88 • Creative, Ecient, and Eective Project Management
Team Composition Imbalance
Nothing can kill creativity on a team more quickly than having too
many people of the same psychological prole as members. ey all
think and act alike; they perceive the world in the same way; and
everyone gets along like one big happy family. e problem with this
scenario is that it can wreak havoc on creativity. No one questions
to any other team member, or the questions are not very challenging
because they all think the same.Few if any think outside the box, being
locked into the same paradigm. Everyone may work together and share
tools, knowledge, data, and so on, but the likelihood of creative think-
ing will be low simply because no one is available to challenge the domi-
nant thinking style.
From a creativity perspective, here are some ways to counter the aect
and eect of team composition imbalance:
• Bring on board a diverse group of people varying in skills, knowl-
edge, experience, and personality.
• Provide training that focuses on improving the skills and knowledge
that individuals lack.
• Solicit input from outside experts, either from other projects or
outside the organization.
Dominance of Brain Thinking
Management oen wants creative, right-brain thinkers, but the hiring
and incentives are for le-brain thinkers. Right-brain thinking is less
rigorous and emphasizes the emotional, intuitive side of work. Le-
brain thinking focuses more on rationality, structure, and so on. While
you need both in the work environment, most rms prefer to hire
le-brain thinkers. Right-brain qualities are predominantly taught in
schools, especially aer grade school, in the United States. is adher-
ence to the le brain is a cultural preference. According to William
Sonnenschein, the display of emotion is unacceptable despite the fact
that emotions are instrumental in the shaping of insights, ideas, per-
spectives, and clarications, which in turn help form strong relation-
ships.
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Not surprisingly, activities like daydreaming are discouraged.
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e right-brain qualities are harder to dene and assess, although most
people agree that they can make or break an organization. Too many