We have been told to think “outside the box” so often that it has become a meaningless phrase implying your usual thinking is insufficient.
In my parallel life, I’m a fiction writer. In my work life, I’m an instructional designer, product manager, and consultant. There are a surprising number of ways one life informs the other. Allow me to share a few ideas from the world of creative writing designed to help you foster innovative thinking in business. Rather than pressuring you to think outside the box, I ask you to consider thinking along the contours of an hourglass.
Removing Constraints for Creativity
Expanding Possibilities with Time
Picture the widest part of an hourglass; the point that, when filled, contains the greatest possible amount of time. When faced with a challenge requiring your creative thinking process, an expanse of time can inspire wider thinking.
In writing a story, there are no wasted pages, but you will throw away many more pages than you keep. An eight-page short story can take 50 pages to write. Viewed from the outside, that inefficiency appears useless. But getting to the right idea right away is not often possible; it takes examination, thoughtfulness, research, and time to percolate.
To take your creative thinking process to the next level, try expanding the possibilities even more. Apply a mind-opening question to your instructional design challenges, such as what if budget weren’t a factor? If you had one superpower, how would you solve the problem?
Stepping Away to Create a Fresh Perspective
After spending time working closely on a problem, it can be extremely beneficial to take a break. It is a long-established practice of writers to walk away from their manuscript before going back to revise. This creates the opportunity for objectivity as well as a fresh perspective.
This practice also works to improve innovative thinking in business. Concentrated time followed by stepping away from the challenge can allow the problem-solving to take on a life of its own, creating the opportunity for moments of connection between otherwise unrelated phenomena. Overhearing a snippet of conversation on the bus ride home, crossing paths with someone with a particular experience related to your challenge, or happening across a headline that prompts a new idea can all lead to surprising conclusions previously unavailable.
Some leaders have been known to set themselves a challenge overnight so that their subconscious problem-solves as they sleep. Others find the privacy of their car while driving sets the stage for new ideas. Taking a new route or even just trying a new food are simple acts that can create connections that were not previously possible.
Applying Constraints to Focus Innovation
How Structure Drives Creativity
Now picture the narrowest point on the hourglass, the place where the sand sifts to the bottom. Removing and applying constraints are contradictory statements, but in fact, they are mutually beneficial. Structure can facilitate the creative thinking process. In the Outthinker Process, a structured step-by-step approach is applied to create big ideas, determine which idea to select, and brainstorm how to get others on board to apply the idea.
This structured approach reduces the intimidating aspects of innovative thinking in business. Much like the constraints of a haiku poem (a three-lined poem consisting of five syllables, followed by seven syllables, finished with five syllables), placing structure on a creative challenge can lead to even more possibilities in the creative thinking process. Applying a structure or constraint of some type does not necessarily make innovative thinking in business easy, but it does create the setting for more original results.
Lessons from The Five Obstructions
In the documentary, The Five Obstructions, Jørgen Leth is required to remake his favorite film five times following the obstructions or obstacles provided by the Danish creator of his favorite film, Lars Von Trier. One obstruction is to recreate the film as a cartoon. One is to film it in Cuba. One is to place the film in the most miserable place on earth but not to show that place onscreen. These obstacles provided something valuable for Leth to respond to and in turn, resulted in unexpected creations he would not have come to without some limitation or requirement to work around. That is the benefit of applying particular parameters; they can create significant freedom to do something fresh and unconventional within the parameters.
Time as a Creative Tool
Using Time Limits to Boost Focus
The concept behind The Five Obstructions may seem a little extreme and impractical for innovative thinking in business, but the same theory can be applied simply by introducing parameters around time, such as using a timer. Innovative ideas require time. But having too much time during the creative thinking process can be just as crippling. Shrinking the amount of time available can inspire focus and deeper thinking.
Time-Blocked Sessions for Innovation
By limiting the amount of time spent on a problem, you can increase your focus and depth. If you have a whole day and a blank page in front of you, you are likely to spend a lot of time agonizing about what to write. If you have only 20 minutes, there is not as much time for the internal editor to kick in and if you aim to keep your pen moving, you will be surprised what you can accomplish. Set a timer or an hourglass. Close your inbox, silence your phone, and commit to focusing on only one thing for 20 minutes. Focused, non-multi-tasking time allows you to build upon the good ideas you have. A time limit permits you to focus deeply. Even a short amount of time can be significantly more effective than trying to think something up while being pulled in many directions.
Combining Constraints and Freedom for Innovation
Unconventional Problem-Solving Techniques
Another way to apply a constructive constraint in the creative thinking process is to introduce a seemingly unrelated idea. This can force you to see the problem from an entirely new angle. In Dr. Kaihan Krippendorff’s Outthinker Process, learners are presented with one of 36 stratagems as a jumping-off place for expanding possibilities. If the challenge before you is to cut your organization’s travel budget by ten percent, what happens when you consider the phrase “Coordinate the uncoordinated,” or “Exchange a brick for a jade?” Applying an unusual or unexpected constraint can amplify the possibility of finding significantly more innovative solutions in the end.
After applying a constraint or structure, it may become useful to remove it again to regain the breadth of possibilities. Thinking again of our hourglass, turning it upside down allows the process to begin again.
Practical Techniques for Innovative Thinking
If you are thinking, “That’s great, but I still don’t know how to get started,” consider the following ideas for a pragmatic approach to innovative thinking in business:
- Block time on your calendar: Identify your peak time for creativity and block your calendar once a week for that time.
- Create a monthly list: Title the list, “What needs your innovative attention?” Keep the list short enough to remember and file ideas for each item on the list in related folders as you come across them.
- Set up a meeting: Invite a small group to help you brainstorm. Set clear expectations ahead of time for your team members to allow them to come prepared to brainstorm on a particular topic so they arrive ready to jump in.
- Let individuals brainstorm on their own first: This will help facilitate optimal contribution from those who require time to think on their own before sharing their ideas with others.
- Go for a walk and/or change locations: Try out an empty conference room. A new setting can inspire new thoughts.
- Outsource your initial brainstorming: Ask a team member to identify three to five ideas to jump-start your thinking. Offer the same in return for one of their projects.
- Leverage Artificial Intelligence: AI programs such as Copilot and ChatGPT are ideal brainstorming tools. By drawing from vast datasets, these programs can offer insights and conclusions that you might not have reached on your own.
Balancing Creativity and Structure to Enhance Innovation
The Hourglass Model offers a balanced framework that combines the freedom of expansive creativity with a focus on structured constraints. By integrating time management techniques, such as time-blocked sessions and strategic breaks, we can further enhance our creative processes. This method encourages us to think differently, challenge the status quo, and unlock new potential both within ourselves and our organizations.
Do you need help unlocking your workforce’s innovation potential? GP Strategies’ Strategic Learning Consulting teams can help you create aligned processes, systems, and tools that enable your workforce to be their very best.
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