Management strategies for encouraging creativity.

Change, chaos, and uncertainty touch every part of every institution. The laboratory is not immune. Managers content to continue on their familiar path soon will find themselves bypassed. To meet today's challenges, directors of technical operations, laboratory directors, team leaders, and coordinators need plenty of creativity--from everyone on their staff. It is no longer just "nice" to improve group output and problem-solving skills while staying within a "shoestring" budget. It is absolutely necessary. In this article, we explore strategies laboratory managers can use to tap the creative potential and commitment of their people. These strategies work. Whether it involves using humor, creating "idea centers," or "deconstructing the bureaucracy," the goal is the same: to encourage clinical managers to think beyond their technical and managerial experience. The examples in this article may not suit the needs, situations, or tastes of all laboratory managers. They are "food for thought." The concepts and strategies these examples illustrate are every laboratory manager's keys to adapting successfully to future challenges.