding your inner muse, your higher self, your artistic potential - anything other than consulting LinkedIn.

Read the Question - and really interigate every nuance of it. Have we been asked to hire a car, or transport 4 people. Could rollerskates be a better solution? In the millitary, this is the combat estimate : What have I been asked to do (and why), what is the enemey doing (and why), etc... In engineering, it's the much overlooked field of Requirements Engineering. What do we actually need to do for our client, and will that produce the benefits they expect. Clear out all the preconceptions and get back to the requirements. This sets up your problem space, and allows you to consider any options that meet the requirements. Follow up with scoring each idea against pre-agreed criteria so that you're futher removing bias to preconception.

You don't need to incorporate creativity, you just need to stop preventing it occuring spontaneously. Encourage expression, challenge the team and stop enforcing your own ideas. Another issue - shy people also have good ideas so create a comfortable culture for them to present ideas as well.