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