Your team's innovation skills are lagging. What are the best team building workshops to improve them?

Creativity is one of the hardest things to unleash if your organization is BIG and structured... so you need to take extra care in creating the conditions that are conducive to creative thinking... thinking out of the box, saying crazy stuff that will not be doable but that will spark ideas that will spark more ideas... you need to create a safe zone, a crazy creative zone, go to the park, go off site, go trekking... do something different that looks and feels different... and then start... set the tone. You may need some outside support to get the ball rolling.

I find that using self-awareness tools such as The GC Index®, a tool that measures an individual's energy for making an impact in a team helps bring awareness to the contribution and impact people can make. Being valued for what you bring to a team, can help build confidence, and lead to more innovative thinking. I also use LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® in my facilitation, which helps teams articulate their ideas through building Lego models. It's fun and creative and teams seem to love it!

To improve your team's innovation skills, consider team building workshops such as Design Thinking, Ideation, Innovation Games, Hackathon, Cross-Functional Collaboration, and Creative Problem-Solving. These workshops aim to foster creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving abilities. Additionally, inviting guest speakers to share their experiences can inspire innovative thinking. It's important to supplement workshops with ongoing support and a culture that values and rewards innovative ideas.

Creativity is usually a dormant skill in everyone that needs to be allowed to be used in the work eco-system. We have been constantly told how to operate within the guidelines and parameters set within our corporate functions. After spending 16 years as a consultant focused on Innovation and Creativity it was evident that people just need to be permitted to be creative AND that the output from their creativity will be viewed by leadership as productive and contributory to the business. First, you have to create an environment that wants creativity from the top down. That being said...and my previous work I would recommend Synectics and the Innovative Team Workshop. The extraordinary successes across many industries.

Innovation in teams hinges on understanding each member's unique strengths and preferences, as identified by tools such as The Predictive Index. Not everyone thrives in or feels comfortable within innovative environments, and, no matter the tool used, you may have limited success. This makes it crucial to: * Recognize individual differences in comfort and capacity for innovation. * Understand your driving reason for needing innovation, i.e. the business case. * Determine whether the existing team should be re-aligned, and if so, how. * Tailor your approach to align innovation with the need to potentially maintain the operational status quo in other areas. Just remember, innovation isn't a one-size-fits-all!

Designing an efficient workshop is based on a proper diagnosis so the money and time are not spent on fixing an issue that is not a real problem, but it addresses the root cause. Having worked with 100s of teams a clear pattern emerged...most of the time the real challenge was not the lack of skills, but the lack of psychological safety, motivation and cognitive diversity, the 3 invisible forces that create the right environment for innovation and performance. Innovation requires different perspectives, the courage to speak up and fail and the motivation to carry on despite setbacks. Before designing a thinking workshop, I would certainly check if they have the right environment where they could actually use those thinking skills.

🎨 Design thinking fosters understanding user needs, ideating, prototyping, and testing solutions. It's key in fields like product development and service design. Hosting a design thinking workshop equips your team with skills to empathize with customers, brainstorm, and iterate efficiently. Utilize online resources, templates, or hire a facilitator for guidance.

To enhance innovation skills, consider workshops like Design Thinking fostering creativity through activities like brainstorming & mind mapping. Implementing Agile methodologies promotes adaptability & collaboration. In a Hackathon, teams tackle real-world challenges, fostering problem-solving & teamwork. Encourage cross-functional collaboration with Team Building Escape Rooms, enhancing communication & problem-solving under pressure. Additionally, Innovation Games, such as "Buy a Feature" or "Speed Boat," promote strategic thinking & prioritization. These workshops create a dynamic, collaborative environment that cultivates a culture of innovation, ensuring your team gains practical skills & a mindset conducive to creative problem-solving.

Human centred design thinking is a good tool to ignite innovation Stakeholder mapping, creativity Matrix are good ways to boost creativity and innovation within the team

I've taken my team totally out of their comfort zone to get them to think innovatively. I led an innovation team at a Fortune 10. They were developing a "sin" product and stuck. So, I took them to a company who was also developing a new line of products in a different category than we were and they were absolutely on fire with creativity and revenues. For the curious among you, I took my team to an FDA approved medical device company - they just happened to be manufacturers of personal lubricants. Hosting a design thinking workshop in an environment that is completely orthogonal to what your team is used to can spark the innovation that's missing in your stale environment. Mix things up!

