“We tried that back in the early 00’s.”
“That wouldn’t work here, we’re different.”
“We can’t. This is how we’ve always done it.”
These are phrases I’ve heard in organizations all over the world. And while these statements can be made at any point in time, they ironically fly out of mouths most often when an organization is trying to pivot and be more innovative. These statements are evidence of organizational defensiveness. Success can produce an environment in which there is a pervasive defensiveness around how things are accomplished, how business is done, and how communication occurs. The appearance of any new idea or way of behaving activates these defenses, often without the people in an organization realizing it.
So, what can you do if your organization is unintentionally defending itself and stifling its ability to innovate or change?
I believe openness to new ideas starts with individuals. Have you met someone who is “stuck in their ways”? Sometimes there is an obvious tip off – a hairstyle that was nouveau decades ago. Less obvious is a leader who doesn’t understand how people can work from home or a manager who pulls outdated PowerPoint slides. It’s important to figure out your own habits – the ones that keep you entrenched and the ones that will help you stay sharp and open to new ways of thinking. Below are a few new habits you can try if you want to open yourself up to new ideas.
Diverge
- Ask new questions to develop your ability to be curious and think about things in a creative way. Or hang out with a 4 year old; they are experts on this skill.
- The ability to think outside of your typical responses and get creative is a muscle that needs to be trained and developed over time. I love this cartoon that provides a visual for the façade around creative success.
- Write a list of 100.
Experiment
- I teach a class on creativity and one student shared his process for sparking new ideas. “I sit down at my desk with a pad, pencil, and a few toys like legos or building magnets. When an idea sparks I move from the toys to the pad and pencil. I need to play with an object I can manipulate into shapes and then draw out my thoughts.”
- Study those you admire and see which of their habits could apply to you. I started listening to Brown Noise after reading this article on how Amy Webb works.
Steal (like an artist)
- In Austin Kleon’s book, he taught the world how to Steal Like An Artist. One of the habits I picked up from this book is a personal swipe file. Capture and save in a file the images, quotes, concepts and ideas that inspire you. If you don’t hold all these brilliant ideas, they won’t be readily available when you need to tap into the wisdom of others when you are stuck. I keep mine on OneNote so I always have access to it and can update it on my laptop or phone. A standard notebook also works just fine.
- I am also reminded of my conversation with Scott Anthony from Navalent’s Virtual Summit and the behavior he shared to keep himself open to new ideas. Steal your kid’s phone. See what apps they are using and how they are communicating with their peers. Teenagers are consistently on the cutting edge of technology and open and curious to new ways of thinking.
Similar to your own personal creative practice, organizations need to intentionally build the skills to think divergently within their organization. Here are a few ideas for helping your organization practice new tricks:
Diverge
- Create a space for idea generation. One of my students has a large whiteboard in a high traffic area, by the cafeteria, for people to post ideas on sticky notes. People are encouraged to write their names so they can be contacted for follow up. “We have already started taking action on some ideas that folks shared. The look of surprise on some of the faces of the contributors is awesome. They commonly respond, ‘I never ever thought anyone would think that was a good idea.’ When we announce publicly that we’re taking action on an idea that “Ms. Jones” contributed we then get so many other ideas.”
- Encourage divergent thinking when brainstorming – IDEO lays out the rules of brainstorming beautifully
- Defer judgement
- Encourage wild ideas
- Build on the ideas of others
- Stay focused on the topic
- One conversation at a time
- Be visual
- Go for quantity
- Pass out blank notecards during a team meeting for the purpose of writing down various ideas that pop up. At the end collect them all and have a scribe roll them into a document of general ideas that can be tackled at the next meeting.
Experiment
- Minnow Tank is a concept where employees pitch ideas to the senior leadership for innovations or improvements that will help the business. Playing off of the show Shark Tank or Dragons’ Den, organizations can create their own process for generating new ideas while also rewarding employees for practicing creativity.
- Networked working sessions. If one part of the business is struggling to come up with a solution to a challenge invite another department for a chat and chew. Have some drinks and an informal time for the team to get to know each other and then have a working session to encourage the departments to collaborate on some creative solutions
Steal (like an artist)
- IDEO is the company that comes up most frequently in the class I teach on creativity and innovation. Private companies, start-ups, and government entities all find inspiration from this company that has been extremely open about sharing their approaches to fostering a creative organization.
- Keep tabs on companies that are consistently awarded Most Innovative Companies to see what they are doing that may be applicable in your organization.
With these tips, you and your organization will avoid organizational defensiveness and ensure success long into the future. What additional tips can you share for how to foster new ideas for yourself or your organization?