tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52639280681559155212024-02-07T03:10:17.974+00:00Creativity in OrganizationsManaging creativity in organizations is a way of enhancing the potential of human capital and a mean to strengthen the competitiveness of companies. This is what this blog believes in. A good understanding and use of creativity supports the slogan "think outside the box" as a way of bringing value inside organization walls. At the end, it's about using the brain: Thinking (instead of repeating) Doing (instead of fearing) Teresa Antuneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745048534390449741noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5263928068155915521.post-68144539914408901822017-01-05T20:00:00.000+00:002017-01-06T16:12:09.886+00:00The clock is ticking…are we there yet? <span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Long time, no see. </span></span><br />
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<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was reading a book about creativity, when the
following sentence caught my attention: “We spend much of our lives not being
who we really are”. Not a new idea or concept, that’s for sure. </span></span><br />
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Still, got me thinking that putting aside all the
drama and philosophical sense behind it, we really do spend much of our lives
not being who we really are. And I don’t mean it in the sense “we all hide
behind our own masks”. </span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I mean we wear from top to bottom the expectations,
the dreams, the musts from those around us and the stereotypes and fears which whisper
inside our heads. It was discussed before how socialization and expectations can
shape us into thinking in a certain way and how hard it is to get out of that
model.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Focusing on the professional side and how our </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">standard selves </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;">impact our career
choices, I am tempted to say that no matter how unsatisfied or bored people are
with their work (for what reason it may be), few ones take the risk to reinvent
themselves within the same company or reach out for a new path. I strongly
believe this mostly happens because we forgot how to be who we are. </span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m not thinking about a revolution or giving up,
instead the word should be: standing up. Standing up for what you believe it
should be, for your ideas and vision, for ethics and creativity. Real collaboration
and contribution instead of nodding the head. Be responsible for you and your
actions – not a clone. </span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One thing is for sure, we cannot drive on creativity
and expect to keep up the pace of innovation and technology, if we lack it in
ourselves. Organizations evolve the same amount their employees do. </span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I always remember one frequent expression that made my
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Top 10 Most horrible expressions I’ve
ever heard in my life:</span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> “It’s like that, because that’s the way it has
always been done”. </span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We lack energy and time!</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Time Management experts discuss that we spend
most of our time at work doing what is urgent and not what is important. This reflects
how resources and work are organized but also the culture of organizations. Essentially,
we usually do everything last minute and we react to problems. If something is
for next month…come on! I still have 4 complete weeks to do it, give me a
break! And then again, I will do it the day before. Not because I’m lazy, but because
we are always running against time. So, what is important stays behind and
maybe one day it will be urgent and then I will do it, but I won't give my best…no
time, sorry. And the spiral goes on and on. Organizations miss opportunities to
revolutionize, we miss opportunities to feel happy and proud about what we do. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCVAKUB0LCjCNxLh0aycLRVOcaleuJbgyVHnbGBJcoZIRKvzIlOJNLcUArxhhswO-PB8BOCrMGafGPtAMlxtv59uL0z0RqZWymEOx3VEmbJ0J7KLnKlWYmZfi6mLexe6THPZ7fW6dgcCS/s1600/clock-64265__340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCVAKUB0LCjCNxLh0aycLRVOcaleuJbgyVHnbGBJcoZIRKvzIlOJNLcUArxhhswO-PB8BOCrMGafGPtAMlxtv59uL0z0RqZWymEOx3VEmbJ0J7KLnKlWYmZfi6mLexe6THPZ7fW6dgcCS/s200/clock-64265__340.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We lack energy and time!</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Energy to flee from our daily work routines.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Time to get curious and exceed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I believe it all comes down to one simple question: </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do we want to spend our time?</span></b></span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a way, this could be the story about how this blog
hibernated and then came back to life. </span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">…are we there yet?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCVAKUB0LCjCNxLh0aycLRVOcaleuJbgyVHnbGBJcoZIRKvzIlOJNLcUArxhhswO-PB8BOCrMGafGPtAMlxtv59uL0z0RqZWymEOx3VEmbJ0J7KLnKlWYmZfi6mLexe6THPZ7fW6dgcCS/s1600/clock-64265__340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To be nobody but yourself in a world
