As the looming threat of automation buzzes around the web, creativity is being touted as the single most important skill to have at the table in the coming decades. Not only does this skill allow us to create new things, but it also helps us find new ways to improve, scale, and optimise what we’re already doing.
To put it simply, the value of creativity is in the ability to look at a destination, and find multiple ways of reaching it.
One way to increase creativity in your organisation is to hire and bring more creative people to the table. But this takes time, increases personnel costs, and still limits the reach of creativity.
A more sustainable and far reaching approach is to lift the creative capability and discipline of your existing teams.
But how do you actually build creative thinking and problem solving skills?
1. Constrain and simplify
We’re all familiar with the tyranny of the blank page — and the all too miraculous results that a looming deadline can squeeze out of us. The reality is that we’re often at our most creative when backed into a corner, under pressure, or provided with a set of constraints.
The subtle discipline of creativity lies in the ability to independently create constraints for ourselves; using the context we’re working in and the strategy we’re working towards.
Constraints, real or ideal, alleviate the anxiety of decision-making and simplify the path forward. Just a little structure makes for more productive and focused meetings, brainstorms, and workshops.
Ask yourself:
- What problem are we trying to solve? Can this be expressed in a single statement?
- Who are the key audiences or users that we can use to frame this problem or idea?
- What areas of the business could this problem or idea touch on? Can we categorise our thinking this way?
2. Collaborate
The art of creativity lies in the ability to think from a different perspective.
What’s the easiest way to think about something differently? Get someone else to do it for you.
Your colleagues, partners and peers are all rich sources of creative thinking waiting to be tapped. Use people with different areas of expertise from within your own teams is good; talking and comparing notes across departments is great; and, sometimes, getting out of the building is even better.
Ask yourself: Who might benefit or be affected by this problem or idea? How could we bring in their perspective to move forward?
3. Create an artefact
Translating your thinking into a physical artefact gives structure to creative thinking, and improves your ability to communicate your thinking.
Whether by yourself, or when you have a team in a room to hash things out, having a whiteboard around can be a great first step — it allows you to work on something while you’re thinking. In a team environment, conversation and debate gets channelled into creating the artefact together, rather than the risk of talking in circles.
It requires a little discipline to translate your thinking into something physical, but it’s worth it to be able to show each other and others your thinking, rather than tell them. You don’t need to be a master artist to make your thinking visual: you don’t even have to be neat. Mindmapping, tables, and matrices are all great ways to visualise and organise what you’re thinking about.
At the end of the day, it’s about bringing structure to your thinking — ask yourself:
- Can any of these ideas or points be grouped together? Have any themes emerged?
- Are some of these ideas more important than others? Can they be prioritised?
- Are some of these points more viable than others? Are there some ‘quick wins’ here?
It’s no coincidence that these three things are also part of what makes an effective workshop — which is why we frequently use them to untangle tricky problems, draw out fresh ideas, and tap into the creative thinking of the teams we’re working with.
If you’re feeling like your organisational thinking has become stuck in a rut, lead the change by using these three approaches to bring more creativity into your team today.
