Your project team is struggling with adaptability. How can you ignite creative problem-solving?

Embracing change is not an option if a team wants to be innovative and make progress. However team members need to see me leading from the front. I need to demonstrate the value of change as an opportunity in the way I solve problems and support team members to solve problems that come with everyday changes. Since team members will often look to their leader for direction and support, my handling of change with a positive mental attitude will encourage team members to normalise change as an opportunity to innovate and get better at problem solving

To ignite creative problem-solving in a team struggling with adaptability, first foster a culture of curiosity by encouraging questions like “why” and “what if.” Promote cross-functional collaboration to bring diverse perspectives, driving innovation. Embrace failure as a learning tool, allowing for experimentation without fear. Use design thinking methods like brainstorming and rapid prototyping to uncover unconventional solutions. Finally, empower team members with autonomy, giving them ownership of problem-solving tasks. These strategies build an adaptive mindset, enabling the team to approach challenges with creativity and flexibility.

There is no one day or weekly guide to boost the adaptability. A conducive environment for innovation has to be cultivated everyday, every hour, and in fact in your each decision it has to be a conscious choice. However, there are various tools to engage your team in creative problem solutions those might boost agility of team.

To ignite creative problem-solving in a team struggling with adaptability, the key is to embrace change as an opportunity rather than a challenge. Foster a culture where change is not only expected but welcomed, and encourage your team to see it as a catalyst for innovation. By normalizing adaptability and celebrating the process of experimenting with new ideas, you create an environment where your team feels empowered to explore creative solutions, even in the face of uncertainty. This mindset shift can transform challenges into opportunities for growth and progress.

Never discard any suggestion form your team at its face value, unless you have previously dealt with the same and found it to be not so useful. Encourage thinking out of the box. Frame the same question from different perspectives and challenge the team. Encourage healthy debate. Ensure that you have a clear picture of where you want to head towards and never get tired as asking if what is being suggested is taking you towards the goal or away from the goal.

When different approaches are available, the creative process is nurtured. This is crucial so that different variants can lead to surprising solutions.

One valuable lesson I've learned is to make space for even the most stupid ideas. Encourage the team to develop implementation plans for these ideas. Every idea brings value—either it expands the team's thinking and problem-solving skills, or it broadens your own perspective. In either case, there’s always something to gain.

Seek to make your creative team members feel confident before, during and after working on the challenge. This is essential to stimulate calm, security and comfort, elements that will reinforce the way they will be able to process ideas.

Is a must. If I do not feel secure, I would either not participate or just toe the line- both behaviors tend to be harmful in the long run. Again, job of the leader to set up a safe environment.

I agree that a safe environment is essential for the creative problem solving ability in a team, especially when the company is facing huge changes. I would add that healthy work culture and good work-life balance is also a key that could motivate the team to adapt easily

We never know everything and it is even good to reformulate beliefs in order to stimulate our minds in the different contexts in which we have to work.

If one is ready to understand the need and therefore give a chance for an imminent or proposed change, learning happens by default. The other way works too, wherein learning can lead to appreciating the need for change and thereby creating an open environment that promotes adaptability

Encouraging continuous learning within your team can significantly boost adaptability and spark creativity. By fostering a culture of curiosity, where team members are encouraged to explore new skills and industry trends through workshops, webinars, or informal knowledge sharing sessions, you equip them with a broader toolkit for problem solving. This not only helps them tackle challenges with fresh insights but also empowers them to embrace change and drive innovation.

Go beyond traditional creative tools such as brainstorming and go to another level with dynamic and motivating creativity techniques such as Gamestorming or reverse brainstorming.

Depending on the change to be implemented, very critical that a clear process needs to be put in place with emphasis on communication, training and measurement criteria.