which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to
fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop
fighting.</span></span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">E. E. Cummings</span></span></b></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>Teresa Antuneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745048534390449741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5263928068155915521.post-65968341423780217902015-04-09T21:40:00.000+01:002017-01-05T18:31:27.943+00:00Looking for "Macgyver" style<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Often we find ourselves in the middle of a new situation, new challenge or we come across a new problem we have to solve. The thing about “novelty” is we don’t have previous information about it or knowledge in how to deal with it. It’s new! Our brain struggles to find similar situations in his database and tries to bridge them with the present circumstance. Yet, should we go for the closest solution the brain finds?<br /> <br />How to deal with novelty?<br /> <br />Macgyver, the character from the TV Series with the same name, was a specialist in that kind of situation. Love him or not, he was a truly creative person. Not only could he solve unexpected problems and challenges, as he often did it using creative solutions that worked (so, in a sense, we could even say he innovated a lot). What made Macgyver succeed in his endeavours was his ability to improvise.<br /> <br />Key issues on improvisation:<br />- Unexpected situation<br />- Knowledge database<br />- Mental flexibility<br />- Acceptance<br /> <br />When facing new challenges that require a quick action or solution, we are forced to improvise (i.e., deliver something without previous preparation). To do so, we quickly search our brain database for information that might help us find answers. However, we are facing novelty, which means we will need to use our mental flexibility to create original and unpredicted connections within our previous knowledge. Also, mental flexibility allows us to “look around” and find pertinent resources readily available. By mixing and combining all this information, we will find new patterns and probably new creative solutions. But, would they work?<br /> <br />In order to improvise we need to accept uncertainty and failure. Fear of failure and fear of the ridiculous are what limit us from going beyond and try new solutions. Attempting to do what has never been done before is always a risk, speaking up for a new idea or a new way of action requires courage and conviction. The world wouldn’t evolve if we all stood by the basics and within our comfort zone.<br /> <br /><br /><b>What role does improvisation have inside organizations?</b><br /> <br />Think about how much things changed since you were little. The world you know today is far different from the one you knew ten, five, or even 1 year ago. This constant progress has a great impact in organizations, obliging them to keep up with the pace and pushing them to continuously innovate. Not rarely, professionals face new and urgent challenges to solve.<br /> <br />Usually two competences are associated with people who seize opportunities, enjoy challenges, are open to change, are able to act with minimum planning and experiment everything until they find a solution: Action Oriented and Learning on the Fly. Both these competencies are highly valued in the organizational context, as they define professionals who are capable to quickly and energetically respond to new problems and who are also willing to walk through the unknown.<br /> <br />To a certain point what we described above is the ability to improvise: to act on opportunities by using the information available to find new and useful solutions to the problem in hand.<br /> <br />How can we develop our ability to improvise?<br /> <br />Although improvising in itself means doing something without planning, the fact is, we can train our improvisation skills. For instance, theatre companies do so in order to prepare their professionals to the unexpected on stage.<br /> <br /><br /><b>Welcome to Improvisation Academy!</b><br /> <br /><b>1st Step: Silent mind</b><br />One of the greatest barriers to improvisation is the sense of being ridiculous or the fear of failure. In order to silent this inner voice that prevents our actions, we need to accept being exposed to others and to not getting it right at the first time.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Train your brain to accept new things, to positively deal with ridiculousness and unpredictability. If you do so, when facing new challenges at work, you will be more open to try novel and creative solutions.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Activity: each week do something out of your comfort zone – go to a new place; talk to a stranger; present one of your craziest ideas to your colleague; enrol in a new activity that has nothing to do with your interests, and so on.<br /> <br />(Macgyver frequently found himself in dangerous (life or death) situations, which meant he had to act to survive. That was enough to silent his mind.)<br /> <br /><b>2nd Step: Curious eye</b><br />Curiosity is one of the characteristics most associated with creativity. Curiosity leads you to investigate, to explore problems and subjects, to be open-minded and to be attentive to your surroundings.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Training your eyes to be curious and to see what is happening around you, will allow you to discover new information, new patterns, new resources that you might use in the future to elaborate new and useful solutions for all kind of problems.