Archive for December, 2009

Creativity is an important aspect in any team that is aiming to deliver great results.  If you have two teams and one plays it safe within the boundaries of what they already know and another one that is always seeking to test the possibilities, chances are that the latter will have more success.

 

So how can you unlock the creativity in teams so that they contribute to great results?

 

Brainstorming

 

Brainstorming is a highly effective technique where team members initially put forward ideas freely without discussion and debate.  These ideas are then reviewed to establish which are likely to have the greatest impact and also to determine the challenges and obstacles to making the ideas reality.

 

Ask lots of questions

 

Questions are often the thing that can really help a team shift to a new level.  However, not any old question will do.  Questions that are likely to open up possibilities and unlock creativity are likely to be short, forward focussed and non threatening.  Examples include:

 

• What’s possible?
• What matters?
• What do we need to do?
• What’s the first step?
• What else?

 

Think big picture

 

Detail has its time and place but when in the creative space, you want to be keeping the focus on the big picture, the end game or vision.  Holding this as the focus will encourage people to push the boundaries.

 

Encourage real active listening

 

We all love to get our point across, be heard and be the person who comes up with the breakthrough.  At the same time if everyone is focusing on what they want to say, chances are no one is really listening and when no one is listening things get missed or lost in the noise.

 

Don’t stereotype

 

On a team, especially if it is cross functional, it is really easy to fall into the trap of stereotyping folks.  You know the scenario, only the marketing folk are creative, the accountants are only interested if it makes a payback quickly, the human resources folks are only worried about what it means for staff, the production folks are only interested in top specification, etc.  Remember, people are not so limited as job roles would have you believe, so embrace and use the diversity of views.

 

Bottom Line – All breakthroughs come from an idea so what do you need to be doing differently to unlock the creativity in your teams?

 

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps professionals improve leadership and management skilss and team working.  For information about services and programmes click here 

A team is a group of people doing something together to produce a specific result or outcome.  None of us, no matter how good we are can be great at everything.  So what are 6 key advantages of teams?

 

Advantage 1: Increases productivity

 

Organisations are continuously looking for efficiency or productivity gains as a source of competitive advantage.  Teams, especially those that are close to the point of delivery can identify what needs to change to boost productivity better than any group of senior managers could ever hope to.  Let the team focus on productivity and the organisation gains.

 

Advantage 2: Improves communication skills

 

For teams to succeed they need to be able to get their messages across, listen effectively to other points of view and build on ideas.  As a result of being on the team, people are getting the opportunity to develop and improve their communication skills.

 

Advantage 3: Diversity of skills

 

Some people in organisations thrive in dealing with the big picture stuff.  Others get their kick from getting immersed in the detail.  There will be others who thrive on idea generation and others who love to take something from concept to finished article.  This diverse range of people skills and working together have the potential to deliver a much better solution than any one individual could ever hope to do.

 

Advantage 4: Improved problem solving

 

Think about a time when you had a problem that you needed to solve.  You probably get so far and then end up getting stuck because of your own range of experience or knowledge. When you have access to the wider range of skills and knowledge you ultimately solve problems faster and better.

 

Advantage 5: Process improvement

 

Few business processes operate in isolation just within one area of the organisation.  They tend to cross functions and even geographical boundaries.  A team with insights of different parts of the process will clearly be better placed to make successful process improvements.

Advantage 6: Smarter use of resources

 

When a team has focus on getting a specific result, chances are they will find creative ways of using the resources at their disposal rather than focusing on the constraints.

 

Bottom Line – There are numerous advantages of teams.  What else would you add to the list of advantages.

 

 

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps professional people to improve their leadership and management skills and getting better results through teams.  For information about services and programmes click here