"Algorithmic" Employee?

I have an employee follows instructions to a tee and never complains about the work I assign her. However, she is lacking in the area of creativity, and it ends up costing me a lot of time to explain precisely how something should be. I feel like I have to walk her through everything I assign her. It's not that she doesn't try to do a good job, it's just that she doesn't use any independent judgement in her work. I thought at first this was because she is new, but now that she has been with us for 5 months, I'm beginning to see this is just part of how she operates. Is there anything I can do to foster more independence with her, or should I accept this as "how she is?"

Answer:
I think that that type of behavior also stems from just being unsure about the job. I know that when I started my current job(computer analyst at a hospital) I had a tendency to be the same way. It wasn't the computer aspect of my job that was the issue, it was the medical aspects that I wasn't sure about. So I would ask my boss a few questions, then work on it, then go back and ask more questions, and on and on. When I look back on it, I actually think that the effect of going through that process was beneficial(although, I'm sure it did annoy her somewhat). I learned that a good deal of the time when people ask for something from me, they really didn't want what they asked for and now I'm able to interpret what they say and actually give them what they want. So while it may have taken more time back then, it definitely takes much less time now.

I guess that it took me probably 6-8 months, if not longer to finally get through it and really start to feel comfortable with things. Now 5 years later, I am one with the data :)

If possible, I think the best way it to give her a couple of smaller assignments and then take some time off, and just tell her that if she runs into any problems while you are gone to just go with her best idea and run with it. Hopefully she will succeed, and will have proved to herself that she is able to do the work w/o so much direction from you, and will probably develop more on her own.
Maybe its not that she's lacking in creativity, but that your department has no documented standard operating procedures. Let her document the processes. Your next new hire will thank you both and be more productive faster. Explain what is really happening as a result of her actions. Dont tell her to push buttons. Explain the business process. This will help her feel comfortable making independent decisions knowing that her actions will not adversely affect the business.

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