MIT_Sloan_Management_Review_-_Spring_2020

SLOANREVIEW.MIT.EDU SPRING 2020 MIT SLOAN MANAGEMENT REVIEW 83

COLUMN

ASANARTISTwhoalsoworksfora businessschool,I oftentalkwith

managersabouthowtoinspiremorecreativitywithintheirteams.

Theyseekfreshideas,inventivesolutions,ingenuity,originality,

andnewpathwaystoinnovation—butmostsaytheirteamsare

notdelivering.

Theproblemisnotthattheirpeoplelackcreativeimpulsesbut,

rather,thattheyaretoofocusedongettingthecreativeprocess

right.Forexample,insupportingorganizationsthatareimple-

mentingagilemethodologies,I workwithmanyteamsso

consumedbygettingtheirchaptersalignedordoingtheirsprints

correctlythattheymisstheopportunitiesthatsparkimagination.

Theyavoidtheunknown—theuncertaintythatbreedscreativity.

Howcanyousolvethisproblemonyourteam?Startbysetting

theconditionsfora creativeculture:

Understandyourmotivation.Inthebeginning,yououghtto

havesomevisionofwhatyouwanttodo,buta planthat’stoofully

formedortooblindlyfollowedleaveslittleroomforinnovation.What

is theorganizationattemptingtodo?Whatproblemareyoutryingto

solve?Understandingyourmotivationwillhelpdirectyoutoward

yourgoalwhileallowingforexplorationalongtheway.It’snotabout

goingfromA toB. It’saboutgoingfromAtowardB andknowingwhy.

Encourageconflict.Tensioniscentraltocreativity.Ifit’s

notthere,summonit.Invitethefieriestmemberofyourteamto

challengeyourmotivation.Ask,“Whatarewemissing?Whatif

wedidthisdifferently?”Havetheconversationpublicly—ina

constructivetone—toshowtherestofyourteamthatit’sOKto

pushthebossinordertoreaffirmoradjustdirection.

Relatewithcuriosity.Lookbeyondindividuals’functional

expertiseandrelatetoyourteammembersascurious,intelligent

humanswithgreatideasandworthyaspirations.Urgethemto

connectoverwhattheydon’tknowaswellaswhattheydo,

approachingchallengeswithquestions,notjustanswers.

Fosterbothness.Asa painter,whenI wantanobjectonmycan-

vastobelighter,I useblackpainttodarkenthesurroundings.

Teams, too, can practice visualizing and working in opposing per-

spectives; that is, they can develop a sense of bothness — a key tool

in our changing world. Make a habit of challenging the upsides

and downsides of choices rather than defaulting to a “best” prac-

tice. A decision could be right given the circumstances today, but

tomorrow things might be different — and you’ll be more pre-

pared to adjust if you’ve considered it from both angles.

Aithan Shapira (@madetotilt and @aithanshapira) is an artist and

lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He is working on a

new book, Tilt: Transforming Creative Process Into Cultural Practice.

Comment on this article at http://sloanreview.mit.edu/x/61322.

Reprint 61322. For ordering information, see page 4.

Copyright © Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2020. All rights reserved.

Spark Team Creativity by

Embracing Uncertainty

BY AITHAN SHAPIRA