<br /> <br />Activity: each week take a piece of paper and a pencil and go to a different place. Seat down and observe. For at least 30 minutes, observe what is happening around you. Take notes. Take pictures if you will. Look at all the details.<br /> <br />(Macgyver was always aware of his surroundings and created solutions by taking the most of the resources available to him.)<br /> <br /><b>3rd Step: Hunger brain</b><br />The larger your knowledge database is, higher the probability of you finding the right connection for your problem. Train yourself to feed your hunger brain with new (and rather diverse) information. This information will increase your knowledge database, which in the future will give you more opportunities to discover new solutions that actually work.<br /> <br />Activity: each week read at least one article (scientific or experienced-based article). It doesn’t matter the subject or even if you know anything about it.<br /> <br />(Macgyver had knowledge in different engineering domains, which allowed him to connect pieces of information coming from his brain database and turn them into useful solutions.)<br /> <br /><br />Improvisation is more intuitive to some than to others. In a previous post I talked about the effects of education and socialization in creating mental schemes in our brains (schemes that influence us to act always in a similar and confortable way). Also, socialization trains us to avoid change, novelty, and all that could temper with our equilibrium. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>That is why, in order to improvise, we need to forget something we learnt and Macgyver didn’t: The meaning of impossible!</b></span><br />
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<br />Teresa Antuneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745048534390449741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5263928068155915521.post-43632130815885815112015-01-29T19:07:00.000+00:002015-01-29T19:07:39.094+00:00Practices to enable creativity: towards future with a touch of fear<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Enhancing creativity in organizations is not an easy task. Firstly, because it takes more than just claiming how important creativity is for innovation. Secondly, creativity defies the status quo and not everyone is ready for that. Also, creativity is unpredictable. Creativity it’s not something we can teach or learn, however we can stimulate and enhance it within work environment. <br /><br />We might say two types of organizations exist: one stuck in past, other looking to future. The first keeps using winner solutions already tested and used many times before; whereas the second seeks new solutions and constantly reinvents itself. The second type believes what we don’t know is more important than what we already know. Both types of organizations may survive, yet one is far more prepared to deal with present challenges, such as constant change and scientific and technological advances, than the other. In order to keep up with progress, organizations need to innovate. <br /> <br />For an organization to seek innovation, it needs to build an environment that encourages creativity. Organizational culture, mission, structure and practices, they all should be aligned and embedded with specific characteristics enabling employees to foster new ideas, new ways of thinking and doing things. For most organizations, this is clearly out of their comfort zone. But, as one says: “nothing ventured, nothing gained!” For innovation to happen new roads must be taken and that means facing the unknown and the possibility of failure. <br /> <br />In what way may work environment encourage creativity? </span><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />- <b>Sending clear messages. </b>Management should be clear in supporting creativity, meaning they actually value imagination, idea sharing, novelty, and development. Opposing to conformism and replication. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />- <b>Accepting mistakes.</b> To reach “eureka”, employees need to feel confortable in trying new things and sharing eccentric ideas. Problems and failures are seen as opportunities to learn and move forward more efficiently. <br /><br />- <b>Allowing time to think.</b> Bright ideas not always come in a flash of a second. Like exceptional and useful solutions, they need active thinking, in other words, thoughts and actions directed to idea development. Thinking is probably one of the most essential tasks at work; even in routine jobs we can always find ways to be more efficient. <br /><br />- <b>Focusing in the right question.</b> The focus changes from the “right answer” to the “right question”. Looking for the right answer, not having stated the right question, keeps a lot of companies engaged in fruitless efforts. Exploring the problem allows the company to find new perspectives and eventually the right question to be addressed. <br /><br />- <b>Being open to change and risk.