Your team is stuck in a rut. How can you get them to start thinking outside the box?

In my experience the best way to make people think differently are - think of various constraints and assume worst case scenarios. e.g. suppose there is no budget, then how will you market your new product - use tools like ASIT (advanced systematic inventive thinking) or TRIZ - force the opposite. Instead of resolving the problem assume if the problem multiplies many-folds what will you do

In addition to questioning assumptions, encourage your team to engage in scenario planning across the spectrum. This involves exploring various hypothetical situations and their potential impacts, helping to uncover hidden assumptions and stimulate creative thinking. For example, consider a scenario where a competitor introduces a disruptive technology or a new regulation significantly alters the market landscape. By envisioning these scenarios, your team can proactively identify innovative solutions to address potential challenges or opportunities.

When it comes to ‘change’, it’s not surprising that the most common statement said will be “It’s always, It’s been this way” Personally, I love to challenge these especially when we are trying to think of out of the box. So, I have discussions starting with What is a crazy idea? What if? Start w possibilities and not constraints Empowering the team to know that this discussion is a safe space and no ideas are too crazy. Let the ideas blossom before we find a suitable point to settle in.

Traga momentos de reflexões (Treinamento, Workshop, Dinâmicas). Uma equipe engessada não consegue ser criativa, então é importante dar voz, gerar uma certa "liberdade" para posicionamentos. Será um momento de grande aprendizado para todos e com certeza você colocar isso em sua rotina trará reflexos positivos para o colaborador e consequentemente para a empresa.

One assumption to consider challenging is the boundaries set by your industry. Some questions to ask the team: 1) What ideas or points that we came up with is based on what we saw worked for our competitors or market leaders? 2) What have we considered as "a valuable benefit for the customer" actually benefits us more than our customers?

La mejor forma de salir de la rutina es cambiar la forma en la que vemos la realidad, esto es, nuestros supuestos básicos con los que nos enfrentamos al mundo. Para esto podemos trabajar nuestras creencias limitantes, provocar preguntas del tipo que ocurriría si...?? Ponernos mentalmente en situaciones que no esperamos como posibles nos obliga a pensar fuera de la caja y a abordar la vida de forma diferente.

To break free from a rut, encourage your team to challenge assumptions. IBM's shift from hardware to services was spurred by questioning the assumption that their value lay solely in hardware production. Similarly, prompt your team to scrutinize entrenched beliefs, inviting fresh perspectives and innovative solutions. # Hold a Reflective Session: Schedule a team meeting dedicated to reflecting on current challenges and brainstorming solutions. # Implement Rotating Leadership: Assign rotating leadership roles for projects or tasks to infuse new energy and perspectives into the team dynamic. # Introduce External Perspectives: Invite guest speakers or consultants from other departments or industries to share their experiences and insights.

Algumas ações que já fiz com meu time: 1) Levei todos para ambientes fora da empresa para vivenciar a observação como forma de desmistificar conceitos arraigados e também de ter insights inovadores. 2) Estimulei a própria equipe a compartilhar conhecimentos que poderiam ajudar os demais. Como um Tedx interno. A experiência sempre surpreendeu até porque descobríamos talentos nos colegas que nos inspiravam. 3) Convidava pessoas para contar suas histórias e trazer cases que transformaram suas vidas pessoais e profissionais.

Highlight the importance of cognitive diversity within the team. In addition to demographic diversity, cognitive diversity encompasses different thinking styles, problem-solving approaches, and cognitive abilities. Emphasize the value of bringing together individuals with varied cognitive strengths, such as analytical, creative, practical, and empathetic thinkers. This diversity fosters rich discussions, enhances problem-solving capabilities, and promotes innovative ideas that draw from a range of perspectives and insights.