R & R (Rest and Recreation). It's one of the key ingredients that lead to Innovation. Every once in a while, we need to reset our mind, as it will help us avoid burnout and help get past stagnation. Improv among various other team building activities can be used effectively to uncover new innovative ideas. It can start with an exercise where some play the role of the customer, and some play the role of enterprise, hear from them on the pros and cons of your products. It’s a great way to boost spontaneity and creativity within the team. This will go a long way in improving the team’s communication abilities, starting from thinking on your feet to accepting feedback with great temperament.

I run a "High-Performance Humor to Build Trust" workshop which is a blast for building new shared experiences in teams that includes activities for divergent and creative thinking. Innovation in business requires creativity, but without trust, who's going to contribute their ideas? The workshop breaks down barriers and allows people to better trust their colleagues. It's worked very well for all kinds of teams and functions, from product and engineering to marketing and sales.

PLAY is also a great one, for example "Gibberish Workshop" activities.... so much fun! And people feel less daunted that Improv.

Incorporating improv workshops into your team-building strategy can be highly beneficial. Improvisation fosters spontaneity, adaptability, and quick thinking – all crucial skills for innovation. These workshops create a positive and collaborative environment, encouraging team members to think on their feet, embrace ambiguity, and generate creative ideas collectively. By engaging in improvisational activities, team members can develop a more fluid and responsive approach to problem-solving, breaking free from conventional thinking patterns.

🎭 Improv, a scriptless form of theater, enhances team innovation skills. It bolsters communication, listening, adaptability, and creativity, fostering confidence and a risk-taking mindset. Engage a professional improv coach for team exercises and games, or use online platforms for remote improvisation. It's a fun, effective tool for team development.

🚶🚶♀️I love the 'Walk and Think' approach. Improvisation can be a challenge for some of the more structured and introverted minds out there. I found one particular exercise to be super useful when it comes to getting ideas. We would go for a longer walk with no phones and notes allowed. The effect is stark. People think and speak more freely while walking. They come up with creative ideas and don't get bogged down in unnecessary detail, because there's no way to capture it right now. This is a common trap in workshops. It has to be facilitated properly, though, to ensure the discipline of this process. One can, for example, pair different people up over the period of this walk and cross-pollinate thinking. It lifts spirits!

1. Campfire Stories. This indoor activity takes advantage of people's habits for telling stories. It works as an informal training game and helps to improve team bonding. 2. Code of conduct. The activity helps employees build mutual trust. It begins by writing down a list of words that are "pleasant" and "meaningful" and asking employees to think of ideas on how they can make the team-building session reflect these words. 3. Spectrum Mapping. This indoor activity involves participants creating a map that contains many different perspectives on a subject, which follows a sequence that turns into a spectrum revealing the different ideas and opinions the participants may have. 👌👌

Synonyms! Improvisation and Innovation are synonyms! My favorite art form, Improv, is a powerful business tool when applied within context. Stacey Mason's Improv Lab notes that improv can increase divergent problem-solving skills. In an improv scene, since you have no idea what you will do next, you become much better at solving divergent problems, or problems that have multiple right answers. Often times in business we get stuck looking for the one right answer, when in fact there are several best solutions to choose from. Improv capitalizes on the creative process to help reframe how we interpret our capabilities. It is the best opportunity to have fun and create business solutions simultaneously.

Organiser un atelier d'improvisation peut dynamiser votre équipe. Engagez un professionnel expérimenté pour guider la session. Encouragez la participation de chacun, en mettant l'accent sur l'écoute active, la réactivité et la construction collective d'histoires. Favorisez un environnement sans jugement pour stimuler la créativité. En tant que leader, participez activement, démontrez l'ouverture à l'erreur et soulignez l'importance de l'adaptabilité dans le processus créatif.

Improv and improv workshops demand quick thinking and foster collaboration, making them ideal for enhancing your team's innovation skills. They encourage participants to rely on spontaneity, creativity, and teamwork. It's not just about having fun; it significantly improves communication, listening, and adaptability, and promotes a willingness to take creative risks. Improv can also boost team members' confidence and break down the barriers to innovation. This method takes them out of their routine, challenging them to think differently and work together in new, dynamic ways.

