RE-PLAY when thinking goes lateral ppt

RE-PLAY when thinking goes lateral Data Solve Data Solve group work chronicles Compiled by Muriétte Spies and VDS Brink... The current way of doing things will simply not work in the fu

RE-PLAY when thinking goes lateral

M Spies and VDS Brink

Published by Data Solve at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 VDS Brink

e-ISBN: 9781301194797

www.corvus.co.za

www.datasolve.co.za

LEGAL INFORMATION AND DISCLAIMER

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Information within this article does not give legal, financial or similar professional advice The buyer of this publication assumes full responsibility for the use of these materials and information The Publisher and Author assume no liability whatsoever on behalf of the reader of this material Please consult applicable laws and regulations and competent counsel to ensure your use of this material conforms with all applicable laws and regulation

RE-PLAY when thinking goes

lateral

Data Solve Data Solve group work chronicles

Compiled by Muriétte Spies and VDS Brink

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

The need for creativity

The human mind

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more

intelligently - Henry Ford

This book is the result of delightful work with the Hiscox group of Data Solve in Johannesburg and Cape Town Many hours of sharing and application led to the content

Six years of MBA lecturing on Innovation and Creativity for the Open University, Milton Keynes, UK gave the valuable theoretical background

The trust of Herman Kriel, Hugo Snyman, Muriétte Spies to steer it to completion is priceless

Elaine Botha with advice from Thilo Otterpohl for the cover design and Elana Ehlers on editing and proofreading made all the difference

VDS Brink

Pretoria, South Africa

The impact of the internet and the shadows that lifted in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin wall changed the world The current way of doing things will simply not work in the future.

We can soar in life if we know that lots of data and information mean very little Greatness and victory is ours if we can turn data into knowledge, then into insight and ultimately into wisdom To do this, it

is necessary to drown the mind with facts, discuss it with diverse people, test the water, burn some scars, emerge with humility and only

then follow your head.

All industries are in turmoil and stretching the abilities of their employees to the limit Newcomers bring new challenges and the existing ones try to stay ahead To be winners, we need to excel as creative thinkers and, most importantly, be able to work with people

Creativity is born into us all, but school wiped out 30% of it, our parents another 30% and the rest we did ourselves The challenge is

to make it resurface and this is done by understanding and following age-old processes

The Data Solve process follows the AIDA route: “A” stands for Awareness and Attention, “I” for Interest, “D” for a Desire to go further

in life with the concepts and “A” for concrete Action

With this, we conveyed the concept that creativity is not on the screen and it is seldom to be found in the office We emphasize the fact that there are several ways to enhance it individually, yet that the ultimate goal is how to work creatively as a group and get the very best from each of the members

In this book, we address the concepts of creativity and how to apply it in practice in the information technology environment

The need for creativity

The truth is that there is nothing noble in being superior to somebody else The only real nobility is in being superior to your former self

Whitney Young

The world is changing faster than ever Thirty years ago there were no personal computers, mobile phones, satellite television, cloned animals

or instant written communication

To survive in this new world, organizations need to react quickly and add value to their services through innovation Creativity exists within the human mind, in how it thinks and reacts and especially

in how we interact with other people, the environment and the climate where creative thinking happens

Creativity is more than a means to produce a mere product: creativity especially lies in the way we think and do things differently from yesterday To be a winner in the new millennium, we need interpersonal skills and also the ability to put ourselves in the shoes of others, more than ever before

In a few years from now, no more than ten, just about everything we know will change and organizations not on a creative path now will be swept aside

The world faces several challenges, such as food, lodging and clean drinking water for everyone, and the massive overpopulation

experienced in metropolises around the world Energy is at its negative tipping point with carbon-based systems nearing their end.

In this changing world, information technology is the bread and butter, the grease that oils the road ahead, and it is faced by the overall and rapid changes of technology that are trying to balance the new and the existing Every person in IT will need as much creativity as possible

to be successful

The industry is riddled with fallout as the result of changing technology, for example, the demise of mainframes in the late twentieth century, with COBOL at the heart of it, left many professionals jobless and desperate

This kind of history will repeat itself over and over again,

which means we need to be prepared.

The human mind

How little a thing can make us happy when we feel that we have earned

it - Mark Twain

The human mind consists of several brains The reptile brain, which is the size of a pea, does only two things: decides between fight and flight

It generates the chemicals adrenaline, which tells the mind to fight, and noradrenalin, which tells the mind to flee These chemicals stay in the blood for hours

The mammal brain understands sound and images It is the source of body language and the part of the mind that reacts to the body language of others

In the brain the left cortex sees the trees (the facts) The right cortex sees the wood (the bigger picture)

The different brains interact through synapses and are fuelled

by chemicals The most critical of these is dopamine, closely related to morphine High levels of dopamine are vital to the happiness of the audience and how they will experience the presentation

Drugs like morphine or bexadrine cause your brain to secrete dopamine, as does physical exercise and laughter

We as humans differ in how we accept a message and what our minds do with it We each have a preference as to how we see facts and images: some of us prefer to hear it in a compelling way and some of us will build some form of emotion around it