To rejuvenate my team and encourage creative thinking amidst the burnout of intensive sales, I introduced master classes focused on diverse topics unrelated to their daily tasks. These sessions delved into areas such as art, healthy food, and business strategies. By exposing them to these eclectic subjects, I aimed to broaden their perspectives and deepen their knowledge beyond their immediate roles. By investing in their personal and professional growth through unconventional learning experiences, I fostered a more dynamic and resilient team. This holistic approach not only alleviated burnout but also empowered team members to bring newfound insights and creativity to their sales endeavors.

Un equipo diverso es la mejor garantía para que puedas tener distintos puntos de vista, es decir, paradigmas que nos facilitan ver las cosas desde distintos prismas. Lo podemos conseguir incluyendo diversidad por origen, idioma, titulación, credo u orientaciones. Al fin y al cabo es enriquecer el enfoque de equipo construyendo a través de los enfoques individuales.

Incorporate Pixar's approach to teamwork into your own strategy by fostering cross-functional collaboration and implementing a system ("braintrust") for constructive feedback. Encourage employees to work across disciplines to generate innovative ideas and push boundaries, while providing a supportive environment for feedback and improvement. Empower your team members to take ownership of their work and contribute creatively, guided by a clear vision for success. By following Pixar's example, you can cultivate a culture of innovation and collaboration that leads to remarkable achievements.

Introduce the "Provocation" technique to spark unconventional thinking. In this approach, team members deliberately challenge conventional wisdom by proposing provocative statements or questions related to the problem at hand. These provocations disrupt habitual thinking patterns and stimulate fresh perspectives. For example, instead of asking how to improve customer satisfaction, pose a provocative question like "How can we make our product so irresistible that customers can't help but rave about it?" This encourages bold and imaginative ideas that push the boundaries of conventional solutions.

Consider also the modes of thinking: divergent and convergent. At the brainstorming stage, we want to use our divergent thinking mode to explore possibilities and ideas. Another example of a brainstorming technique to consider is the six paths from the Blue Ocean Strategy. You can examine benefits from alternative industries, different buyer groups, and what are some complementary products and services, etc, to brainstorm possibilities.

One of my favorite brainstorm techniques when teams are banging their heads against the wall with no creative solutions is Imaginary Brainstorm tied to Clayton Christensen's Jobs to be Done framework. It does an amazing job removing people from the mental blockages caused by their current thinking tethering them to reality. We break this by completely severing them from that restraint by going to a series of abstract yet relational alternatives to explore interesting solutions based on accessible pop and cultural references. What other techniques can you think of that leverage power houses like @taylorswift @michaeljordan and @chucknorris to solve your problems?

Implement a structured experimentation framework, such as the "Lean Startup" methodology. Encourage your team to formulate hypotheses, design small-scale experiments, and gather data to validate or invalidate their assumptions. Emphasize the importance of learning from each experiment, regardless of the outcome, and iterate based on the insights gained. By embracing a culture of systematic experimentation, your team becomes more comfortable with taking calculated risks and exploring innovative ideas with less fear of failure.

Encourage your team to think outside the box by rewarding experimentation and embracing failure as part of the learning process. Foster a culture where taking risks, trying new approaches, and learning from mistakes are celebrated rather than discouraged. For example, Google's "20% time" policy allows employees to spend a portion of their workweek on projects outside their regular responsibilities, leading to innovations like Gmail and Google News. By incentivizing experimentation, you can cultivate a mindset of curiosity, innovation, and resilience within your team.

One practical step to encourage experimentation is to allocate regular slots from the team's calendar, say every week or two weeks, for 'free experimentation time.' During these periods, team members can freely work on their own ideas, projects or experiments. At a previous job, we had "Innovation Fridays" every other week, dedicated to free experimentation. The variety and creativity of the projects that emerged from these sessions were truly fascinating.

Reconocer la actitud innovadora independientemente del resultado es fundamental para que la cultura favorable a la innovación se instale en nuestra organización. Penalizar el fracaso cuando asumimos riesgos por la innovación no es una buena idea, de hecho, retare el pensamiento innovador y las iniciativas de cambio.

