Innovation = urgency x necessity. This is an equation Brad Halsey, the founder of our training firm, Building Momentum, refers to almost daily. Innovation is something every organization craves, and in a regular (pre-pandemic) work environment, it is hard to enact. Training and inspiring teams to innovate, especially in problem solving, amid the virtual work environment we have become accustomed to is even more difficult.
Organizations of all kinds are facing similar challenges across the board—from Fortune 500 companies to some of the largest departments in the military. Both have very different organizational structures but often have the same narrow, project-based focus dampening their teams’ ability to create, innovate, and solve—let alone do it fast.
As we continue to push for innovation in a post-pandemic world, hands-on problem solving must become a key focus of trainers. What is hands-on problem solving? And how can this type of training occur in a world where teams may never work in the same space together again?
Agile/Scrum
First, many organizations have adopted what some believe as the “Holy Grail of Innovation”: Agile Principles to support building teams that execute with agility. These principles started in software and development as a way to build software quickly and continue to adapt it for competitive advantage.
A few principles from the Agile Manifesto include: “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools; working software over comprehensive documentation; customer collaboration over contract negotiation; responding to change over following a plan.”
Many industries outside of software development have extrapolated these principles as ways to get products and services out the door. They also will go as far as encouraging employees to get scrum certified. However, teams will not always be able to achieve these principles in practice. Learning the “Agile Manifesto” does not always mean employees will physically be agile, let alone agile with a team.
Innovation and teambuilding must incorporate opportunities every day for employees to put these principles into practice. They cannot come in the form of innovation challenges that only occur four times a year. Innovation needs to be encouraged daily in all things for it to be successful. A team cannot learn the Agile Manifesto and say they are embodying it—they must move this way together day in and day out.
Military Inspiration
Teambuilding experiences—whether in person or over Zoom—paired with learning the Agile Principles is a great place to start. Often, teams will begin to develop solutions to overcome process issues, communication challenges, and more. However many organizations struggle with the time required to move these quick solutions “up the chain.”
The military is famous for facing these challenges—it has more regulations and red tape than any other group in the U.S. Many troops are young, and in order to innovate and enact change, they must sit through training sessions with 90 PowerPoint slides, and then fight through regulations on a regular basis to seek approvals to even gain access to equipment and labs. It can be weeks before solutions are developed while waiting for approvals.
The key is to loosen the reins and start training experiences with a simple task—a couple of simple slides followed immediately by diving into problem solving within the first hour. For example, troops can learn the basics of 3-D printing and immediately develop a tool that may be needed to support them in the field. This method of “throwing them in the deep end” is the training that delivers results. With one problem solved, more solutions will come. In one week, training soldiers can ideate on a solution or come up with 15 to 20 solutions. This proves that innovation does not need to take a long time. Soldiers then will go back to their command and explain all they were able to do. Then, while their command is starting to understand problems can be solved quickly and cheaply soldiers, can look around them and apply all the technology they learned to the problems they might not have even known they could solve before.
Corporate Problem Solving
Shifting to the corporate training space, from creating an innovative corporate environment to improving communication to allow teams to move fast—the problems corporations face are similar no matter their size or industry. A challenge arises and leadership focuses on solving it in a grand scheme.
Forget the grand scheme. A small amount of change can have a huge ripple effect—from innovation, to communication, and ultimately development of solutions. For example, working with Capital One’s team of new software engineers to support their teambuilding efforts, our goal was to bond the group whose members were right out of school and show them they can do things differently than they were taught in college.
These employees went through a three-hour welding training and then immediately were challenged to build a bucket that could hold water. They were paired up in teams who had never worked together before, with most not even located at the same office. Learning a skill that no one is trained in, such as welding, showed that in a short amount of time, teams can tackle brand new and daunting problems if they focus on communication. Learning to tackle problems as a team in a small, risk-free environment can translate into incredible work processes.
Even for a simple teambuilding initiative, a two-hour problem-solving session can help your group get to know each other better, create solutions together, and break up the normal Zoom routine.
The same can be said for middle management and above. Some of the most unique training experiences we have hosted have included CEOs, managers, and administrative employees, all working together toward the same goal. Sometimes these are the best-kept secrets and uncover skills team members did not even know they had or were not being encouraged to use in their day-to-day responsibilities. In one instance, an administrative assistant ended up being the best problem solver in the room. Her manager then empowered her to step up in ways she never would have before.
Fostering Creative Confidence
Solving problems, no matter how small, gives employees the confidence and permission to do the work. Creative confidence is one of the hardest things for people to understand. When you’re problem solving there are no bad ideas. The good ideas rise to the top and may surprise you.
Firms must prioritize problem solving and reduce the barriers to reaching solutions. Train teams and enable them to access equipment—in our case, we mail 3-D printers, drones, and other machinery all over the world to ensure training can occur virtually. As a result, teams will solve a variety of challenges that will continue to grow in scale. After accomplishing dozens of challenges in a training session, imagine what your team can accomplish in a week or three months.
Allow your workforce or fighting force to take small risks without having to ask. Give them the permission to solve small everyday problems without the risk of penalty. Once they start to gain confidence in solving small problems, they will look at new ways to take on bigger problems. Just remember to make the process one that is built-in routinely; don’t let one problem-solving session be the end. The improvements come when it’s an ongoing, repeated process.
