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Brain Training and Employee Innovation


Brain Training

Brain training continues to receive significant attention among neuroscientists, and now has clearly moved into the mainstream. Studies have noted improved focus, as well as other cognitive improvements after training in key brain-related areas. Brain training is also beneficial because it helps people to become more aware of how they are thinking and approaching new problems.

Emotional Intelligence

Today, being smart just isn’t enough. For decades experts have studied intelligence to determine a person’s IQ (Intelligence Quotient). But now, there is possibly an even more important factor in predicting future success in life and in the workplace – emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is defined as an ability to identify measure and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. For the individual employee, building a strong foundation for emotional intelligence is important for career advancement.

Employee Productivity

Employee productivity is a clearly an important issue to managers, as their primary purpose is to optimize the performance of the people they are responsible for. While things like money and perks are often used because they are believed to increase motivation, studies have not supported this. Money and perks can sustain a current level of motivation but rarely increase it. In order to optimize employee productivity, employees must have opportunities for both growth and personal development.

Employee Engagement

Fostering employee engagement is critical to organizational success. An “engaged employee” is one who is enthusiastic about their work and fully involved within the organization. Employee engagement can be impacted by many factors including, advancement opportunities, the direct manager, work culture, and overall working conditions.

Handling Change

Companies are faced with managing through rapid change at a pace never experienced in the business world. Handling change for employees is critical to individual and company success. Training in handling change and facilitation is important to effectively navigate the future and to maintain a positive work culture.

Employee Innovation

In business, innovation is the key driver for growth. Given rapid advancements in technology and communications, companies must constantly work to reinvent themselves. Employees can be a key part of the innovation process because they are often closest to the customer issues, and the products themselves. Employee innovation is most successful when employees are encouraged to share information and express radical new ideas without fear of retaliation. Leading organizations are increasingly using employee innovation programs to gather creative new ideas that will shape the company’s future.

Employee Development

In order to successfully manage employee development, trainers and leaders must consider all aspects of the employees’ talents and skills sets. Employee development in the future will increasingly focus on training in creative thinking, problem solving and collaboration because these skills are critical to develop across a successful organization. How employee development occurs, will most certainly change as web-based training and virtual exercises offer more real-time hands on opportunities for learning and growth.

Creative Thinking

Creative thinking used to be considered a skill that only some individuals possessed. We now understand that creative thinking is something that must be fostered over the course of our entire life. In the workplace, creative thinking training can benefit employees by boosting their confidence, helping them to relax, and to express ideas and opinions more openly. Create thinking pays big dividends for companies as innovative new ideas are the keys to a successful future.

© 2013 The Rowing Team