Architecture Adjunct Professor Andrew Pressman believes a great team is akin to a big, unhappy dysfunctional family.
You don’t have to like the other team members to produce great results,” Pressman says. “Tension between team members can be seen as constructive—as the gasoline that fuels innovation and excellent work.”
In his new book, "IDEAS—A Secret Weapon for Business: Think and Collaborate Like a Designer," Pressman makes the argument for businesses in any industry to follow the "idea-rich process" architects channel in their studios—from how they collaborate to how they share feedback as part of a process called “design thinking”—to create fresh, meaningful solutions.
“Every problem is different and unique, so the process to solve that problem should be unique as well to get to the optimum solution,” Pressman said. “Elements of design thinking can be cherry-picked, refined, and combined; you can be just as creative about the process as the product.”
Below, Pressman offers a few tips from "IDEAS" that could bring the business world their next big thing:
Bad ideas are necessary. "Bad ideas are great because they often trigger exceptional ideas from others," Pressman said. This outlook is essential for effective problem-solving and to produce positive outcomes. Pressman believes companies should appreciate bad ideas more so team members can build upon them and inspire one another to develop other ideas that can contribute to the overall project.
Prioritize working independently to collaborate better. "There is an 'I' in collaboration," Pressman said. Collaboration is beneficial when team members home in on their areas of expertise before sharing their thoughts, allowing each member to bring their unique perspective to the table—as a prerequisite to creating a synergistic, collective work product.
Teamwork can squash powerful ideas, without the right leader. "Majority rules" can overpower the input from critical thinkers or colleagues with differing perspectives. Leadership oversight can ensure every thought is valued, recognized and considered, despite a swayed consensus.
The best leadership is flexible. Pressman said that every leader needs to design a supervision approach to derive the best work from each member for a project. There are certain factors that they should always consider: the team member's personality, the task they are working on and the project circumstances. Then, leaders should tailor their project oversight to both collective and individual styles. "Every team is different, and every individual is different," Pressman said. "So the leaders' interventions must respond to that very specifically."
Get a dog. One’s best friend can open the door for imaginative thinking outside of a workspace. “Walking the dog can provide essential time for reflection, which will perhaps set the stage for that eureka moment during a collaborative design thinking session,” Pressman shared. “Talking to animals may also be the best nonjudgmental and facilitative sounding board there is!”