Everyday creativity: practice innovation like any other skill and unleash the problem-solving genius of your staff.

• Author: Rall, Jaime
• Position: TOOLBOX - Column

I believe the times demand new invention, innovation, imagination, decision," John F. Kennedy said in his Democratic acceptance speech in 1960. Fifty-five years later, innovation continues to be a perennially hot topic in public policy circles, as state legislatures seek fresh ideas for leveraging scarce resources and better serving the public in a rapidly shifting world.

"A changing society requires a changing legislature," says Mary Quaid, executive director of House Legislative Services in Louisiana. "And change--particularly cost-effective change--requires great creativity."

Legislative staff, in particular, are often called upon to use their creativity to improve the policymaking process. Every day, staff across the country encounter thorny problems that need creative solutions--whether it's how to draft an effective bill, balance new technologies with rich traditions, attract talented young people into legislative careers or condense mountains of research into something clear and engaging.

"To me, creativity in the legislative environment means enhancing the process so that it is more open and transparent to the public," says Susan Schaar, clerk of the Virginia Senate. "As legislative staff and the people who deal with the process on a day-to-day basis, it's up to us to look for better ways to make it work."

To spark valuable new ideas, staff leaders are working to encourage creativity within their own walls--not as a rare miracle of inspiration, but as an everyday skill that anyone can develop.

"It's a bunch of little things you can do, not just a big wave of the wand, that will help spark creativity among legislative staff," says Jim Tamburro, human resources administrator for Connecticut's Office of Legislative Management. "But you've got to be committed to it. You can't just go through the motions."

By taking some of these simple steps to nurture creativity, legislative institutions can boost their chances of achieving key insights, smart solutions and, yes, innovation.

1. Plan time for creativity.

   In hectic legislative settings, one of the biggest steps toward encouraging creativity can be just setting aside the time and space for it to happen. Good legislative staff are by nature creative, Quaid says. "So to encourage creativity in the legislative environment simply requires the encouragement of staff members and their ideas."

   "We spend time in our meetings where the staff talk about projects they're working on and I'll say...