The Simple Process That Guarantees Innovation (& No Conflict)
Creating collaborative creativity through the 'Yes And' method.
When individuals feel they are under scrutiny and their ideas are being judged, they naturally start disconnecting from their creativity and closing themselves off to effective collaboration and collective innovation. This disconnect manifests through defensive reactions, shutting down, or by turning the judgements placed on them back on others.
This scenario is precisely what we aim to avoid in a brainstorm or in any interaction for that matter. When judgment prevails, it halts the innovation cycle and triggers a cycle of collective sabotage. People notice others fixating on flaws or shortcomings in their ideas rather than acknowledging their merits.
Innovation thrives when all ideas, regardless of their nature - good, bad, big, small, obscure, or obvious - are embraced, with evaluation reserved for after the initial ideation phase. Unfortunately, this acceptance of diverse ideas doesn't always occur, particularly in informal meetings or interactions where the participants haven't engaged in a mindset of creative ideation.
This doesn’t imply settling for subpar ideas; on the contrary, focusing on the positive aspects of an idea, no matter how small, fosters expansive thinking and ignites creativity. The following is a straightforward process designed to achieve this outcome, promoting a sense of safety that enables individuals to be open and share their ideas freely.
This process extends beyond brainstorming sessions. You can use it in conversation with yourself when you need to come up with new solutions to old problems or help motivate yourself to persevere in a task that is difficult and you notice the self-judgement creeping in. It's also useful in personal relationships to reach consensus on plans and prevent conflicts. Moreover, it can fuel collaborative creativity and innovation in the workplace, whether in formal brainstorming settings or informal discussions.
The ‘Yes And’ Process
You do not need to share your intention in using this process if it is not a formal brainstorm!
Start by actively and holistically listening to the other person’s idea. If you catch yourself starting to critique their idea, pause and redirect your focus back to the concept at hand.
Focus on what is good or right about their idea, not what you think is bad or wrong about it. Even if only 10% of the idea is good or right, focus on that 10%.
Respond with a ‘Yes And’ formula. For example, you could say ‘What I appreciate about that idea is X (mention the 10% that is right, good, interesting). What it makes me think of is Y. Expanding on your idea, my suggestion is Z."
Should they begin to criticize your idea, steer the conversation back to focusing on its strengths to maintain the flow of innovation.
Continue this process until it naturally concludes, ensuring all participants feel they have contributed to a shared creation.
By engaging in this process, you cultivate openness, curiosity, and receptiveness while warding off tendencies to resist, ignore, shut down, or judge. This is important not just to effectively problem solve, innovate, collaborate and avoid unnecessary conflict, but it also makes you a person others are naturally drawn to. If you always hone in on what’s wrong with an idea, people will be hesitant to come to you with their ideas and may even avoid sharing ideas with you altogether!
*Source: Positive Intelligence, Shirzad Carmine