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Enhancing Team Creativity

According to Naiman (2019), “Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality” (para. 1). Creativity is the key to problem solving and adaptability; it is therefore essential to the success of project teams. This blog post will discuss how creativity can best be measured, as well as the four conceptual domains into which new ideas may be classified. In addition, we interviewed twelve professionals to obtain their input on how creativity and teamwork are related, potential threats and roadblocks to team creativity, and ways in which it may be enhanced. Our findings are summarized below.

Measuring Creativity

There are many ways to measure creativity, four of which will be explored here: the Guilford measure, the taxonomy of creative design, the requirements model, and Csikszentmihalyi’s model.

Guilford’s method measures the creativity of an individual based on a response to a multiple-choice question (Silvia, et al., 2008). Based on the chosen response, creativity may be measured in terms of fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. Taxonomy of creative design measures the creativity of a work compared to others. The work may be classified in one of five categories. Imitation refers to a replication of previous work, while variation represents a the former with only minor modifications. Combination brings together ideas from two or more works, while transformation translates a work from one medium to another. Original creation, as the name implies, is a unique work. These classifications reveal how much originality creativity of thought and execution went into each bit of work (Brookhart, 2010 & Nilsson, 2012).

The requirements model measures the results of work against specific requirements. If there are criteria to be met on the project, then the work that has been done is compared to these criteria to determine the level of creativity displayed. Though it may seem difficult to measure the level of creativity achieved, when one considers that creativity is a requirement to achieve the required value, it is not difficult to measure (Nilsson, 2012).

Csikszentmuhalyi’s model is used to measure social value of the creative work. The creative value of a work is determined by the relationship between the person (individual, group, or body of work), the domain (the area of knowledge), and the field (the authorities who will judge the work). Creative strength is marked by the value that the field assigns to the person within a given domain (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997 & Nilsson, 2012).

The principles of measuring individual creativity also apply to measuring the creativity of teams, insofar as the team’s creativity is determined by that of its members. However, a successful team achieves synergy: its overall strengths exceed the strengths of the sum of its parts. A team’s ability to adapt to new situations and challenges with unique solutions can be used to measure its collective creativity.

Classifying Ideas Within the Four Creative Domains

New ideas may be classified as realistic (rooted in current knowledge) or idealistic (disconnected from current ideas or knowledge). They can be further classified into four domains (Thompson, 2003).

Creative realism: Ideas are highly original and imaginative, yet firmly connected to current ideas.

Conservative realism: Traditional ideas strongly connected to current ones.

Creative idealism: Highly original, yet unrealistic ideas (connected loosely or not at all to current ideas and structures).

Conservative idealism: Unoriginal ideas which are also unrealistic.

Teams should strive for creative realism, since it results in inventive problem-solving with achievable results. It is rooted in collaborative work and expediency, rather than individuals working alone at a slower pace. In addition, teams that exhibit creative realism tend to work incrementally, building on their ideas in a dynamic project environment. According to Tsue (2017), “Creative Realism is a process of small strategic and creative increments done together” (para. 4). Shared drives and cloud platforms are excellent tools for encouraging creative idealism. These platforms allow team members continuous shared access to files, enabling them to stay up to date and collaborate effectively. This boosts productivity, allowing for faster results.

Many fields, such as engineering and law, are still largely rooted in conservative realism. This is understandable given the structure required. However, as conservative realism is lacking in imaginative variance, it is unlikely to lead a team to excel in a project environment (Rughase, 2006).

Threats to Creativity

There are several factors which can threaten team creativity. The first is the makeup of the team itself. In the case of dysfunction (where the members drastically think differently), they will likely be unwilling to accept new ideas; this will inhibit the team’s ability to collaborate, be productive and efficient. Another threat to creativity is complacency. Fear of the deviating from the comfort of the status quo may result in a lack of creative ideas. Of the project professionals interviewed for this piece, most cited conflicting ideas within the team, risk aversion, resistance to change, and fear of judgement of ideas as major roadblocks to creativity. In addition, poor communication or communications limitations can be a major inhibitor of creativity.

