creativity for agile teams

Creativity for Agile Teams

Roger BrownMark Levison

Agile 2011

Why should

you care?

Creativity can be nurtured

Teams can

achieve a

state of

Group

Flow

Knowing how

it works

makes it

easier to

achieve

Your team

can be more

creative

Creativity increases productivity

Group Flow

Individual Creativity

How to Nurture it

Creativity and Your

Brain

What is Creativity?

What is Creativity?

Would you like to be more creative?

What is holding you back?

Creative people work alone, right?

Percent of People

Creative?Not Creative?

High Pressure Helps?

2x

+ 3

y =

zA

nd th

en it h

appen

ed…

What defines a creative idea?

You tell us…

Creativity is a series of many small insights

Have you ever tried

really hard to be creative?

Can creativity be learned?

innovatebrainstorm think!

Mozart coffeeAha!

Using a single stroke, turn the Roman numeral seven, shown below, into an eight.

VIIIf you get stuck, ask a partner for help

I

Exercise

Using a single stroke, turn the Roman numeral 9, shown below, into a 6.

IXIf you get stuck, ask a partner for help

S

Exercise

Using a single stroke, turn the Roman numeral nine, shown below, into a six.

IXIf you get stuck, ask a partner for help

6

Exercise

Creativity and Your

Brain

Fact or Myth?

We use only 10% of our brain.

Logical? Creative?

We use our whole brain, all the time

Shorter branches, fewer dendritic spines, more precise

Longer branches, more dendritic spines, less precise

Brain Basics

Most “Thinking” is Subconscious

Test Drive

Brain Capacity and Speed

WorkingMemo

ry

Long Term Memory

slow real fast

Brain Circuits

Existing Neural Map

1

Existing Neural Map

2

New

Info

Impasse

New Neural Map

What does creativity look like?

© 2006 David Rock

Brain Waves

awareness reflection insight action

Exercise – 10 minFacilitating Insight

• Choose a partner• Think of a challenge you have at work and write it down in 5 words or less• Read the challenge to your partner. Look for a

feeling of impasse.• Partner asks questions that facilitate reflection and watches facial expressions.• key words: quiet, deep, close, hunch

• Switch roles after 4 minutes.• Class debrief.

Exercise – 10 min

Individual Creativity

Impediments to Creativity

You tell us…

Our Top 5 Impediments to

Creativity

Too much detail in goal Too open-ended a target Command and control Noisy, stressed mind Yes, but…

High Pressure Helps?

EmotionalSafety

Intrinsic Motivation

• autonomy• mastery• purpose• and a sense of progress

What About Stress?

Arousal

Perf

orm

an

ce

How to Nurture It

Prepare

Simple Factors

Be creative!

Be visual

Be physical

Check Assumptions

Make it safe to fail

Play

Quiet Mind

Exercise

Group Flow

Can a team be creative?

Famous Collaborations

J.R.R.Tolkien and the Inklings Jobs and Wozniak Lennon and McCartney … and Harrison and Starr

Not-so-famous Collaborations

Morse – Jackson – Gale – Vale Darwin – Lyell – Malthus – Wallace

Flow

P

Ch

allen

ge

Skill and Confidence

Panic

Anxiety

Boredom

Flow Channel

ChallengingGroup Goal

nasa hq photo

Appropriate Brainstorming

Expand Your Universe

o Engage outsiderso Examine failureso Remove predictability

Deep Listening

Blending Egos

Equal Participation

Familiarity and Continuity

Perf

orm

an

ce

FormingStorming

Norming

Performing

Time

Many Perspectives Innovation Games ™ Six Hats Agile Games / Tasty Cupcakes Scamper Thinker Toys

Your turn

• 3 min: Working in pairs, brainstorm 3 ways that you can help your team to become more

creative.

• 3 min: As a group, filter the top 3 most interesting ideas generated at your table.

• 3 min: Debrief

Exercise

Why should

you care?

Creativity can be nurtured

Teams can

achieve a

state of

Group

Flow

Knowing how

it works

makes it

easier to

achieve

Your team

can be more

creative

Creativity increases productivity

Emmy Awards2000: Outstanding Writing - Comedy Series - won2001: Outstanding Writing - Comedy Series - won

Writers Guild of America2001: Best Writing - Episodic Comedy - nominated2001: Best Writing - Episodic Comedy - nominated2003: Best Writing - Episodic Comedy - nominated2003: Best Writing - Episodic Comedy - nominated2004: Best Writing - Episodic Comedy - won2005: Best Writing - Episodic Comedy - nominated2006: Best Writing - Episodic Comedy - nominated

The End

Roger Brown , Moonrise Consultingroger@moonriseconsulting.com, @rwbrown

Mark Levison, Agile Pain Relief Consultingmark@agilepainrelief.com, @mlevison