🎒 Microlesson

🪞 Reflect

Where and under what conditions are you most creative?

💡 Concept

Despite what many executives might tell you, the office is not the sole domain for creativity. There are plenty of opportunities to spark and enable the creative process in remote and hybrid teams—you just might not be in the same physical room as others when it happens.

In fact, following virtual-first practices can actually increase opportunities for more creative, diverse thinking in your team. Here’s what async and virtual environments can do:

Increase psychological safety. Many of the digital tools you are likely already using have features that you can use to increase psychological safety. By allowing team members to submit ideas and vote anonymously, you can design brainstorming sessions that will be more open and inclusive than if all participants were in the same physical location.

Allow for individual contributions. In synchronous environments, like in-office meetings, individuals have to listen to others speak, wait their turn, and engage in group conversation. Independent, virtual collaboration tools allow individuals to share their ideas async. Plus, if ideas are shared anonymously, this can further encourage creative thought.

Offer increased accountability. If everyone is expected to share thoughts and ideas virtually, and that participation can be tracked, then everyone has to "do the work," such as preparing for a meeting or forming an opinion.

Include constraints. Time limits, breaks, and structured communication rules that can improve productivity can also have a positive impact on creativity. In remote and hybrid meetings, leverage the features that virtual tools provide for creating these constraints, such as timers, dedicated virtual spaces, and breakout rooms.

Increase diversity of perspectives. Virtual interactions increase access to individuals on your team, including those who are reluctant to speak up in large groups or in front of leadership. Responding in writing also allows time to thoughtfully develop ideas. With fewer limitations to accessing team members, teams can include more diverse and thoughtful perspectives by holding virtual team brainstorms.

Keep track of ideas. Use one virtual whiteboard to brainstorm, park ideas for future discussion, and keep track of discarded ideas. Keeping a running record of ideas in a virtual space makes it easier for teams to consistently reference, which can help generate new ideas and save time.

🎬 Take Action

To inspire more creativity in your team, try the following:

• Invite and document diverse ideas from team members in async formats, and preserve synchronous time for higher-order tasks according to the Placeless Taxonomy.

• Ask more questions than you think are necessary.

• Learn about something new, since curiosity sparks creativity.

• Talk to someone outside of your regular circle to get a fresh perspective.

• Facilitate opportunities for team members to exchange ideas, such as breakout rooms in virtual meetings.

• Challenge or play "devil’s advocate" to your own thinking on what is the best way forward.

• Create async channels and spaces for you and your team to share ideas, articles, tools, and resources.

✅ Check In

🧠 Keep Learning

Learn more about building psychological safety in your team in the Leadplaceless program.

🎁 Learn with your team!

Refer our weekly microlessons to your team members to learn as a group! Just follow the instructions in the section below to get started.