AASCU
Senior
Communications
Officers
Conference
Washington, DC
March
2012
Today’s Agenda
The story about “The Innovative Team”
Overview of creative process
Understanding thinking styles
Taking it forward
In pairs, please discuss…
When you are trying to find
creative solutions, what do you
need to do to be successful?
The breakthrough thinking process
is universal
It has discreet steps
Each step requires unique
mental skills
Research tells us…
Most of us prefer some over others
Preferences show up as strengths
and potential blind spots when
solving problems
Leverage style differences
Build better teams
Short circuit conflict
Improve performance
Awareness helps you …
Become a creative powerhouse!
60-second conversations
Find a partner
One person speaks
Other person listens generously
Switch roles
Share an innovation story
Stages of the universal creative
process
Clarify
situation
Generate
ideas
Develop
solutions
Implement
action
Know your mind
Person meets process
Clarifier
Ideator
Implementer
Developer
Personal preferences
FourSight thinking profile
preference
NOT
ability
Clarifiers are...
Strategic Thinkers
See the situation from all angles
Understand the background
Identify key data
When you clarify…
What info are you missing?
Isolate obstacles
Know what is relevant
Clarifiers
are…
focused, methodical, orderly, deliberate, serious,
organized; may analyze to the extreme and not
move forward
need…
order, the facts, an understanding of history, access
to information, permission to ask questions
annoy others by…
asking too many questions, pointing out obstacles,
identifying areas that haven’t been well thought out,
overloading people with information, being too
realistic
Ideators are...
Imaginative Thinkers
List lots of ideas
Be playful
When you ideate…
Look from a new angle
Brainstorm to get diverse ideas
Use random associations
Ideators
are…
playful, imaginative, social, adaptable,
flexible, adventurous, independent; may
overlook the details
need…
room to be playful, constant stimulation,
variety and change, the big picture
annoy others by…
drawing attention to themselves, being
impatient when others don’t get their ideas,
offering ideas that are too off-the-wall, being
too abstract, not sticking to one idea
Developers are...
Adaptive Thinkers
Say what you like
Phrase concerns as questions
Develop criteria for success
When you develop…
Modify solutions
Who might assist? Resist?
Make an action plan
Developers
are ...
reflective, careful, pragmatic, planful,
patient, dedicated, discerning; may get
stuck in developing the perfect solution
need ...
a chance to consider and evaluate the
options, time to craft and develop ideas
into useful solutions
annoy others by ...
being too nit-picky, finding flaws in
others’ ideas, getting locked into one
approach
Implementers are...
Tactical Thinkers
Manage the Change
Learn as you go
“Test fast. Fail fast. Adjust fast.”
When you implement…
What’s working? What isn’t?
Cycle back to other phases
Implementers
are ...
persistent, decisive, determined,
assertive, action-oriented; may leap into
action too quickly
need ...
the sense that others are moving just as
quickly, timely responses to their ideas,
control
annoy others by ...
being too pushy, readily expressing their
frustration when others do not move as
quickly, overselling their ideas
Integrators
are ...
steady, flexible, inclusive, team players,
stabilizing influences; may lose their own
voice to accommodate team
need ...
cooperation, collaboration, energy from
others, to feel others are committed to the
challenge
annoy others by ...
pointing out what’s not being done, not
allowing their voices to be heard, being
overly flexible, becoming peace-makers
Reading your profile
high preference
contrast
lines
non-preference
low
preference
Multiple preferences
CL
ID
DV
IM
CL
ID
DV
IM
CL
ID
DV
IM
CL
ID
DV
IM
What’s your style?
(use cards to make a guess)
Identify differences, similarities
Find a
partner
Discuss how your preferences
might impact your
working relationship
Team Profile
Communication: The Platinum Rule
Remember, when working with other preferences:
Give Clarifiers...
Order
The facts
An understanding of history
Access to information
Permission to ask questions
Give Developers...
Time to consider the options
Time to evaluate
Time to develop ideas
Give Ideators...
Room to be playful
Constant stimulation
Variety and change
The big picture
Give Clarifiers...
The sense that others are
moving just as quickly
Control
Timely responses
to their ideas
Thank you!
Chris Grivas
cgrivas@mac.com
For more information on FourSight,
please visit:
www.foursightonline.com