In a previous article , I addressed why friction is an essential part of the innovation process and how to get your team to embrace friction rather than avoiding it. Unfortunately, it bears repeating that friction is uncomfortable, especially when you are collaborating with others as a team. We are wired to collaborate and cooperate, not rebel and challenge. Building a culture of rebellion sets the expectation among your team members that they are welcome to voice their out-of-the-box ideas and that they will be taken seriously by you (the leader) and the rest of the team. However, this is easier said than done; it takes courage and an endless supply of energy to consistently take risks, fail, learn from those failures and maintain good relationships with your coworkers.
As a leader, the way you respond to unconventional and risky ideas sends cues to your team about what’s truly acceptable and what ideas are too “out there” to bother with. You can tell them that no idea is too crazy to consider, but unless you follow through and treat all ideas and the innovators who bring them forward with equal respect, you will ultimately sabotage the diversity of thought (and diversity of your team) you need to be competitive.
In over 20 years of experience with innovation, I’ve noticed a few specific ways that leaders squash friction, sending subtle (and not-so-subtle) cues that this is not the right way or the right time to rebel. In order to keep your innovation pipeline moving, avoid these friction-killing behaviors:
1. Putting one big idea above all others
Once you have put an overarching plan into place for testing a series of ideas, you may find that your team becomes a group of drones that carry out a plan but aren’t actively engaged. When you notice your team following directions a little too closely and not coming to you with potential issues and challenges, there are a few different issues that may be contributing to this follow-the-leader phenomenon: rigidity in your idea, your process, or your communication.
Insisting that your team members go along with one all-important big-picture idea, or making it clear that these important decisions are only yours to make, may drive them to shut down. However, it may also be that your process only allows for innovation during one phase and then becomes too rigid; take a step back and make sure there’s room for continued flexibility, though less and less as the idea progress. Finally, this may be another case for “seeking your opposition,” as I like to say. Remind them that you expect some friction! Take a look at your team and consider shaking things up by reassigning a few people to different projects or reassessing your testing criteria.
2. Hierarchies, biases and ranking
Diversity of thought is directly tied with diverse identities, so it’s important to be aware of your personal biases (we all have them!) and not let them affect your interactions with these team members and their ideas. Some common stereotypes that have come out in my work with past clients are that older members of the team are perceived as “grumpy” or inflexible, that women and younger team members don’t have the insight or experience of their counterparts, and that status has to be earned over time—just like the people before you earned it. It takes a focused effort to ensure that all talent is being treated equally, that there’s no gatekeeping or special access to opportunities because of things your employees can’t change.
Instead of giving certain ideas less (or more) air time for these reasons, remember that unique identities come with strengths that the majority of your team likely doesn’t share. Ensure that each member of your team receives equitable recognition of their strengths and new learning. Additionally, make learning a key component of your culture, even for senior employees. Finally, seek out training on how to leverage all the talent on your team for the best overall outcome.
3. Personal criticism and reprimands
I saved this one for last because it’s the single worst thing you can do to kill creative friction, and it happens surprisingly often. But first, let’s note that negative feedback is very different than constructive criticism or teachable moments. Negative reinforcement is a reprimand or punishment for unwanted behavior, sometimes disguised as coaching or feedback, which is really meant to “put you in your place” (see section 2). Constructive criticism is critiquing an idea on its own terms without making it personal, which can require a high level of maturity and the ability to separate your ego from business objectives. I honestly think this needs to be part of the onboarding process in company cultures that are truly moving in this direction.
This kind of toxic personal criticism comes across in a few sneaky ways: it happens when an idea is met with complete silence, sideways glances, or even over-enthusiastic support that is clearly fake. More overtly, a senior leader or manager may follow up after a meeting to tell a team member their idea was irrelevant or “inappropriate” for the time and place. Surprisingly I see this at all levels of an organization. These implicit or explicit reprimands always come across as a judgment of that person. People with diverse ideas usually understand the flaws and challenges that come with testing and implementing them, so give them the benefit of the doubt and the encouragement they need to keep bringing them up. Above all, you want to avoid discouraging that team member from speaking up in the future.
Your team should always feel safe and welcome to share their thoughts without fear of being wrong or getting a slap on the wrist. In order to create a culture where both diverse ideas and constructive criticism are valued, provide training for the entire team or company to set a standard you can refer back to when these things happen. The surest way to keep creative friction from getting personal is to have a baseline procedure for acknowledging suggestions and ideas in the moment and determining what to do with them. But it’s your responsibility as a leader to set expectations and model inclusive, equitable behavior.
It takes preparation and practice to get comfortable engaging with creative friction—without letting it get personal. This is something we’ll be working on in the upcoming Transform with Purpose course I’m co-facilitating for innovation leaders. Join my email list to receive those details/click here to sign up!