Hackathons are a great way to foster innovation. I actually combine design thinking and hackathons and have led events for teams to come together and come up with innovative solutions. A design thinking hackathon forces you to innovate in a time bound manner focusing on quick wins. It gets you out of your siloed thinking and helps you see the broader picture. Recently I led our HR team through a hackathon on embedding AI processes in HR and in just a span of 3 hours, the team came up with 4 ideas. The team feels a sense of purpose and creativity as well.

I LOVE poking holes. Success in strategy requires foreseeing pitfalls and preparing ideas for scrutiny. Urgent sprints force me to suspend that critical lens and instead lean on unfamiliar muscles: blue-sky brainstorming, accepting 'good enough,' and assuming everything will work out.* Flipside: Hackathons also force your team's more naturally optimistic folks to adopt the constraints of timely collaboration and guardrails. Unfamiliar muscles. *This is like nails on a chalkboard to me, but it's crucial in order to bring the coolest ideas to life.

🔨 A hackathon is a time-bound event where teams innovate using technology to create new solutions. Participating in or hosting a hackathon workshop exposes your team to new tools and methods, fostering skills in experimentation, prototyping, and pitching. Organize around specific themes or join existing hackathons, available both online and offline, to enhance innovation skills.

Another powerful workshop to consider is the hackathon, which provides a hands-on and intensive experience. It allows teams to tackle real-world problems in a limited timeframe, fostering a sense of urgency and encouraging rapid ideation. The collaborative nature of hackathons promotes the development of practical solutions and cultivates a culture of innovation within the team. Participants not only learn to work efficiently under pressure but also gain valuable experience in transforming ideas into tangible outcomes, contributing to a more innovative and solution-oriented team dynamic.

Debe incorporar equipos multidisciplinarios, estimular la creatividad, y enfocarse en desafíos organizacionales específicos. Con duración limitada, promueve la colaboración y la generación rápida de soluciones. Elementos clave incluyen mentorías, acceso a tecnologías emergentes y presentaciones finales que evalúen la viabilidad y la implementación práctica de las ideas. Es una experiencia inmersiva que no solo potencia la resolución de problemas, sino también el espíritu colaborativo y la agilidad empresarial.

This intense, time-bound competition pushes teams to rapidly prototype solutions to a specific challenge. It fosters collaboration, quick thinking, and resourcefulness.

Pour un atelier hackathon, choisissez un objectif spécifique, comme le développement d'une solution innovante à un problème donné. Divisez l'équipe en groupes, attribuez des rôles clairs et fixez un délai. Fournissez des ressources et encouragez la recherche collaborative. Organisez des points de contrôle réguliers pour évaluer les progrès et apporter des ajustements. À la fin, chaque groupe présente ses résultats, favorisant ainsi l'apprentissage collectif et la créativité.

As a workshop… I’d encourage regular use/play with Fermi Questions… encouraging participants/innovation to work backwards from a bonkers goal rather than forwards from our own inhibitions and beliefs

A lot of the computer game studios I work with regularly hold hackathons, giving the team the time and resources to just get creative and play, and in many cases something amazing can get birthed during these events. AI tools are sure to accelerate sins of this prototyping as well so that even more can be implemented in a shorter time frame. Incentivise winners, commission on final product or kudus go a long way!

LEGO Serious Play is pure magic - It takes the edge off, it puts people into a creative state, people share succinctly, listen with curiosity, and they stay on topic! It's only downfall is it can only be used on occasion, so use it for something special!

This is one of my favorite type of workshop to run for larger groups. In addition to the Play methodology, Design Thinking / Agile / Lean workshops can also be adapted to use Lego; e.g. J&J had a workshop that combined all three Lego into a multi-day training that scaled across their organization globally.

LEGO LOVE!! Who doesn't love lego.... so much fun! Already the colour of the bricks and characters, the association with kids and play and fun and education. Amazing stuff!

Lego is not just a toy for kids, but also a powerful tool for innovation. Lego can help your team unleash their creativity, express their ideas, and collaborate with others. Lego can also help your team develop their spatial, logical, and visual thinking skills, as well as their storytelling and presentation skills. A Lego workshop can involve various activities, such as building models, scenarios, or metaphors with Lego bricks, or using Lego Serious Play, a methodology that uses Lego to facilitate dialogue and problem-solving. You can buy Lego kits or hire a Lego facilitator to run your workshop.

While seemingly playful, Lego workshops use building blocks to represent complex systems and ideas. This helps teams visualize solutions, think outside the box, and communicate effectively.

