How do you balance creativity and structure when setting ground rules for design thinking?

Especially for those teams that are just starting with design thinking and for those teams that are not so aware of the power of diversity, it is crucial that we set the ground rules. In the creative process we tend to put our ego first and think about our ideas as the best. Therefore it is important, that, from the very beggining, we set the ground rules and create awarness of democratic and inclusive approach of design thinking process. It is also great chance to present huge potential of diversity in the team (strenghts of those who are not the loudest voice and with strong rhetorics).

Ground rules are key, particularly in facilitation - they're a shared set of verbally agreed behaviours that should be demonstrated or will not be tolerated. It sets healthy boundaries to create a safe environment for learning and makes it easier to label and stop poor behaviours in the moment. If a participant in a workshop for example, breaks one of those ground rules, it's acceptable to stop, remind them of the rules and if they continue, they will be removed for the purpose of the workshop.

"Grounds rules" exist whether-or-not they are named. The culture of a group is directly related to the behaviour within the group and the "norms" often relate to last behaviour that was not challenged by the group. Making ground rules explicit, provides the whole group with a language to point out when behaviours are counter-productive and/or get in the way of the work of the group. I don't think removing someone is ideal as they will often be "acting out" the group dynamic so the ground rules allow for enquiry rather than blame.

Co-creation will definitely prevent conflict later and taking on feedback is a must! You also want to ensure people feel that they are a part of the solution, rather than dictating how they should behave or operate.

I find the critical element is to name the background of obviousness as assumptions about the ideal "behaviour" are not always obvious to everyone. I always write these down as they can then serve as a "licence" fro everyone in the group to point out possible breeches, not just the facilitator. If these are co-created and agreed by the whole group/team, they can support enquiry when the "rules" are not being followed and potentially help refine the ground rules if they are not working for everyone. Critical to stress they are iterative to avoid them feeling like a restrictive.

In some settings, I use Community Agreements. Then ask the participants what type of environment they need to feel safe, be transparent, and/or even vulnerable. I agree that you should revisit these periodically throughout the session so that participants know we are keeping our agreements with one another.

I believe that the more behavioural the ground rules, the easier they are to monitor. It is very hard to call people on lack of creativity as it has so many complex behavioural components but it is much easier to call people on not being present e.g. phones/gadgets on silent and out of sight, keeping to time boundaries, asking for comfort breaks when attention wanders, asking for examples when losing interest, asking open questions, etc

One thing I've found helpful is to circle back to these ground rules a couple of times throughout the time together. If you only have a day with people that would be after each break for example or when someone is not following the ground rules. In longer sessions or recurring time together it could be at the start of the day. That way you can also adjust the ground rules if you have others that are more valuable.

Agree that rigid and restrictive rules impact negatively. They should form the basis of the culture of relationships everyone wants to be apart of and provide the opportunity for collective enquiry when some people can't or won't sign up to these.

The group needs to own these. If you, as the facilitator, find yourself being the only person who refers to them or asks for review, they are not owned and will not provide the safety they are seeking. A reminder at the start of each meeting is helpful. I find writing them down and making sure everyone has a copy and/or can refer to them easily is critical. This is particularly true if the team membership changes frequently.