Key Elements of Team Creativity--Opportunities and Challenges

The first step in being creative is of course to proactively use and apply creativity on an individual basis.  And as a necessity, one must be open to personal growth.

In addition to individual creativity, most of us work with others on creative processes in the workplace, and do not simply create on our own.   The requirements for group creativity are in some way more challenging than for individual creativity.

Actively seek people outside of my comfort zone—The first step is a challenge because I am actually required to seek difference.  This is at first a difficult task, because it is rarely in our nature to seek out people with whom we may have conflict and disagreement.  And yet it is such an essential element of the creative process.    The different types of dimensions of difference that we could consider include thinking style, work style, educational background, nationality, race, ethnicity, sex and communication style.  This is a small sample of the list of differences that we could select, and it gives you, but it give you a sense of some of the business critical dimensions of diversity that are available to us as creative inputs if we choose to take advantage of them.  The dimensions we select may have some relation to the objective of our project, but we may want to even consider some that we do not consider to be directly related to the goal as they may offer surprises that cannot be predicted in advance.

Of the different dimensions, the two that most commonly relate to those that we include or exclude in the workplace are work style and thinking style.  It is a subtle distinction for us to evaluate people on the result itself rather than focusing on how they achieve the result.   How often have each of us started to discount what someone was in the process of achieving, well before they were even complete, because how they were approaching a task that:

·      Was too linear

·      Involved too much discussion

·      Took too long because someone wanted to reach consensus

·      Went too fast because no one was consulted

·      Focused too much on details

·      Spent too much time on the big picture and not enough on details

·      That was not sensitive to people’s feelings

·      Tried unproductively to satisfy everyone

These are each examples of characteristics that can be strengths in different circumstances and can contribute to the creative process—but also where we require a truly heightened level of awareness to ensure that we are actively seeking out these differences when working together.

Be open to personal growth and know that my reality will change—I need to understand that I am going to experience transformation, whether it is when I engage in individual creativity or group creativity.  The gulf of transformation from one reality to another, however, will likely be more dramatic when I work with others since they bring a whole different set of experiences and perspectives.   Although it is true that what people create together may be more powerful, that creation will inevitably invalidate long held beliefs, value and truths that each individual may have held having an impact in many areas of life.

Embrace conflict—This seems like a tall order, since conflict is rarely fun.  However to help with the process, there are a few key ideas one can use.  A great practice is that when trying to critique on someone’s idea, the first rule is to try to suggest something that would make the original idea more effective in that person’s opinion.  In that way two things are achieved.  First, the process is additive, and ideas are being advanced rather than simply deconstructed.  Secondly, it requires more advanced thinking and true evaluation of a concept—it very easy to identify what one believes are the weaknesses something, but to authentically (and in an in depth way) evaluate in try to modify is a much more involved process.  Conflict and disagreement will naturally be a part of any creative process, and the key is to manage it in a way that continues to move forward toward a creative solution.

Ensure contributions from all team members—Team members have very different styles, and as a result, it takes an active conscious effort to ensure contributions from everyone.   Some people may actively participate immediately, while others may prefer to reflect and find moments where they can share their thoughts in a one-on-one way with different individuals.  As a result, when designing a creative team process, it is important to design opportunities to ensure everyone can participate.  Combine traditional group discussions with opportunities where everyone people perhaps are each required to present their perspective on a challenge in an in depth way, or even opportunities for people to share their perspective in pairs or in small groups before reporting to a larger group.  It can also be helpful to provide different media for people to display their perspectives visually through tools such as mind mapping, as many people tend to process things in different ways (some visually through imagery, others through spoken word, and others through written word).

Use limitations strategically—Limitations such as space, resources and time can often serve as a spark for creativity and innovation.  When groups are forced into challenging situations, they often are able to develop very new, innovative solutions to problems that they would not have otherwise considered. Although some people have the self-mastery to push themselves, many find their greatest levels of creativity when pushed by outside demands.

Team creativity is one of the most powerful processes available if people are leveraged correctly, and prepared to experience personal growth in the process.