Unlocking your team’s creativity can sometimes be a challenge for managers. Here are three common fallacies that might be getting in the way — and how to avoid them.
- The productivity fallacy: There’s a misperception that equates innovation with decision-making speed. Sometimes, the best ideas require long incubation periods. Resisting the temptation to come to fast conclusions can lead to more creative and far-reaching solutions to complex problems.
- The intelligence fallacy: Creative thinking is cognitively demanding. Pay close attention to how new ideas are shared and discussed on your team. Encourage them to build on each other’s ideas rather than poking holes in them. This doesn’t mean saying “yes” to flawed ideas; instead, approach them with an open mind to acknowledge what’s useful and improve weaknesses.
- The brainstorming fallacy: While group brainstorming feels more productive because of the social effects, research has found that nominal brainstorming (where individuals think on their own before sharing ideas) consistently outperforms traditional group brainstorming. So, start your team brainstorms with a few minutes of silence for people to ideate independently before returning to the group as a whole.
Harvard Business Review