This is demonstrated by the following examples of sentences:

“Look what we have here”, “I hear you say” or “I feel we should do the

following”

We also differ in the way we think about things Some are left brain analytical, some are right brain visionary and some are people-orientated To work with people while ignoring their preferences might lead to loss of impact We all have general needs and some form of addressing that holds the key to creative success:

I do not want to be hurt, nor need physical comfort I am part

of the group, I am worth something, I do worthwhile things I want to learn new things I want beauty around me, order, discipline I want to share, give away, mean something, I want you to care for me I believe

in a higher power I want to accomplish greatness, I am angry against, yet want to forgive I am better than others I am bored and need excitement, I am afraid of […] and need to resolve it I love to laugh, play and have fun.

Sadly, 99% of our work focuses on the facts only This approach assumes that everybody is left brain, visually-orientated people and this approach ignores the richness of the mind

The female and male minds differ Women have many more connections between the brain segments and their eyes than men Men focus early and make quick decisions

Ladies take in more detail through their senses and build a broader picture than men

The mind is affected by music, whether this is positive or negative Load pulsating music stimulates the cerebellum that controls movement This leads to foot tapping and head nodding.

Some music influences the synapses and boosts the interaction

of the left and right brains

For pure creativity, slow, slower than one second waves, music with flutes or violins will stimulate the right brain An example of this

is the “Largo” type music typically composed by Bach, Handel or Vivaldi

Physical exercise can be done in different forms, amongst others aerobic (running, swimming, cycling), power (weightlifting), balance or relaxation (spa, sauna, stretching, meditation) When done in moderation, it is an important creative stimulator

Meditation is as simple as closing our eyes while breathing deeply and repeating a single word for a few minutes

Principles of creativity

Keep a diary and one day it will keep you Mae West

Creativity begins with a challenge, a problem or a blockage We are at our best when we are painted into a corner, as history has proved time and again that times of distress lead to great leaps forward This is also referred to as the “Beethoven Syndrome” Beethoven, perhaps the greatest musician of all time was deaf by the age of 27 Years later he composed and conducted the 9th Symphony A standing applause followed, the chief violinist stood up, turner Beethoven towards the audience as he did not hear the applause

We need to split the thinking and look at the forest and the trees separately De Bono’s six hats illustrate this principle: the left brain looks for meaning, while the right brain looks for connections and feelings Keep different thinking separate, never mix

Metaphors are critical The right brain works at its best with stories, pictures and poems The right brain dies when it looks at a screen and rather finds its success in a park, at a party or especially in being alone

Lateral thinking happens when the mind is prepared and drowned with facts Do this by reading whole books on different topics and by surrounding ourself with people who are different from you

Find the place for insight Almost always be alone Physical exercise releases dopamine, as does laughter Slow music – like Bach largo type music – boosts the right brain Pulsating music undermines it.

Take time out Great innovating companies (such as 3M and Google) follow the 15% bootlegging concept to great effect Learn to relax: yoga and meditation stimulates the Alpha waves in the mind that are conductive of ideas Have a “yes, and ” stance for everything in life, never a “no, but ” attitude

Creativity can almost always be found on the boundaries, not in the middle of the playing field

Break with the norm and adopt at least one creative activity Woodwork, poetry, story writing, drawing, gardening, keeping a diary Mix with people, debate, criticize, meet people in person, meet strangers and strange ideas and avoid explicit instructions

The climate we work in is critical How we interact with and build upon what we create makes or breaks an organization’s creativity

Creativity is seldom found at the desk or in front of the computer screen It is found by breaking out of this rut, in the park, the shower, or the gym

In general creative thinking depends on:

• The willingness to be open to new ideas and experiences It is a choice If we dare to do venture into the unknown, we will win!

• Variety is the spice of life Comfort zones, doing things as done before, routine, relating to people as ourselves, listening to my type

of music it kills the mind and dampening renewal

• Creativity only possible when the unknown and strange are pursued A lazy, self satisfied person will never be creative To know that we do not know is critical

• Do not fear failure Learning and new horizons depend on valuable failure lessons

• Laugh! David Ogilvy, “Make your thinking as funny as possible” and Edward de Bono, “Humour is the most significant activity of the human mind” To laugh at ourselves, look at life from a different angle is music for the soul and the utmost of creative stimulation An airport can be hilarious or people pushing trolleys

• Mix with people different form ourselves Age, culture, profession

• Be prepared to jump from bridges, else we will never if we can fly ?

