In our latest tip, David Weeks discusses how to help staff rediscover their creative potential.

I've just completed tutoring a very successful intense two day immersion into Creativity, Innovation and Change on an Open University residential (b822). Only after two days did the penny begin to drop.

I usually find that most people just want to get on looking for solutions to problems. They usually believe that they have understood the challenge. Quite often they haven’t, so the solutions they find are suboptimal.

This isn’t very sexy, but creativity in an organisation should start with dumb questions. These are those that put the asker in a position of risk. They are often posed by the newcomer, but the older hands become blind to company problems and stop asking them.

Instead of “Why” you could try asking “How come” which is lighter and less aggressive.

As we get so engrossed in work we stop noticing things and the art of asking dumb questions allows us to see again.

Because we predominantly use our ‘Business Heads’ for thinking at work we become over reliant on its ability to make sense of things (perceive) and make fast assumptions. The ‘Creativity Head’ knows perception can be flawed and actively doubts assumptions. So simple techniques of reframing and rephrasing challenges can lead to different perceptions. Uncovering hidden assumptions takes a lot of practise because they have become so hidden. Make sure your invite strangers who don’t know what the unwritten rules are.

And when you get to the brainstorm you will ‘brain drain’ arriving at the usual ideas as you run out of connections. Make more by pausing and noticing things and using unrelated stimuli. And recruit those strangers again. Research shows many fold productivity increases through stimuli and diversity.

Read more : ‘D and his thinking heads’ at www.m1creativity.co.uk/thinking-heads/thinking-heads.htm

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High Impact Ideas & Innovation Exercise
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