</b> Walking towards what has never been done before is scary. It involves taking risks (we might not get it right at first time) and involves realizing things change. When we move into future some habits need to be replaced for new ones and we need to accept that what was once true and correct might not be anymore. <br /><br />- <b>Promoting communication. </b>Fluid communication between colleagues allows idea sharing and growth. Fluid communication between employees and management avoids misunderstandings and guarantees that everyone is in the same page. Moreover, good communication lines allow faster action in dealing with problems and new challenges. <br /><br />- <b>Having enthusiastic leaders. </b>Leaders who inspire their teams with meaningful and challenging objectives. Leaders who encourage their teams to dream, to think and to create. Also, leaders who understand the importance of enjoying work. <br /><br /> <br />From what was said, we can understand why no consensus exists towards managing creativity in organizations. For some is still not clear the benefits creativity brings for business, but for others the real problem is that it creates a sense of losing control. Imagine this: you’re driving your car through a road you know well. A road leading you to your goal. But, suddenly, you have to stop. A giant rock is blocking your way. What to do? 1. Keep insisting in the same road, try to push the rock or wait for help. 2. Go and try another road, an unknown road, which could lead you to your goal or get you lost. What would you do?</span></div>
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The situation above represents what happens when organizations face any given problem. At this point they must decide how to solve it. Option 1 represents safety: insist in going through the same road, meaning relying on known data and old solutions that have been successful in the past. Option 2 represents risk: look for new roads, gathering new information, investing in original solutions and accepting the risk of the unknown.<br /> <br />Both options are valid and needed. The secret may hide in knowing when to use each one of them. Recognizing the time to be cautious and the time to take risks. Either way, no innovation is possible if we keep driving the same road, over and over again. We will see the same landscape and find the same solutions than before. <b>In order to stand out and find novelty, new places must be discovered. </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Work environments grounded with practices that enable creativity, they prepare its employees to face problems and challenges with open minds. Also, employees are trained to assess risk and consequences and then decide which road to take. But, how to get here? <br /> <br />Each company should assess and draw its own way towards innovation. There is no right answer or single path. However, there is a common strength leading each step forward –> Creativity. </span></div>
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Teresa Antuneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745048534390449741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5263928068155915521.post-42733734849670329562015-01-16T20:32:00.002+00:002015-02-13T01:32:15.103+00:00Don’t disturb my distraction. I’m working here! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">At work… how to be creative? A small question with such a complex answer (if there’s even one). <br /> <br />When starting a job in a new company, first days are mostly observing and breathing in organizational culture. Soon, we perceive how much we identify ourselves with company’s culture and its ways of working. Usually organizations value one kind of working style over others. Some organizations will see more commitment and productivity in you staying over hours, while others will find it a sign of bad performance. Some organizations promote meetings and teamwork, whereas others believe it to be a waste of time. Which way is the better way? <br /> <br />There’s no clear answer to this question. It will depend on a series of factors, such as the product/service you are working on, the company’s strategy and the managerial style. One thing seems right: we won’t all prefer the same way. But, what is the big problem? Shouldn’t organizations value people who easily adapt to the work environment? Yes, they should. Now, think about this: <br /> <br />How many times were you at work, behaving exactly as expected of you, but knowing you’re not performing at your best? Unfortunately, people frequently answer this question with “too many times”. Also, we often find people looking for new jobs because they feel frustrated by this situation. Having the ability to easily adapt to diverse environments, ways of working and colleagues is one thing, losing what makes you competent is another thing. With creativity happens the same. <br /> <br />How to be creative at work? Maybe there’s no simple solution to this problem, however, most authors associate two different types of thinking with creativity: Divergent Thinking and Convergent Thinking.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> In divergent thinking, our brain accesses its database and starts making associations between ideas. </span>People, who easily zoom out, tend to be more effective in this task. If successful, at the end of divergent thinking we will have a wide set of potential interesting ideas, or already the promising idea, which we will want to pursue. Convergent thinking implies much more focus. Our brain will need to concentrate in the promising idea and turn it into a bright solution. To do so, it will need to focus on the challenge, analyze, and use evaluation and decision-making processes, thus being perseverant.