• Put a sheet of paper on the compute screen and just write and write Be amazed where the story will go

• A diary does it all It cleans the soul, gives perspective End every day with “Dear Diary .” use a pencil and rubber, experience yourself as much greater as we ever thought we can be

The role of the environment, people and place

“Stay humble, stay foolish, else life will humblify you and know that

you know so little” – Steve Jobs

The environment, the office and the way we talk and meet has a major role on the mind

Everybody in the office should work hard to make the kick-off

of each day enjoyable Avoid serious matters for the first hour of the day to prevent the release of noradrenalin (fight or flight) hormones in employees’ blood

Even the colour of the walls in the office has an impact Red has a long wavelength and will focus behind the retina We therefore stand away from it, because it frightens Blue is the opposite Colours

on the blue to green spectrum work miracles

It is critical to break out of the office frequently Walk around the block Sit in a church, an art gallery, feed the pigeons and sit on a bench in a park or any silent place

With early judgement, we can dramatically influence creative thinking for the worst

We are just human and sharing an open office has its limitations with personal irritators topping the list We are reluctant to talk about

things that bother us, therefore a good method to combat this would be

to install a comment box and ask all to write suggestions, note down irritations and anything that can help and post them It can be anonymous Discuss the contents of this box frequently with all to eliminate the problems without needing to humiliate a person

Destructive negative behaviour includes:

• Acting tyrannical A tyrant will sit in a corner office and bark

commands, being overly critical on everything, which makes others afraid and causes them hide mistakes

• Acting as doormats A doormat will manipulate others by

moaning “After all I did for you, you repay me like this!” “If it wasn’t for me nothing would happen in this place.” The doormat blames others, her past, everything possible, but never takes responsibility They undermine creativity

• Bullying others Bullies appear at their worst in restaurants,

barking at poor waitresses They shout at people that cannot defend themselves

• Acting as wise-asses A wise-ass will shoot down every idea, view

or contribution in flames “We did that long ago.” “Now what is new about it?”

Ideal behaviour should be:

• The King The King should show the way and stay out of the way, but be there when needed Walk the corridors, listen and laugh

• The Lover “How may I help you?”

• The Fighter The Fighter fights not for herself, but fights for others and against bad things

• The Wizard The Wizard should listen carefully and put things together in a brilliant way while giving credit to the whole team

The most important personal stance of all should be,

“I know that I do not know.”

Creativity alone

In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark

on the things you have long taken for granted

- Bertrand Russell

The different parts of the brain need to work together to achieve optimum results Due to the differences between them, they also need to work on their own to optimize their own strengths

If we only work on logical material, the left cortex does all the work and potential of others remain neglected Edward de Bono coined the “six hats concept” to help us separate our thinking

It is important to note that when we work in groups, the attacking of members’ ideas might lead to a “fight or flight” reaction in them and that the person might then withdraw from the group From this, the Creative Solving Process grew to turn it into practice It places emphasis on understanding the problem clearly before jumping to conclusions

Always follow it, even if just five minutes are available

• What is going on? List all aspects relating to the challenge Draw it

in full colour Make a wish list: “I wish that and ” Go overboard:

you can have your wildest dreams come true in this list Make a bug list List and draw all the irritations.

• Turn the focus to asking: “What does it all mean?” “What are those sub challenges that we need to solve?” Classify them in terms of difficulty and impact

• Gather missing information focused on understanding it better Draw

a full colour picture What does it tell you? Ask Why, What, Who, When and How?

• Create new solutions Draw a full colour picture What does it tell you? Fill a large sheet of paper with concepts Sleep over it Take note of the dreams that you have while doing this

• Focus on a few workable action steps Classify them in terms of easy/difficult, low/high impact, etc

• If possible, schedule it to do tasks in quadrants: 1 first, followed by

2, 3 and then 4

Avoid mixing the challenges with the solutions The, “What is going on?” and “Create” stages should ideally be done away from the day-to-day desk Doing it in the garden or coffee shop will always give better results, as this dampens the left brain The other phases are logical and you should ideally do it with the tools at hand.

Some techniques for individual creativity:

• Bug listing; list all the evils facing us to give perspective

• Analogies: what is similar to our challenge?

• Cartoon it The picture and fun gives new insight

• Painting

• In out listening: Exploit the wandering of the mind while listening

to a lecture, presentation or even a music concert What do I hear? What does it mean? What other things do I think about while listening? What does this mean?

• Dream diary Note down dreams first thing in the morning

• Mind mapping The Buzan method of drawing critical relationships It is also a great way to summarize information

• Relaxation: Stretching, sauna, massage or yoga Meditation by simply relaxing while breathing deeply en d repeat one word over

en over for some ten minutes

• Write a story Let animals talk, wild things happen Have a victim,

a hero, a baddie Get to a happy ending

• Wish: Dream your wildest dreams

Creativity in groups

When you want to go fast, go alone, when you want to go far go

together – Old African proverb

When we meet we will behave as a herd of wild deer Even at Grandma’s birthday we will act in five phases:

1 “I have no opinion.” The body language accompanying this phase

is characteristic too: crossed arms, hands in the pockets and eventually withdrawal

2 “I have an opinion and it differs from yours.” This iterates arguing

3 “It is nice out here!”

4 “I have an opinion, but the group’s opinion is greater than mine.” This is accompanied by exuberance and hard work

5 Regret that it is all over

When working with people in groups, always keep this in mind and take note of which phase they are in When they are in phases 1-3, focus on doing anonymous work as real collaboration is only possible in phase 4

Never just stop We all need a good ending A group photo, a group hug and it will be remembered