Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

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Too many managers unintentionally kill innovation by relying heavily on carrots and sticks to motivate employees.

•   When it comes to creativity, there’s good pressure and there’s bad. For example, avoid applying extreme time constraints.

•   Competitive pressure with coworkers can also be a killer. Instead, use positive pressure in the form of a challenging assignment that’s tough but that the team has the skills to solve.

•   If you give people an important problem that no one else has been able to crack, it can supercharge motivation and creativity.

Today’s Management Tip was adapted from “What Doesn’t Motivate Creativity Can Kill It” by Teresa Amabile and
Steve Kramer.

To read that article and join the discussion, please click here.

Also, you may wish to check out Management Tips from Harvard Business Review by clicking here.