Page Title

Set the Stage for Creative Thinking

September 23, 2003

"If your team is stuck in a pattern of noninnovative thinking, perhaps team members don't feel that their ideas and suggestions are fully encouraged and supported.  Sometimes, the only way through this impasse is to sit down with your team and describe a work function or project that requires their full creative efforts.  Set the stage for creative thinking by letting your team members know that you encourage and welcome their ideas.  Here are some actions you can take to communicate your receptiveness to your team:

-When team members voice tentative ideas, draw them out by telling them you would like to hear more.

-Show that you intend to give careful consideration to team members' suggestions by recording all ideas on a board for later review.

-Refrain from offering your own ideas until everyone else has had an opportunity to speak.

-Play the role of traffic direction by gently reining in dominant team members and giving others an opportunity to voice their thoughts.

-If a team member has trouble expressing an idea, paraphrase his or her comments and then invite the rest of the team to build on these ideas, or invite the individual to come back after the team meeting to speak to you about any additional thoughts (Barner, 2000, pp.228-229)."

Reference:  Barner, R. W. (2000).  Team troubleshooter: how to find and fix team problems.  Palo Alto, CA:  Davies-Black Publishing.

What are you doing to encourage creative thinking?

Team Troubleshooter is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  A complete listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu/

Back to Top >

Created: 2008-12-22, Updated: 2009-01-09