– Make sure we dare to fail today. Not appraising ideas – the first idea that pops up is capable. Rate of play is not good for spontaneity.
It says Helena Lindgren, improviser at Stockholm improvisation theater – a theater that has trained companies and private individuals in improvisation for 25 years.
She stands together with the management team Avanza Bank, in a large ring on the lighted stage in the theater premises in central Stockholm.
During nearly two hours released playfulness loose through various exercises. Sometimes playing all nine together, sometimes two and two. In one of the exercises should one come with half-finished ideas that the other enthusiastic should spin on.
– The dream is to listen without preconceived notions, that “this person always comes with bad ideas” . Listen to the suggestions and find what is good, encourages improvisers.
Increases creativity with 30 percent
Improvisational theater is perhaps the most effective way to speed up your ideas and cooperation in a workgroup or management team. It shows a new study soon to be published by Lund University in Sweden.
The results show that the creativity of the group increases by almost 30 percent when employees play improvisational theater together.
But the exercises are not only good for the creativity of each individual employee. The entire organization serves, according to the survey, improvisation trained employees.
– Improvisational theater is to test boundaries and daring to throw out ideas that are not yet processed, says Samuel West, doctoral candidate in Organizational Psychology and one of the researchers behind the study.
In the survey participated about 80 people in teams from different industries. During a month went half of them on three half-day workshops in improvisational theater.
The rest were control group and worked as usual without improvisation exercise.
Before and after training period conducted both groups a number tests to measure creativity.
– Those who took the course got to work with confidence and built up a security group. They had also fun together. Both creativity and cooperation works much better when you dare to be playful together, turn Samuel West firm.
Becoming more popular
Improvisation Exercises challenges besides the traditional approach to problem solving, and thus stimulates a more creative thinking, West believes.
– At all times it has been divided up innovation processes in phases and routes you in advance to deal with, he said.
– First, one should identify the problem, then you should choose out ideas, and so on. Attacks shape improv theater is totally different. You will learn to perceive, attack and solve a problem at the same time.
The US has in recent years been written several books on leadership, there improvisasjonsmetodens advantages be highlighted. For employees at the animation studio Pixar there improvisation courses at Pixar University.
Also in the Nordic region, it has been popular among employers to send their staff or management team workshops in improvisation.
– To book into an hour before Christmas table does not provide all the world’s dividend. But one faces a choice between sending a management team on management training courses with standard content or let them go on improv theater together, there is a “no-brainer”. Improvisation is both enjoyable and provides greater efficacy, says Samuel West.
Will out of the hierarchy
The leaders at Avanza has played improvisational theater earlier corporate leader days. The aim is partly to counteract ingrained truths that inhibit creativity.
– We will be an organization without hierarchy, where everyone works with enterprise development. There is no separate section for it. Wherever in the organization can be found should dare to come up with new ideas, says Martin Tivéus Avanza.
– How does improvisation training manager styles?
– We train presence and the ability to highlight ideas as they come and make them better. As chief, it is easy to have a notion of how things should be done, but our role is more about making sure that the team has the best record system.
– What makes the firm out of that you play improvisation theater?
– We get a burst of business that is more fun to work in, which hopefully means that we can do better together. Whether people are happy at work, they perform better.
Samuel West also think it is exciting once businesses dare to test artistic methods.
– The culture and art has something valuable to teach the business community. Companies can not just focus on producing their products or services. They must get better at constantly exploring and discovering new ways – as an improvising jazz musician. But when it is required to allow themselves to bet on the wrong ideas sometimes.
– Not so common in Norway
– People tend to see the world in light of what they can know and have learned through education and experience. It may be inhibiting creativity, says Stig Roar Wigestrand.
He has a doctorate in improvisation from the academy and courses annually between 200-300 leaders in innovation. He warns companies against uncritical embrace improvisation exercise.
– I meet many who only think “We must be more creative.” But I believe it is wrong approach in business, he said.
– Those who supply goods and services must first ask the question “what is it our customers need?”. Only when we have understood it, you can go forward creative tools to meet the needs, he said.
Wigestrand have the impression that improvisation training are some big trend in Norway yet.
– We should be careful to only take things from America – Norwegians and Americans are different. We have not as easy to play RPGs and throw us into the kind of exercises, he said.
He still believes that targeted improvisation exercise can be useful if participants are ready for it.
– Those who will benefit from improvisation training must have a genuine interest in renewal. Those who have the desire and are ready to work in the way benefit from it, one can not be quickly perceived as “Kleint”, and you are unsure and uncomfortable.
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