Unleashing Creativity: Harnessing Imagination for Robust Strategy Planning

Imagination is one of the most powerful tools we have in our arsenal.  Being able to play out scenarios mentally allows us to see and envision possible futures that will help to build stronger strategies.

Three applications to leverage imagination include brainstorming, premortems, and scenario play. 

Brainstorming

This may be the most obvious, but as people we get stuck in our critical mindsets and tend to judge things too quickly. 

To encourage imagination, try to start with a creative ice breaker that gets people comfortable sharing ideas that aren't fully thought out. 

Next, suspend ALL judgment- Use the improvisation rule of yes, and. 

Volume should be a key goal while brainstorming because the first 6 or 7 ideas people come up with are usually the  most obvious.  Idea 20 might be the one you are looking for!

Encourage some wild ideas, even if they are not realistic.  These can inspire other people to extend their comfort zones and spark even more ideas.  

Premortem

The premortem, is an analysis of potential failure before it happens. The team or group views their project as failed, imagining to look backwards in the rear view. It’s their objective to identify what happened, and why?  This framing incents participants to identify likely misses and encourages the identification of pitfalls that may have been ignored otherwise.  

In HBR Magazine, Gary Klein states:

"Research conducted in 1989 by Deborah J. Mitchell, of the Wharton School; Jay Russo, of Cornell; and Nancy Pennington, of the University of Colorado, found that prospective hindsight—imagining that an event has already occurred—increases the ability to correctly identify reasons for future outcomes by 30%"

https://hbr.org/2007/09/performing-a-project-premortem

Scenario Play

Similar to a premortem, playing through various scenarios allows for the viewing of multiple choices and multiple outcomes. 

What would each choice impact, and how?

What could you do? 

What SHOULD you do?

And Why? 

The LEGO Serious Play method includes an application technique that employs scenario play.  This typically uses organizational systems and hypothetical instances that shows interconnected cause and effect. 

This allows people to visualize challenges and come up with creative solutions. 

Imagination is a wonderful business tool that can be used to unearth ideas and opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed. 
Make sure you have Psychological Safety in your organization to get the most out of your team’s imagination.