How do you foster a creative and collaborative culture in your team or organization?

Yes, And! Yes, And! Yes, And! When you leave space for ALL ideas to be heard, even the bad ones, you cultivate a safe space where all voices can be heard. When you start to say 'no' or 'no, but' in the brainstorming process, you silence people, and trust becomes more difficult to maintain. You never know; the worst idea could inspire the best idea. I once worked with a team that was stuck on a problem, and it was a seemingly 'bad' idea that sparked a creative solution. By embracing all ideas without judgment, they were able to think outside the box and find an innovative approach that worked.

Brainstorming can be an inclusive practice where many voices are invited across lines of difference to weigh in. It is a time for contributing new ideas from a generative place. It is an exploratory, open, creative space to share without evaluation or limitation. It is a chance to propose new, innovative, sometimes seemingly impossible possibilities. When there is safety and trust, people feel free to put forward anything that comes to mind! Ideas that flow from this space can be the most transformational.

> include cultural add for hiring, not just skills > creative exploration > cross-functional teams > collaborations > implementing innovation metrics > design thinking > open & transparent communication > valuing for support > psychological safety > informal interactions > empower with clear ownership & responsibility Innovation is about mindset first and skills second. Cultivating a learning culture where curiosity, experimentation and collective growth are celebrated unlocks creativity.

Brainstorming provides a place where everyone's ideas are valued, and where any idea that might seem outlandish or impossible has a nugget of gold hiding in it, which turns out to be the best idea of all.

I find that some people neglect the basics, like making sure basic needs are taken care of. Yes, a spacious, light and comfortable room is important, but so too are things like refreshments and comfort breaks. Let people know what to expect, e.g. do they need to bring their own food or drinks, will there be toilet breaks or can everyone head out when they need to? Keep the tools as simple and low tech as your situation will allo, so that learning something new doesn't distract from the topic at hand.

I usually facilitate brainstorming within the context of a larger process, such as OKRs or strategic planning. You need to understand the overall objective of the collaborative effort and where brainstorming fits in. Identify the methods and techniques as part of your planning process. Avoid methods that you aren't comfortable leading. The problem or challenge is actually the objective for the whole collaborative effort; however, it is important to have a "focus question" for brainstorming. Discuss the focus question with the client; small tweaks to the focus question can send groups off in unintended directions, so take care with formulating this focus question.

Brainstorming is all about quantity... the more ideas the better and sometimes the wilder the ideas the better. It's important to remember that this process of divergence needs to be followed by a process of convergence. How can you group, categorize, evaluate, add details to, or otherwise converge the many into something actionable. A lot of folks I've worked with do NOT like the brainstorming process, because their experience has been that lots of ideas are generated, but that it doesn't lead to anything meaningful.

There are a few nuances I've come to realize over time: - Reading the room: this isn't just about seeing who's speaking or not, but feeling the energy. You can almost sense when someone's holding back out of shyness or fear of judgment. - The space matters: I remember one session we had in a room with an incredible view. The change in environment from the usual conference room was an instant creativity booster. - Voices from the back: some of the best ideas I've heard didn't come from the usual outspoken folks but from those who usually remain silent. - After the storm: brainstorms are exhilarating, but what follows is crucial. I've seen brilliant ideas fizzle out due to a lack of ownership.

Small tweak to the above: facilitators guide and support and have to do so firmly. What they don't do is dictate or dominate idea generation. The facilitator helps others come up with ideas. Having a facilitator frees up team leaders to participate in the ideation rather than play a dual role of leading and ideating. Collaboration requires trust within the team, with requires building relationships. Icebreakers and exercises to help people get to know each other are necessary to build relationships among people who don't know each other well. Include one or two brain warm-up exercises to get people thinking! These can be brainstorming exercises on topics that have nothing to do with your focus question.

It also is important to keep an eye and ear on who is or is not contributing. Not everyone is comfortable sharing their ideas, particularly if there is a leader in the room, or if they think that the solution has already been decided. Some people's natural response is 'freeze', instead of fight or flight, so the facilitator's job is to bring these voices out. Just saying a room is a "safe space" doesn't make it so. Be aware of and manage interruptions, particularly frequent offenders (usually men unfortunately), watch for body language queues - who wants to speak but is looking for room to do so?

I want to add a perspective that is essential to successful interactions. "Since we discovered mutual interaction, love has been the most positive bonding experience all humans share. Love can turn on the taps of ecstasy or despair, creating the base narrative of all human drama stories. We need to make all the attributes of love go viral and create a new narrative highlighting all the attributes of the human heart."

Stormz is a digital facilitation tool for brainstorming and other processes. It's used on a laptop, phone or tablet, making it great for in-person and virtual meetings. Stormz is intuitive and easy to use, and I find idea production higher than using sticky notes. It's also anonymous, meaning people who usually prefer not to speak up can get their ideas out without fear of criticism or repercussions. Best of all for the facilitator, you can download the data in a few different formats for easy publication.

If you need to write up the output of a session, be careful not to put someone else's idea into your own words. It can seem like offering judgement, or taking it as your own. I prefer to get participants to capture their own ideas, in their own words, or use a scribe to do it for the group. Give credit where it is due, but also be sure to communicate the value that the whole team added to the process.

As @Daniele Altomare said above. Ownership for implementation / further research is key. Follow-up processes can help here, but you'd want the people who are passionate about the idea to be in the lead, no matter what their position in the team is.

Black women & brainstorming sessions Brainstorming can be stressful. Your stomach may churn and flip sending negative messages. Your name and successes may evaporate among white names and successes. There may be glances toward you as if to say " who is whats her name ?" Others have no idea how deep you reach to excavate Black brilliance, courage, purpose, and power. Cracking the code of Black silence at white tables is exhausting. Tips 1) Know the communication patterns. 2) Introduce yourself and for nameless introductions of you, say your name slowly, intentionally, with direct eye contact. 3) Slowly sip water, go to the restroom, and gently hold your hands. 5) Bookend your meeting with a friend to remind you of who you are.

Psychological safety is a key component to being able to share new ideas comfortably. Without it, your creative culture may not bear much fruit. This requires a working environment with little to no bullying or harassment, which reduces fear of ridicule and embarrassment. It is also important to highlight ideas that come from others publicly to increase people's desire to be respected by their peers. Celebrating other people's success might be the encouragement needed in your organization to inspire others to share their own ideas. Lastly, it is important to help others to understand that it is ok to fail. Highlighting some of your own failures lightheartedly might encourage others to accept that they might make an error, but that's ok too.