Fostering Creativity227
• Give the group a little time to think things over. If the ideas don’t
come rushing right away, don’t give up on a particular technique.
Pause and scan the room, looking for people you can make eye con-
tact with. Then address them in a friendly way: “What’s the fi rst
thing that came to mind for you?” As the conversation advances,
let people circle back to earlier ideas. Revisiting old comments
doesn’t mean the conversation is losing focus; it means people are
making connections.
• Let people know they can share feedback after the meeting too,
once they’ve had more time to refl ect.
Your role throughout this process is to be as supportive of the wide
range of ideas as possible. Never show that you think an idea is silly, and
thank everyone for their contributions at the end of the meeting.
Dealing with negativity
When you make an effort to bring all perspectives to the table, you’re going
to hear some negativity. People won’t like everything that’s said, and they
may not like the very idea of changing how they do things. You might hear:
•
It’s not needed. “Our product sells well, and customers report a
high level of satisfaction. Why do we need a new formulation?”
•
It’s too risky. “There are too many unknowns about how this
alter na tive will work. We may lose customers if it’s not as good as
our current product.”
• It’s too expensive. “We don’t have money to invest in a new
initiative.”
•
It won’t work. “Two years ago, we reformulated this program. It
was a total fl op, and we lost a lot of customers.”
• It’s not technically feasible. “The new product can’t be done to
our quality standards.”
228Managing Teams
EXHIBIT
Techniques for overcoming resistance
Tactic Method Scripts
Persuasion • Invite everyone to re-
spond with data, evi-
dence, facts, and logic.
• Throw the idea back to the
person who originated it:
What does the person see
as the key benefi ts?
• “You raise some important issues. If I’m hearing
you right, your main concern is X. Can anyone
respond to that?”
• “Help us understand why you think this won’t work.
Then someone else in the group can explain why
they think it will.”
Participation • Engage the resister
by asking for the per-
son’s ideas or other
contributions.
• Connect the attractive
parts of the idea to other
options this person has
already embraced.
• Show your appre-
ciation for the person’s
contributions.
• “I can tell you have strong opinions on this, and
that’s great. What other alternatives do you have
in mind? How would you adapt this idea to make it
work?”
• “This idea is building on your earlier suggestion
that we do X. How could your suggestion be better
realized here?”
• “I think it’s great that we challenge each other pro-
ductively. Thanks for bringing up these issues.”
Facilitation • Ask the person what
would make them com-
fortable with this idea.
• Ask what downsides the
person is concerned
about, and invite the
team to brainstorm how
you could mediate those
eff ects.
• “Wow. I didn’t know this was something you cared
so deeply about. Tell us more about your thoughts
on this.”
• “I appreciate your perspective, and I’m happy
we’re having this conversation. Can you share more
specifi cs about your concern or help us under stand
what we may have missed?”
Negotiation • Push the group to con-
sider compromises or
trade-off s in the design
to address the resister’s
concerns.
• Push the resister
to engage with new
suggestions.
• “I think [team member] has done a good job ex-
plaining their concerns. Everyone, what fi xes could
help resolve this issue?”
• “[Team member], we’ve heard a couple ideas for
resolving this issue. What seems most workable
to you?”
Direction • Use your power to redirect
harmful comments.
• “We can always count on you to tell us what you
think. For now, though, we need to move on.”
• “I appreciate that you’re not afraid to say what’s on
your mind. Let’s circle back to this later.”
Source: Adapted from “Innovation Implementation” in Harvard ManageMentor. Boston:Harvard Business School
Publishing,2016.Electronic.
Fostering Creativity229
• It will change the group’s culture. “We’ve never done things that
way before. It’s just not how we work.”
Don’t let these comments discourage you. You can head them off in
part by putting in place strong group norms that emphasize respect and
positivity. But when someone violates these norms, or if they have other
objections, you’ll need to respond promptly to keep their comments from
derailing the rest of the room. Exhibit 13-2 describes fi ve tactics for keep-
ing the conversation productive: persuasion, participation, facilitation, ne-
gotiation, and direction.
Keeping the conversation positive isn’t about ignoring serious chal-
lenges to an idea; it’s about keeping everyone engaged in coming up with
solutions and coming to new ideas with an open mind.
Trying new tools and techniques for generating new ideas can help your
team become more creative when you have a particular problem to solve.
But creating a supportive, safe environment will help your team members
perform at their best in their other work as well. If they trust you and their
peers to engage with their ideas in good faith, they’re more likely to lean
into hard problems and develop creative, effective solutions.
Recap
■
Creativity is the ability to generate novel ideas, whether innovative products
or features, better ways to execute internal processes, or unexpected solu-
tions in a negotiation.
■
Creativity doesn’t just come from “creative” people.
■
Planning the timing and setting of a creative session can make it more
productive.
■
There are a number of diff erent tools and approaches for generating new
ideas; brainstorming isn’t your only option.
230Managing Teams
■
Getting everyone’s perspectives is very important; creative ideas come from
unexpected places.
■
Feeling psychologically safe helps individuals take risks and generate new
ideas.
Action items
Plan an idea-generating session:
❏
Pick a time for your idea-generating session when people will be at peak
energy and that also gives you a chance to hold follow-up sessions.
❏
Create a space that is both stimulating and allows the team to focus.
❏
Establish rules of conduct that reinforce respect for all ideas and points
of view.
Lead an idea-generating session by deciding if you
want a solution-centric or a problem-centric approach,
and then considering the following options:
❏
Invite your team to envision an ideal future for the problem, absent any
constraints. Then work backward to fi gure out how it could happen.
❏
Ask your team to fi nd fi xes to the current situation. Put experts and non-
experts into active dialogue about each solution.
❏
Conduct a mind-mapping exercise, connecting how each team member
sees the issue in a single, unifi ed schema.
❏
Orchestrate a game of catchball, where one idea is passed from person
to person and each team member contributes a new twist.
Encourage everyone to participate:
❏
Before your next idea-generating session, take fi ve minute to write down
your go-to scripts for those awkward moments when you need to inter-
rupt someone or solicit a silent participant.
Fostering Creativity231
❏
Create a dedicated online space where team members can debrief after
the meeting or register their follow-up thoughts—the team site, a group
chat, something that’s easy for everyone to access and that won’t result
in a lot of annoying email spam. Monitor the site regularly so that when
people contribute, you can acknowledge their comments.
Manage resistance to new ideas:
❏
Listen for the root cause of the resistance. Does the person think the in-
novation is unnecessary? Unworkable? A threat to their position?
❏
Invite the group to make a persuasive case for the idea in play.
❏
Engage a person in an active conversation about their concerns. Push
them to participate in a real dialogue, and facilitate a back-and-forth
discussion between them and the idea’s champions.
❏
Redirect the conversation when the negative comments can’t be produc-
tively addressed.
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