Running a Lego workshop is a fre­sh method to boost teamwork and ingenuity. Folks join force­s in shared tasks, utilizing Lego blocks to tackle puzzle­s. This interactive style sparks dialogue­, solution finding, and unity. Consider a group asked to construct a Lego mode­l to symbolize their project aims. It not only fire­s up creativity but also provokes discussion on personal input. This e­ngaging workshop goes beyond conventional ways, offe­ring a lively stage for team me­mbers to share thoughts and collaborate in a fun, ye­t meaningful setting.

Trabajar con un taller Lego es una de las mejores herramientas que un equipo puede trabajar para crecer en su desarrollo y cohesión. Te ofrece la posibilidad de crear. Crear tu visión, elegir los componentes, proyectar aquello que tienes, lo que no y lo que no quieres tener. Es una herramienta que trabaja desde la estructura profunda. Hablando de los equipos, te permite posteriormente unir todas las versiones individuales, ver lo que se puede conseguir uniendo todo y, sobre todo, que se trabaje sobre lo que no hay. Lego te va a facilitar cómo desarrollar el futuro de tu equipo y de tu organización y sobre todo trabajar la comunicación.

Dans un atelier LEGO en tant que coach agile, utilisez les briques pour représenter des éléments concrets du processus agile. Par exemple, demandez aux participants de construire une représentation visuelle de leur compréhension du cycle de développement agile. Encouragez la créativité en utilisant les LEGO pour illustrer des concepts comme la collaboration, l'itération ou la communication. Cela favorisera une compréhension plus profonde des principes agiles et renforcera l'esprit d'équipe.

Utilizing Lego Serious Play workshops introduces a unique and engaging approach to enhancing innovation skills. Participants use Legos to construct tangible representations of ideas, promoting communication, collaboration, and unlocking innovative solutions through a hands-on, visual approach. This workshop goes beyond traditional brainstorming methods, tapping into the power of visualization and physical representation to stimulate creative thinking and problem-solving. The tactile nature of Lego Serious Play provides a dynamic platform for teams to explore and express ideas in a way that traditional methods often fall short.

An innovation quiz is a fun and interactive way to test your team's knowledge and curiosity about innovation. An innovation quiz can cover topics such as innovation history, trends, examples, methods, tools, and trivia. An innovation quiz can help your team learn new facts, discover new perspectives, and spark new conversations about innovation. You can create your own innovation quiz using online platforms or apps, or use existing ones that are relevant to your industry or domain.

Developing a culture of continuous improvement with a workshop focused on developing an innovation mindset. Encourage risk-taking, resilience, and learning from failure as crucial components of the innovation journey.

This interactive session can assess your team's current understanding of innovation principles and spark discussions about desired improvements. Useful for identifying knowledge gaps and setting goals.

A technology company use­d the interactive platform Kahoot! to cre­ate a hands-on quiz workshop. They included live­ coding tests which helped the­ workers improve their te­chnical abilities. The company saw a 30% rise in involve­ment from the workers compare­d to the usual quizzes. The introduction of game­ features and multimedia tools le­d to a 20% gain in understanding, proving the effe­ctiveness of this approach. Thus, a creative­ quiz workshop, mixing digital platforms, gamification, and fact-based results can enhance­ how we learn.

People need to broaden their horizons and look beyond their normal work in order to stimulate new thinking and ideas. Creativity and innovation is fired by novel experiences. Find ways to get people out doing things that don't have links to their job descriptions. I once worked with a Nobel Prize winning scientist who said that he needed to develop people so that they had, "The courage to challenge the beauty of the proof." You can't do that if you do the same things day in day out with the same people. Arrange workshops that take people out of their normal... new skills, knowledge and experiences.

An innovation quiz workshop can be an engaging and educational way to assess and enhance team members' knowledge about innovation methodologies, industry trends, and best practices. This workshop not only challenges participants to think critically but also encourages healthy competition, stimulating curiosity and reinforcing key concepts related to innovation. By incorporating elements of fun and competition, an innovation quiz fosters a positive and dynamic learning environment, where team members actively engage with the subject matter, reinforcing their understanding and application of innovative principles.

An innovation quiz workshop or an innovation based activity as part of a larger creativity workshop works very well, because it nudges the team to think out of the box, which many struggle with because of set ways of thinking and perceptions.

