Creativity Tips

Five more tips for getting fast, creative results from teams:

1.	Don't stop at the first good idea. Most great ideas come after many ideas have been generated. In brainstorming sessions, don't let time pressures keep the team from exploring lots of ideas that can contain the kernel of the best solution. Allow time for the team to push on through "deadspots," to continue to build on prior ideas, and find even better, break-through ideas!
2.	Practice deferring judgement. One of the main reasons that brainstorming doesn't achieve promised results is because teams fail to put off judging the ideas. It's much easier to criticize than to continue to build on lots of ideas. Hold off the critic until all possibilities have been explored.
3.	Make sure you are solving the right problem. Too often assumptions and current mental models unconsciously frame a situation, and teams end up solving the wrong problem. Or they solve the symptoms and not the source of the problems and thus have to keep tackling the same problem over and over again. Instead, take the problem apart and examine it from a variety of angles before proceeding to solve it. Remember that a problem correctly stated is half solved.
4.	Keep politics and personal issues out of the idea selection process. Be sure to have an objective analysis process, based on the project's objectives and client needs, to help the team sort through alternative solutions and choose the best one.
5.	Don't forget about political and personal issues when deciding on implementation. Start early to figure out all the issues around implementation, and take time to identify possible pockets of resistance. Make sure all the right people are included as much as possible in key decisions. By defining the types of resistance that can be expected, the team can develop innovative strategies for dealing with it and thus shortcut time-delaying obstacles.

«« Return to Articles index