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Now comes the interesting part of this magic balance between divergent and convergent thinking: one frequently happens while our brain experiences alpha waves, whereas the other happens when our brain experiences beta waves. That is to say, one is emitted when we are in a state of physical and mental relaxation and the other is emitted when we are consciously alert or tense. <br /> <br />So, at an individual level, how can we enhance our creativity at work? It appears that for creative production, distraction is needed as much as concentration. When working in challenging projects, new products or trying to innovate in company’s policies, we need surprising ideas that may rise to be outstanding solutions. </span>Therefore, we will need time to relax and look out the window with a notebook in our hands, or even get out of the office and walk for a while.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In these moments, we might appear distracted, but our brain is boiling with connections and flourishing ideas. Additionally, we will also need time to be alone and not interrupted by others. We will need to get focus and work intensively through the ideas. At this point, a coffee and a quiet space will be perfect. In sum, depending on the task in hands and on the moment in the creative process (do we need inspiration or to improve an idea?), we choose the type of thinking to use; hence we should either take a walk or take a coffee. <br /> <br />Practically speaking what this means is that during our working hours we will need different kinds of stimuli and behaviour to enhance our performance and creativity. Why not take the most of each one of us? Standardization may create a fake sense of order and productivity, but does it lead us to be exceptional? More and more companies focus on flexible working conditions: flexible working hours; teleworking; percentages of working hours used in personnel projects; vacation and absence days not tracked. This kind of policies support, not only sense of responsibility, but also efficiency, motivation and commitment. The key is no longer in doing what’s in job description, but it is in following objectives and exceeding expectations. <br /><br />As for creativity, it needs a specific organizational environment to grow. (Which is an entirely new topic) <br />Individually, we may enhance our creative potential and bring value to our work by giving our brain what he needs to get “out of the box”. If you need a completely new and creative idea, don’t expect it to appear while looking incessantly to the computer screen. Experience says you will have more luck by relaxing and taking a shower. </span><br />
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Teresa Antuneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745048534390449741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5263928068155915521.post-44114822657313777802015-01-07T20:47:00.000+00:002015-01-09T12:04:13.298+00:00The dark side of expectations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We create expectations about almost everything in our lives, the family dinner, the new project at work, the meeting with the boss. Think about when you wake up in the morning. Why some days is so easy to get up even if you slept few hours, while in others you hit the snooze button over and over again? One possible answer: expectations. Your brain already knows what to expect from the day ahead and he has a saying about it. Without realizing it the brain gets formatted and shaped by all those expectations about your daily events. Then, a problem arises. <br /><br /><b>How can we live in the moment and look for opportunities if we are somehow trapped inside our expectations?</b> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1ugVvBg5h51G5mmtdTdMaKzxbGEYwQfz62cvdOKaZ3ypBooSY0YacB1dC1CLQjBqYp627NQVB5J0_qHUdRagLrjfeGvG2Q3UJJkRtxTOa1aE_O7gpLvbb0-MGMI3_AKg7wRIaCHNnOQx/s1600/Expectations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1ugVvBg5h51G5mmtdTdMaKzxbGEYwQfz62cvdOKaZ3ypBooSY0YacB1dC1CLQjBqYp627NQVB5J0_qHUdRagLrjfeGvG2Q3UJJkRtxTOa1aE_O7gpLvbb0-MGMI3_AKg7wRIaCHNnOQx/s1600/Expectations.jpg" height="147" width="200" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Imagine this: you are waiting to enter a training session about conflict management. What are your thoughts?<br />1. “Really? What a waste of time!”<br />2. “Great! It’s going to be so interesting!”<br />This kind of dichotomy happens frequently. I’m going to have a meeting with my boss: “Oh no. He read my last project and hates it!” or “Great. He read my last project and loves it!” </span>Truth is we never know and usually it’s neither great nor horrible. It just is what it is.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">How many times we hear “It was better than I expected!” or “It was nothing like I expected”? Not so often we hear “It was just what I expected”. And that’s because our expectations are made to guide us and make sense of what’s going to happen. Shockingly, they are not made to be true. <br /><br />So, what are we missing when we hold tightly to our expectations? The answer might be: a universe of opportunities! <br /><br />I expect the training session to be awful. Then, I will be less attentive, less available and probably I will miss information that could really interest me. I expect it to be great. Then, I will be always waiting for surprising moments and dazzling truths, not enjoying what the session has to give me. The problem with expectations is this: while waiting to fulfil our expectations, we miss what is happening around us. <br /><br />At work it happens all the time. Each of us has a tendency to expect less or more of the situations and we act accordingly to those expectations. We expect less we give less. We expect more we miss what we have. We get more than expected we suspect. We get less than expect we become frustrated. So hard to get it right! Imagine a blindfold. Yet, you can see something, you can see what you expect. So, you keep on walking cause you don’t realize what you’re missing. Two things may happen now:<br />1. You reach the goal, for instance you may get promoted. And you’re happy. But then, the blindfold disappears and you look back. What do you see?