How processes support a creative culture

In my most recent post I discussed how leaders can create an
environment where their team feels safe to engage in creative thinking.

Today I want to describe processes you can use to encourage reflection
and learning. Build these processes into your usual way of working and you will
foster a work environment where new ideas and perspectives are welcome and failure
is recognised as an essential part of the learning process.

What is a process?

Our Google dictionary defines a process as,

a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a
particular end. 

A dry but useful starting point for a discourse on
processes.

So why do we need processes?

In organisations we create repeatable processes so we can
work more efficiently. Work is often grouped by function with different teams
managing different parts of the process within that function. Because of
interdependencies, it’s important to have processes which are efficient,
transparent, encourage collaboration and have clear points of accountability.

If you lead a team, you’ll develop a way to plan and track
work or you may be required to use systems and processes already created in
your organisation. Processes influence the way that work is done and influence peoples
inclination to engage in creative thinking. For example, creative thinking
needs time and sometimes permission.

Interactions

Work processes influence if and when employees interact with
each other, with prompts for creativity often coming from interactions within the
group and not just from a creatively inclined individual (Hargadon and Bechky,2006).  Research reveals that interactions are more
effective when all group members are focussed on the same task (Metiu &
Rothbard, 2013). When your team gathers together, you have the opportunity to use
a learning rich process. For example, end of project reviews or After-Action Reviews
(AAR) as they are called in the military, are great processes for encouraging reflection,
learning and thinking differently. This is how they work.

At the end of a project or mission, get everyone in the room (preferably), or online and ask them to think about these questions.  

What went well?What were the challenges we faced?What should we do differently next time?

Give everyone the opportunity to provide their answers, in
the same time allocation and then document responses on a whiteboard. If someone
supports comments made already, tick the item listed on the whiteboard and move
the discussion on.

If a project has gone badly, some may be motivated to not
discuss what happened openly and to move on to the next project. This happens
too often in organisations and represents a lost opportunity which reinforces a
low risk culture. Experimentation and failure is a normal part of work and if
we build these types of reviews into our processes then it becomes normal to
engage in reflection with failure accepted as normal part of the learning
process.

When it comes to the question around how we could do things
differently, you have the opportunity to invite everyone to thing expansively
and creatively. There are a range of questions you could ask or tools that you
could use here, but of most importance is you giving the team permission.

Takeaways

Create or adapt the processes in your team to provide time
for reflection and the capturing of learning.

At the end of a project: Ask three questions: What went well?
What didn’t go as well? What should we do differently next time? Capture this
information, store it somewhere accessible for all and refer to it when you’re
undertaking a similar project or as a point of reference in your problem
solving and decision-making processes.

Review the types of interactions your team members have with
each other – and with other teams remembering that constant interaction with
diverse others supports creativity.

References

Hargadon, A., & Bechky, B. A. 2006.
When collections of creatives become creative collectives: A field study of
problem solving at work. Organization Science, 17(4): 484-500.

Metiu, A., & Rothbard, N. P. 2013. Task bubbles,
artifacts, shared emotion, and mutual focus of attention: A comparative study
of the microprocesses of group engagement. Organization Science, 24(2):
455-475.

Wilson, B.A. & Stanley, T. 2018. Creativity Cycling: Help your team
solve complex problems with creative tools by Barbara Wilson
and Tracy Stanley

Photo image from @campaign_creators on  @unsplash

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