Remember: Innovation is a lagging indicator of psychological safety, or being able to share ideas, experiment, fail, and iterate freely. I think the most important "workshop" is equipping anyone in a position of power with the skills of cultivating psychological safety and then giving them ongoing support to practice those skills. An "innovation" workshop won't matter in a climate where people feel like they and their voices don't matter.

One thing that I have felt helpful is to add value to the workshop or the activities. As a learning facilitator, I asked my students to work on case solving where they can implement it in real time. The students came up with a unique perspective to explain about the food waste generation at their hostel and various collaborative solutions to mitigate the problem. Another time, during a class we worked together on a story completion activity with each student contributing the next interesting turn for the story. Towards the conclusion, we ended up listening to a thoroughly engaging and unpredictable story. With a strong sense of belonging and purpose, members of a team can overcome major hiccups and come up with great initiatives.

Two things to consider in order to create and maintain an environment that fosters innovation: time and psychological safety. Ask yourself: - Do teammates have time to think? Teams that are stuck in an innovation rut often don’t have time to think and refocus on the problems to solve, and they default to "the way we do things". Make time to get inspiration from other industries, nature, or another team. It could be news articles, reports, conferences, calls with experts… - How psychologically safe are people on the team? Teams where people don’t feel safe enough to speak, ask questions, offer a new perspective, disagree in a constructive manner, are teams who will have a harder time getting off the beaten track, if at all.

Motivate your team by sharing stories of successful companies that turned failures into lessons, measured innovation progress, allowed time for creative projects, and created spaces for unexpected insights, and aiming to build a culture that values learning.Emphasize the importance of open communication channels for sharing ideas, promoting a collaborative mindset where team members feel comfortable contributing suggestions or improvements. Highlight the significance of staying informed about industry trends and emerging technologies, as this can inspire innovative thinking and keep the team ahead of the curve. Encourage a mindset that views challenges as opportunities for innovation, fostering a proactive approach to problem-solving.

Das beste Mittel, um wieder kreativ und innovativ zu werden, ist Raum für die persönliche Wahrnehmung zu bekommen und ein „pattern interrupt“ zu haben. Es hilft, einige Tage weg von Computer und Schreibtisch zu sein, sich in der Natur aufzuhalten und Abstand und Weite im Denken zu haben. Dadurch kommen auf jeden Fall neue Ideen. Eine andere Möglichkeit wäre, Diskussionspartner von außen einzuladen, die einen frischen Blick auf die Dinge werfen können und komplett neue Ideen, Sichtweisen und Perspektiven einbringen.

A lack of innovation in a team often indicates a disconnect between their hearts and minds, pointing to low employee engagement. Before organizing workshops, it's vital to boost team involvement. Leaders should show empathy, empower individuals, and trust in their abilities. When team members feel valued and supported, they are more likely to contribute innovative ideas. As a team-building expert, I am dedicated to enhancing team engagement and helping them reach their full potential. I recommend combining game-based learning with individualized coaching to achieve desired goals. Simply conducting workshops may not deliver long-lasting results, as their effects are often temporary.

TRUST is the bedrock of any successful team, especially one striving for innovation. When team members trust each other and their leader, they feel safe to share ideas, experiment, and take risks without fear of judgment or rejection. By focusing on building trust, you can create a team environment where innovation can thrive. Remember, trust is a journey, and it takes time and effort to build and maintain.

Consider ways to incorporate learnings from the workshop into your team's daily work. This can be planned with your facilitator. A combination of post-workshop homework ongoing coaching leadership support helps to inculcate desired innovation behaviors.

Innovation requires a high level of engagement based on a clear purpose, the right skills, a team where people are driven to get things right instead of wanting to be right, where ego trips are replaced by a common mission to succeed for the right reasons. Some people are offended by data, others are not distracted by them once they made up their mind. Some people are hurt by feedback or being wrong, others realise that is the only way to grow. Innovation is as much about the right mindset, team work and culture as it is about creativity.

- Learning from Failure Workshop: Innovation often involves taking risks and learning from failures. This workshop creates a safe space for team members to reflect on past failures and extract lessons from them. It encourages a growth mindset, resilience, and an openness to experimentation and learning. - Cross-Functional Collaboration Workshop: Bring together members from different departments or teams to collaborate on a specific project or challenge. This workshop encourages diverse perspectives, interdisciplinary collaboration, and knowledge sharing, which often leads to fresh ideas and innovative solutions.