<br />2. You don’t reach the goal. You’re frustrated. But then, the blindfold disappears and you look back. What do you see?<br /><br />The answer might be the same: a greater opportunity. When focusing in only one outcome, you miss other variables and chances along the way. Moreover, you may miss the solution to reach your goal, because sometimes the road is not linear. <br /><br />Look around you. Accept novelty, meet new people, even though your first thought is they have nothing in common with you. Taking other roads and trying new paths increases our knowledge and thus our mental database. More information we gather, a higher chance we have to think outside the box. <br /><br />Not surprisingly, characteristics such as flexible attention and curiosity are associated with creativity. Creative people tend to seize the moment and be open to change and opportunities. They still have goals, but meanwhile they enjoy the ride. <br /><br /><br />We find it impossible not to expect. It’s part of who we are… we expect to graduate and find a great job, to buy a house and get married, to get promoted and have kids, we expect to grow old and enjoy retirement. Surely not all of us will expect these things, but we all expect something. The key is to manage expectations: create them, but let them be flexible enough so each moment can be experienced to the fullest.</span><br />
<br />Teresa Antuneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745048534390449741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5263928068155915521.post-64502276329495534532014-12-22T14:00:00.000+00:002014-12-29T18:13:53.052+00:00From stupid ideas… to awesome solutions!<span style="font-family: inherit;">How far is the way? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Along socialization, education and experience, our brains are trained to think in a certain way. We create our own mental schemes, which help us deal with information, external stimulus and routine problems. This schemes allow us to respond really fast in daily situations (social and professional). Almost automatically we access our knowledge and past experience to deal with present challenges. And that’s genius! Our responses are fast and easily we move forward. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">However, there’s also a downside to it. In order to respond fast and efficiently our ideas are constantly filtered by those mental schemes. Only realistic, practical and riskless ideas reach our acceptance and have a chance to be implemented. Therefore, even when a new innovative solution is needed, we struggle with our minds to see beyond the obvious ideas and already tested solutions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But, <b>what would happen if we got out of our “mental scheme box”? </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">See this example from a small electric utility company located in a mountainous region of the Pacific Northwest <span class="Apple-style-span">[1]</span>: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This electric utility company struggled every year with ice storms that covered the power lines. The ice that stood in the power lines frequently cut off the power turning the situation into a nightmare for costumers and the company. Solution was for linemen to go up the poles and shake the wires. However, and as you probably imagine, this was a really dangerous job for these men. New solution was needed! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0L9E5wA8dcc0uONJoaoKhR8vLRUcz1hpIXHeuC3EVkcwivamQBafV895geUTDknJggJWqbXYrB6Dg3dTADaBi76VykNhWxzcZzp1eEhWNdBVM00QPlLgsxVexha6Zr1cjxX-YC_NDZ9f/s1600/winnie+the+pooh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0L9E5wA8dcc0uONJoaoKhR8vLRUcz1hpIXHeuC3EVkcwivamQBafV895geUTDknJggJWqbXYrB6Dg3dTADaBi76VykNhWxzcZzp1eEhWNdBVM00QPlLgsxVexha6Zr1cjxX-YC_NDZ9f/s1600/winnie+the+pooh.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">To try and find a new solution, a consultant came to the company and brought together a diverse group of employees for a brainstorming meeting. However, after several hours of brainstorming, nothing useful had pop up. But then something happened! Following a comment about the existence of bears in that area, a participant wondered if they could train the bears to climb the poles cause with their weight they would shake the wires. Well… probably you are thinking (as almost everyone in that room thought): “What a stupid idea”! Maybe, maybe, but what if I told you this was THE idea that somehow turned into an awesome solution? Let’s continue! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once the group stopped laughing, another participant took the previous idea and added that maybe they could attract the bears by putting honey pots on the top of each pole as a reward. The group continued to develop this idea, some more enthusiastic than others. During the discussion some tension arose between the participants who wanted to pursue this bear-and-honey-pot idea and those who wanted to move on to more practical ideas. At some point a lineman recommended they could use the company’s helicopter to put honey pots on the top of the poles.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabm0FR11rZKkBGr6V-9k2WXJyEXmZHK2Wza1_sDS3zNbeOQ6tGTWy6GI9p03T9tEquGseSyZa8SRMTkRA8uBSiMq6nvXZUGTlGOMM911-Ejb9ptwv5515OByLqkgngKepWaQx7xXU-MCJ/s1600/Downwash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabm0FR11rZKkBGr6V-9k2WXJyEXmZHK2Wza1_sDS3zNbeOQ6tGTWy6GI9p03T9tEquGseSyZa8SRMTkRA8uBSiMq6nvXZUGTlGOMM911-Ejb9ptwv5515OByLqkgngKepWaQx7xXU-MCJ/s1600/Downwash.