Introduce the concept of "cross-pollination" to stimulate creativity. Encourage your team members to draw inspiration from diverse sources outside their immediate domain or industry. For instance, encourage engineers to attend art exhibitions, marketers to explore technology conferences, and designers to study nature's patterns. By exposing themselves to different perspectives and disciplines, team members can uncover fresh insights and apply them creatively to their own challenges, leading to novel solutions and breakthrough innovations.

Creo que intento hacerlo a diario, y es generar una reflexión ¿que vamos a hacer diferente hoy para sentirnos diferentes y para tener resultados diferentes? Fomentar la creatividad y el proceso de Ideas de parte del equipo promoviendo la autogestión y que se retén a si mismos de forma diaria en su gestión y labor.

Constantly get in touch with end users (either consumer or customers), or in some cases non-users (those who are consumer and customers of your competitors). Conversations and insights through these engagements often lead to higher quality ideas and solutions.

Incorporate elements of "gamification" into team activities to make the process of thinking outside the box more engaging and enjoyable. For example, you can design innovation challenges as interactive games or competitions where team members earn points or rewards for generating creative ideas or solving complex problems. Gamification not only injects fun into the innovation process but also taps into intrinsic motivators such as autonomy, mastery, and purpose, fostering a culture of enthusiastic participation and continuous improvement.

Be a bit mischievous and throw a competitive spanner in the works. For example, get together with other managers who are willing to play the game, then mix and match your teams before launching a competition. It could be a tournament to solve client pain points, or a contest to render the office more sustainable etc. What's important is to create surprising pairs or groups - avoid the same roles, experience levels and interests, and instead throw together wildly different profiles. In some cases they will get on each other's nerves, but most will be surprised at the enriching conversations and different perspectives, and may well get a new burst of energy. After the competition keep up the pace by sharing regularly.

Incentivo a minha equipe a buscar diversão fora do trabalho. O incentivo ao bem estar, a prática de atividade físicas, descoberta de um hobby, fazer cursos fora da área, dentre outros, tudo isso contribui para o desenvolvimento humano. Quanto estamos mais relaxados, descansados de verdade, ficamos mais confiantes fazendo coisas que gostamos além do profissional. A nossa mente se abre para o novo, passamos a enxergar o que não conseguíamos ver por estarmos presos a uma rotina com ciclo esgotado, e nossa criatividade se desenvolve cada vez mais.

Herse some things I used in the past: 1. Mystery Box: 🎁 Each member picks an object and brainstorm how it relates to a project, sparking fun and creativity. 2. Role Reversal: 🔁 Swap roles to gain fresh perspectives. 3. Idea Speed Dating: ⏱️ Rapidly share ideas with different partners to ignite creativity. 4. Worst Idea Award: 🏆 Brainstorm terrible solutions to uncover great ones by removing fear of judgment. 5. Escape Room: 🗝️ Solve puzzles together in an escape room to boost team bonding and problem-solving skills. 6. Future Headlines: 📰 Write success headlines and work backward to inspire innovative pathways. 7. Small Un-Conference: 🎤 Team members lead sessions on their hobbies or skills, fostering new ideas and connections.

One classic way to break the thinking rut is to change the environment that we're in. Humans are creatures of habit, and when we are in the same environment for an extended period, we pick up and assimilate a particular way of thinking and behaving. By changing the environment, it will break the "habit" and help us to think differently. Typically, if budget permits, a location outside of the office or a different spot from the usual meeting room works better for brainstorming.

One of the most referred to frameworks on the approach to fostering creativity is “Disney Creative Strategy”, which embodies the spirit of an idea sandbox. This strategy, inspired by Walt Disney's approach to project development, involves three distinct roles or perspectives: the Dreamer, the Realist, and the Critic. It creates a structured environment where ideas can be imagined, planned, and evaluated during different stages of the process. This approach encourages team members to explore new concepts fearlessly, contribute diverse perspectives, and collaborate effectively to bring magical experiences to life that drives growth.