The Power Of Expansive Thinking To Drive Innovation And Creativity In Your Teams
Cari Jacobs-Crovetto is an executive coach, facilitator and consultant with 25 years in marketing as a CMO and Leader.
As published on Forbes.com
Polarity-driven thinking keeps us stuck. In the period of a single day, we are asked to lean into judgment that requires a "this or that" choice. A black or white answer. As executive leaders, we are asked to make quick decisions often presented to us in "this or that" terms.
Black-and-white thinking is safe. It drives toward a clear and absolute answer—a finite "right way" and "wrong way." It supposes there is a truth, a best way to do things—and it is one of two choices. Is she a high performer or a low performer? Is the data good or bad? Am I influential at my company or not? Is this feature going to help us win or lose ground?
I am not suggesting all conversations are boiled down to simplistic choices. However, even as we hammer out various solutions, we can look to see where we are getting stuck in our own loops. Loops that block creation energy, innovative thinking and unity.
This got me thinking. When my clients are stuck in loops that are mired in duality, I offer something I call "expansive thinking." It is simple in concept, but a powerful tool for transformation when applied thoughtfully. Expansive thinking is when we mindfully pause and ask ourselves if we are stuck in a pattern of duality—or black-and-white thinking. Are we stuck in negative loops that nail our feet to the ground and thwart creativity and innovation? It is a way we can manage our triggers, rise above contraction in ourselves or our teams and prime ourselves to habitually think from a more expanded and curious state of mind.
A Useful Tool For Activating Expansive Thinking
This brings me to one of my favorite coaching tools: Stephen B. Karpman's Drama Triangle and David Emerald's evolution of the Drama Triangle into the Empowerment Dynamic. The Empowerment Dynamic changed my life when I was undergoing executive leadership training several years ago. The simple theory of the Drama Triangle is that each of us plays two of three archetypes that provoke conflict, problems and anxiety. And if we can pivot out of our conditioned archetypes and into more passion-based and outcome-focused archetypes, we create more positive, creative and empowered team environments.
The lower half of the Drama Triangle takes on polarity and dualistic thinking.
"I am the good, smart one and everyone else here is at fault." — The Persecutor
"I never get the resources I need and others always get what they want." — The Victim
"If I don't help them, it won't get done right." — The Rescuer
But what happens if we let go of duality and move to expansion? When we shift our minds from the locks of "this or that," expansive thinking can emerge. We become The Coach, asking probing and smart questions to move an employee or a team member out of a stuck place and into possibility. We enact The Challenger, poignantly posing thoughtful, hard problems up for solution beyond contracted thinking. We are The Creator, going beyond the restrictions and into a "blue ocean mindset" that can allow more ideas to generate.
Three Tips To Drive Expansive Thinking In Your Teams
1. Notice when you're stuck. Teams that spin or stay stuck in the problem are likely caught in polarity—black-and-white thinking. This can be a defining moment to ask teams to look at the problem from a more expansive space. Ask probing questions: Are we stuck because we are staying in a locked position? Can we expand out to see what might happen when we let go?
2. Triggers often come from polarity. If you or a teammate is often triggered, that can be a sign of dualistic or black-and-white thinking. Encourage them to let go of their "fixed" mindset and ask them what archetype they might be playing in the drama triangle. Can they expand to passionate and solution-driving thinking—or expansion?
3. Use mindfulness. When we pay attention to "how" we think versus simply acting out the thoughts themselves, we can often see patterns. These patterns can "hook" us into fixed ways of thinking. When we watch for our own patterns—or patterns within our teams—we can often see that we are only in a "trance" state and not rising out of that habitual state of thinking to find a new solution. Simply noticing can be enough! This is the true power of using mindfulness to help push creativity and innovation into your organization.
Try expansive thinking as a way to move out of the contraction most of us live in daily. Try it on life's challenges: with your kids; with personal decision-making; and yes, leaders, try it with your teams. Get out of the safety of black-and-white thinking and into the possibilities rising into the expanse.