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another participant who was a former nurse’s aide in Vietnam remembered how when helicopters brought wounded soldiers they had a tremendous down wash. So she asked the group: “Would helicopter down wash be strong enough to knock off the ice?” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That’s exactly it! The awesome solution the company needed! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">From training bears... to using helicopters. How far was the way? Not far really. You just need two secret ingredients for this transformation to occur: divergent thinking and convergent thinking! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1st Step - <b>Divergent Thinking</b>: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When looking for new and creative solutions, you shouldn't filter your ideas. Let them all come out. Verbalize all ideas or write them in a paper, even if you know for sure they won't work. They may not be the right solution (yet), however they could be an inspiration for other ideas. Accept your ideas (and others' ideas). Do not restrain your mind with reality (reality check will happen later). Be spontaneous! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The aim is to find a great number of ideas. To do so, you should: avoid judgement, elaborate from others’ ideas and value original and surprising ideas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2nd Step - <b>Convergent Thinking</b>: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When a certain number of ideas are already found, it’s time to evaluate them and turn them into solutions. In this step you will have the opportunity to judge all ideas and choose those who are most promising. Attention! Judge positively and be open to novelty. Select ideas using clear criterias. Also, you have the opportunity to enhance ideas you think could be improved. Keep an open mind! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The combination of these two types of thinking allow us to get out of our mental schemes and reach new and creative solutions. <b>Remember</b>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Take time to create ideas. First ideas that come into mind are always filtered. You have to force your brain to get out his comfort zone and start thinking in new creative ideas. Even the crazy stupid ideas will help your brain make new connections and go beyond old recipes. No idea is bad idea;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- When you have a great number of ideas, then start evaluating them. Judge positively and seek for novelty and creativity. Draw a plan to make the idea work (define actions to be done, people who can help you, resources you will need).</span> <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">[1] Source: adapted from Osland, J. S., Rubin, I.M., Kolb, D. A., & Turner, M. E. (2007). Organizational behavior: An experimental approach (pp. 312-336). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson</span><br />
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Teresa Antuneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745048534390449741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5263928068155915521.post-63749842078743085442014-12-16T19:15:00.000+00:002014-12-29T18:14:30.285+00:00Creativity in Organizations: Myths<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Creativity in organizations is not about brainstorming meetings or teambuilding activities.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Talking about creativity in organizations is talking about an organizational culture, a leadership style and a full process in which the main objective is to enhance companies' innovation and efficiency.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Also, talking about creativity is talking about enthusiasm, passion and commitment. These are the healthiest fuels for performance and productivity in organizations. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">But, what are we really talking about, when we talk about creativity? Firstly, it's important to address some myths often associated with the use of creativity in organizations: </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1. Only a few people are truly creative. You can’t train creativity. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Not really! All employees of an organization have </span><span class="Apple-style-span">potential </span><span class="Apple-style-span">and the skills related to creativity can be trained. More!</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> Individual and team </span><span class="Apple-style-span">skills</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> on </span><span class="Apple-style-span">c</span><span class="Apple-style-span">reative thinking and problem solving can be developed by the use of </span><span class="Apple-style-span">specific tools and techniques. </span><span class="Apple-style-span">You can help an employee develop his divergent thinking (essential for generation of creative ideas) as well as increase his mental flexibility. These trainings will positively impact employee hability to think outside his usual mental schemes: to "think outside the box". It's true, not everyone will be a creative genius! However, with the proper training and use of several creativity techniques, employees working in organizations that encourage a culture of creativity will show that they have much more to contribute. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2. Being creative means taking thoughtless risks. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Truth: creativity is associated with people who take more risks. Lie: creativity is associated with people who take thoughtless risks. An important distinction to be made is between risks and consequences. A risk may be huge, for example when it's very likely that our action will fail, but the consequence of this risk may be small, meaning that, if we fail there will be no serious consequences. If it's true that creativity is associated with people who take risks, with people who are not afraid to fail, it´s also true that these people </span><span class="Apple-style-span">evaluate </span><span class="Apple-style-span">seriously</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> the relationship between risk and consequence. Therefore, they take risks to an acceptable level. In organizations is much more creative who better understands when to take the risk or not. Additionally, the creative process minimizes risks by having an evaluation phase before implementation... no idea is a good idea if it only serves the theoretical world. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>3. Creativity does not imply time. </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Wrong! More haste, less speed... and this case is no exception. Creative process takes time. It takes time to question challenges and problems we are facing, it takes time to produce ideas and it takes time to explore these ideas. For example, there are already organizations that give their employees a percentage of time (included in the working hours) to do what they wish, to explore the projects that they want. And not surprisingly, many of the innovative ideas of these companies emerge from this time given to employees. Time is money, but innovation and efficiency mean even more money. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><b>4. Creativity is only useful for creating new products. Creativity inhibits productivity.</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Creativity is essential for c</span><span class="Apple-style-span">reation of new products, but not only. Creativity can be used to solve organizational problems and to develop or improve services, processes and organizational strategies. You will find this broader vision of creativity in organizations</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> with a culture and a managerial leadership that values sharing of ideas and in teams willing to seize oportunities. In this kind of work environment employees are creative while being productive. Moreover, s</span><span class="Apple-style-span">tudies have been suggesting that employees’ creativity contributes to the innovation, efficiency, performance and survival of <span style="font-family: inherit;">organizations. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><b>5. You need huge monetary rewards to enhance creativity in organizations. </b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">On the contrary! Motivation linked to the creative process is mainly intrinsic. Well, of course you will need to reward creativity. However, from a certain point on, it's not money that will dictate whether the person will be more creative or not. People will be more creative if they feel they are in a challenging job, if they have autonomy and some saying about their tasks. Most of all, they will be creative if they sense that their ideas are being valued.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Creativity in organizations is not a myth and doesn't have to be a waste of time. Creativity in organizations is a way of thinking that enhances the potencial within each employee and it's a way of working that enables sharing, development and efficiency. </span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>It's not about transforming hard work into creativity; it's about transforming creativity into hard work! </b></span><!--EndFragment--></div>
<div>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
Teresa Antuneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745048534390449741noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5263928068155915521.post-55946386977235598392014-12-16T19:00:00.000+00:002014-12-29T18:13:23.415+00:00Welcoming Creativity<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We're living in a fast-paced world with constant changes happening everywhere and where the keyword for organizations is <b>Innovation</b>! Nowadays, organizations are continuously forced to evolve in order to remain competitive and thus ensure their survival. In this context, creativity becomes a key process inside organizations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span">The <b>Creative Process</b> is part of the innovation process on which much of organizational success depends. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span">The more creative employees are, the more likely it is for organizations to continually innovate, either in their products or in their processes.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We should therefore ensure that organizations foster an environment that enhances creativity. An environment in which employees have access to appropriate creativity tools and techniques so they can use all their creative potential.</span></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment--><br />Teresa Antuneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02745048534390449741noreply@blogger.com0