Now – allowing people space and time can be very challenging for management.
I believe that asking us to explain ourselves too quickly if we come up with an idea or a new innovative work practice can work against creativity. This is because creativity is a messy process – and ideas take a while to cohere into something that is practicable, feasible, and then doable.
A brainstorm is a process where everyone taking part offers suggestions to solve a problem or learn more about a topic under discussion. We do it together to come up with new ideas. There is no right or wrong, good or bad, all ideas are valued. When the brainstorming is over coherence takes place. (Once again, this parallels the right and left brain balanced development. The brainstorm – spontaneity and free association – stimulates the right, and the later discussion – coherence and decision making – the left).
The equivalent of the formal brainstorm in day-to-day discussion or normal interaction is the thinking out loud and generating (and then maintaining) an atmosphere of safety, acceptance and non-judgment for all.
Dissent is an interesting phenomenon to look at in an organisation.
Does it foster creativity? Is it a destructive force? Should dissent be forbidden, ignored, or treated in a dishonest manner and deflected?
My own opinion is that dissent is the true test of creativity in an organisation, both on the leadership side but also for the dissenter!
Careful reflection is needed by all concerned to determine the reason for the dissent. Does it have destructive tendencies, i.e. born of unresolved issues on the part of the dissenter, or is it motivated by a genuine effort to enable us to fulfill our mission more effectively?