Project leadership also has a major impact on team creativity. Project managers who attempt to exert excessive control or micromanage can severely curtail their teams’ creativity. As the Forbes Coaches Council (2017) stated, “To learn to fly we have to test our wings, and give a chance to test and try new things.” It is important that team members have the freedom to explore their creative minds, and be empowered to achieve their own successes. Failure to allow this can hinder future creative sessions. Curiosity must be encouraged, as the curious mind may open doors to a world of options. Those who play it safe and aren’t open to new ideas will stifle their team’s creativity.

Recommendations for Enhancing Team Creativity

An organization’s values and culture should encourage and inspire team members to think creatively when solving problems or making decisions. There are many practices an organization can adopt in team environments to promote cohesiveness. Learning from the past is an excellent way to identify the positive and negative impacts of past choices. Building upon lessons learned allows for the development of creative solutions, as does bringing in resources with the expert knowledge to teach more efficient methods. In addition, team building activities are essential to forming interpersonal bonds between colleagues and developing team dynamics. Clear communication and comprehension amongst team members promotes an overall cohesive and understanding environment.

Teams often face issues or problems which require creative thinking to resolve. When assembling a team, it is important not only to select those with the proper experience and skill sets, but to ensure diversity. People have different perspectives determined by their background and experiences, which naturally provide unique approaches to solving problems. Once the team has been assembled, a culture should be established to persuade the team members to think with analogical reasoning, or “thinking outside the box” using non-traditional ideas when necessary. Diversifying the team and encouraging this type reasoning is likely to elevate the level of creativity significantly.

When we asked our twelve project professionals for their thoughts on how to enhance creativity, they emphasized the importance of encouraging the sharing of ideas – for instance, with brainstorming sessions or open-forum meetings. Several noted that it is vital not to pass immediate judgement on any idea, and to reward successes. In addition, some interviewees recommended using an iterative approach to continuously build on creative solutions.

Conclusion

Fostering creativity is perhaps the single most important action that organizations and project leaders should take to enhance the performance of project teams. Creativity is directly related to both individuals’ and teams’ ability to solve problems effectively and adapt to new challenges. Team creativity can be measured in a number of ways, and project leaders should aspire to foster creative realism. Awareness of common threats to creativity, as well as effective ways to enhance it, equips a project manager for success. The organization that makes nurturing creativity central to its culture will have happier and more productive project teams, as well as an increased rate of project success.

References

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). CREATIVITY: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. Retrieved from http://vedpuriswar.org/Book_Review/Leadership_Managerial_Effectiveness/Creativity.pdf

Brookhart, S.M. (2010) How to Assess Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Your Classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Retrieved from http://www.senseandsensation.com/2012/03/assessing-creativity.html#!/2012/03/assessing-creativity.htmlhttp://www.cala.fsu.edu/files/higher_order_thinking_skills.pdfhttp://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb13/vol70/num05/Assessing-Creativity.aspx

Forbes Coaches Council. (2017, December 21). 15 Ways Leaders Can Promote Creativity In The Workplace. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/12/21/15-ways-leaders-can-promote-creativity-in-the-workplace/#67447fd558ef

Naiman, L. (2019). What is Creativity? (And why is it a crucial factor for business success?). Retrieved from https://www.creativityatwork.com/2014/02/17/what-is-creativity/

Nilsson, P. (2012, March 24). Four Ways to Measure Creativity. Retrieved from http://www.senseandsensation.com/2012/03/assessing-creativity.html

Rughase, O. G. (2006). Identity and Strategy: How Individual Visions Enable the Design of a Market Strategy That Works. Gloucestershire, England: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Silvia, P. J., Winterstein, B. P., Willse, J. T., Barona, C. M., Cram, J. T., Hess, K. I., Martinez, J. L., & Richard, C. A. (2008). Assessing creativity with divergent thinking tasks: Exploring the reliability and validity of new subjective scoring methods. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 2(68-85). http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1931-3896.2.2.68

Thompson, L. (2003). Improving the creativity of organizational work groups. Academy of Management Executive, 17(1), 96–109. https://doi.org/10.5465/AME.2003.9474814

Tsue, E. (2017). A Call for ‘Creative Realism’: How to put results above all else in the creative process. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@edtsue/a-call-for-creative-realism-4d2677eeec76

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