Creative abrasion is product of different ideas and solutions that would hopefully bring out the best compromise/solution. After reading about Nissan's approach of hiring polar opposites to pair up as a design team, I am astounded on how much the strategy didn't make sense at first thought and makes perfect sense once I dwelled on it.
My first thought on pairing equally qualified but opposite in direction designers was that every meeting is a time bomb waiting to explode. Arguments will be a constant and could become counterproductive. What if a designer has thin skin? Surely someone is bound to be offended as thought processes clash.
But then I thought, what if the creative minds have the project devotion to see past each disagreement and unselfishly strive for the best solution (whether it was your idea or not). Without creative abrasion, wouldn't the first "solution" suggested often become THE solution. A saying that I have heard seemingly a million times in my engineering career applies here "The first idea is rarely the best idea" and without creative abrasion, the first idea will likely be the only idea.
I understand and agree with your initial thought that creative abrasion could be a problem. I've seen this sort of thing go wrong in the past and I'm sure you have too. I think you hit the nail in the head when you mentioned that it can be a valuable exercise if the contributors are dedicated to the successful outcome of the project. However, I would say it even goes beyond just having the success of the project as the priority. I think it is a matter of maturity level. Someone who puts the success of the project above their own ideas and ego does so as a result of a high maturity level (at least in my opinion).
ReplyDeleteMy first reaction was "What???" this could end up being another episode of "Clash of the Titans"! But like you, once I read the article from Nissan, I saw the good in this unique way of innovative thinking. The key is to chose wisely and select individuals that are self-assured and respect each other in their own right. In addition to selecting the right "team" it is also imperative that you have the right leadership to guide the team and encourage collaboration with respect to cherry picking the best ideas from both points of view.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your closing sentence in how the first idea can never be considered the best idea when developing a new product or service. It is evident that when a company is trying to come up with a new and innovative idea that creative abrasion can help people think outside of the box. When people who come from different backgrounds and interests work with one another, it puts a spin on idea generation. By supporting creative abrasion in an entreprenurship or intrapreneuship environment, team members can combine their ideas with one another as well as help others think of something that they would not normally think of without an outside influence. I think that in order for companies to survive in the current marketplace creative abrasion should be supported and considered a valuable asset in idea generation.
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