So how do you create a habitat that fosters risk taking and experimentation? The best ways involve encouraging experimentation and evaluation of the results. The key is to get concepts out in front of others as soon as possible, so that everyone receives rapid feedback on their ideas. The longer you work on an idea, the more attached to it you become. Therefore you need to be encouraged to show your work to others when it is still raw, and to get their comments, before your ideas are hard to release if they aren’t working. Unfortunately, in most work environments people are strongly encouraged to polish their work before it sees the light of day. The more time they spend polishing, the more wedded they get to the ideas, and the less likely they are to release them if they aren’t working.
I believe many of us always have this tendency to polish up our ideas, work on it and test it before sharing with others to avoid looking “stupid”. While we might do that to avoid embarrassment, what is optimal for us might not be optimal for the group. Putting new concepts and work out in their early stages allows for constructive criticism, and helps the team on a whole. Getting too attached to our work only increases the sunk cost and makes it harder to switch out of what we’ve done.
More importantly though, is that we create environments where feedback can be shared openly and constructively. Too many times in the workplace, insecurity gets into the picture and feedback doesn’t come from a constructive angle but from self preservation. It is thus on managers to construct workplace environments that fosters constructive communication and sharing of ideas.
I’ve had my fair share of negative workplace environments and I think all of us should always think twice before we casually dismiss or accidentally laugh at anyone’s idea, especially in front of others. You might have just created a disincentive for someone towards sharing their work and ideas.
