CREATIVE PROCESS

Our creative process is based on a simple model called Explore, Build, Act and is used as a framework to design our collaborative interactions. There are different ways of describing this model, however, experts in the field of collaboration pretty much all agree that the basic model can be broken down into three distinct phases.  In the Explore phase, participants develop a common vocabulary and knowledge base, and extend that knowledge into adjacent domains to increase the potential for insightful thinking. In the Build phase, participants collaborate to design multiple, viable options for the future state and test these options.  In the Act phase, participants select final designs based on recombination, testing and iteration. Then they develop appropriate actions.

Explore: Trends. Current state. Market research. Competitor data. Insights. Hypotheses.

Exploring means get immersed in everything you need to know. Level set and expand the group’s thinking before tackling the work

Exploring means looking at how other organizations have addressed similar challenges. It’s addressing assumptions that we are blind and allowing someone else to show us something different.

Exploring means orienting people to where they currently are. It may be the whole current state or just in that moment of the design.

Build: Envision the future state. Change. Create original ideas and solutions. Improve your organization.

Building means compressing months of work into days or hours to build tangible outputs and make key decisions to drive your organization forward.

Building means we spend most of the event composing models of solutions from multiple vantage points. The models have to be tested. The simplest way to test them is by tossing them over to another group to play with. But there are more elaborate methods.

Building means incubation. Getting so far away from the challenge that the mind is engaged totally in some other focus. Informal dinners, sleep, or team building exercises accomplish this. Incubation allows us to look at our work with fresh eyes.

Act: Roadmaps. Start dates. Deadlines. Costs. Engage leadership. Communication plans. Measurements of success.

Acting is about designing what’s next. Creating action plans. Refining key messages and communicating clearly. Set it in motion and maintain momentum.  

Ultimately, acting means simply swapping stuff with one another. Whatever the participants create will have to be traded with someone for something of value. With senior management for resources. With other employees for acceptance. With customers for purchases. With suppliers for agreements. Or with other participants in the event.

Acting is about putting a stake in the ground and committing to it.