Is creativity only synonymous with a light bulb moment, or can one “make” it happen? And is it enough to have a creative idea or do you have to do something about that idea for it to be of value? Yes and No. Yes to the first question and No to the second one.
Create the Atmosphere to encourage Creativity using LEGO® SERIOUS FUN
Have you ever tried to come up with new, creative ideas on the spur of the moment? It’s difficult, especially when you’re not in the mood. That’s the issue, plain and simple. You need to be “in the mood” to be creative. Concepts like fun, playful, expectant, out of the box, relaxed, open to suggestion, anxiety-free, come to mind.
Interestingly, there is such a state of mind that includes these conditions. It’s called Flow, being in the moment. I see it when I use LEGO® to create a Shared Bond for teambuilding. You’ll know retrospectively that the delegates reached a state of Flow when, after the workshop, you hear “When we played with LEGO® together . . . (something joyful happened)” and the statement is followed with laughter.
I use a process I call LEGO® SERIOUS FUN to instil the required mood. I believe fun achievement in a team gives rise to Flow.
Follow a Methodology to Spark Creativity using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY™
Once people are in Flow they are prepared to be creative. That’s the start of the process but being in the mood is not enough. They still have to do something for creativity to be triggered. There must be a methodology they behaviourally implement that gives rise to the new, creative ideas. The methodology must trigger creativity. Obviously, I recommend LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY™.
Without going into detail let me say the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY™ methodology has built into it occasions that trigger creativity.
- During the Individual Build delegates have to build a LEGO® model of their thoughts. The cognitive process of coming up with new thoughts and metaphorically representing them as LEGO® bricks evokes creativity
- Once the model has been built the facilitator then asks each delegate individually to interpret the physical metaphors as a story for the other delegates. The interpretation and forming a story require creativity.
- Listening to the stories told by the delegates individually can trigger additional ideas in the heads of the listeners
- In a similar vein during the Shared Build additional ideas by individual delegates can spark further ideas in the other participants.
Instil Innovation of Creative Ideas by Entering into a Covenant
Once the Shared Build is completed the team is required to present it as a coherent story. To this can be added that it needs to be interpreted as an action plan to make what has been created happen. and, if you have read my article entitled “Teambuilding @ the Workplace using LEGO®Serious®Play” u know by now I suggest that action plan be turned into a Covenant.
Each and every team member commits to making the plan happen. And this requires addressing the matter on a very individual personal level. Intrinsic motivation must be ignited. Sustained motivation must be planned for. Procrastination must be overcome. Finally, the actions in the plan must be aligned with habitual behaviour.
Here’s a link to slides I use to facilitate a 1-day workshop outlining the process using LEGO® SERIOUS FUN and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY™. If you want to use the process to be creative and innovative, I would suggest you will need 2 days. Contact me if you have any questions.