How to unlock ‘idea friction’ in your team
Rachel Botsman
Leading expert on trust in the modern world. Author of WHAT’S MINE IS YOURS, WHO CAN YOU TRUST? And HOW TO TRUST & BE TRUSTED, writer and curator of the popular newsletter RETHINK.
How do you come to conclusions and share ideas in a group setting? Do you find the first answer, or the loudest person influences the entire group??
It’s a dynamic that happens all the time in meetings, brainstorms and over email.?
Where we’re going wrong:
Sir Francis Galton was a fascinating British polymath, scientist and founder of the behavioural genetics’ movement. He was particularly interested in the difference between collective intelligence vs. individual experts.
In 1906, while visiting a livestock fair, he stumbled upon an intriguing contest. Villagers were invited to guess the weight of an ox on display. What he found both surprised and shocked him. The crowd was off by just one pound! Their judgement together was close to spot on.?
Yet too often, we fail to unlock the collective intelligence of groups, whether it’s in a meeting or around a dinner table.
Let’s Rethink that!?
Knowing the power of collective intelligence, why don’t we rethink the design of meetings?
Paul Paulus at the University of Texas ran a series of experiments to test different formats. The most effective process he found for idea generation and problem-solving in groups was this:
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Four simple steps: alone, together, alone, together = increased ideas generated per person by 71%!?
When it works, it feels a bit like going off and each mind collecting idea sticks to throw on the pile. You then walk away to come together to ignite something with energy.?
I call this process ‘idea friction’ –?and it could hold the key to better ideas and thinking.?
Warmly,
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I help busy professionals create a secure financial legacy for their children through safe and reliable property investing, while also allowing mums & dads to retire sooner with no reliance on government pension
8 个月A timely reminder to value diverse perspectives in decision-making, Rachel Botsman.
"Cracking the Collaboration Code" to allow individuals and teams to connect more authentically, engage more respectfully, and work more effectively together.
8 个月Love this Rachel Botsman. When working with groups I almost always have them start by brainstorming individually. When I have them come back, typically I make sure it is in a small group, ideally less than 5 people. This is to to make sure all ideas are presented to the group. Some of the best ideas get lost when the group is too larger because not everyone my be given a chance to share their ideas or the best idea may feel like more of an outlier.
CEO Parable
8 个月Thanks Rachel - this is very helpful. I've tried so many different ways to run ideas meetings (not always successfully...) and I definitely find that shifting between individual tasks/time and group sharing/discussion is most fruitful - and reassuring know it's backed up with some evidence!
HR Consultant & HR Coach
8 个月Nice idea Rachel Botsman, I do wonder about the starting alone though - I know plenty of more extroverted people who hate staring at a blank sheet of paper - do you agree Leah de Vries? But a great way to generate more ideas and encourage people with differently styles to be heard.