THE AFTER COVID EFFECT
Get every brain going to ride this storm
We are all anxiously watching the curve. How soon will the Covid-19 infection rate flatten or, better, plunge? While the curve continues to pose queries, it more or less certain that, post-Covid, the hierarchy pyramid will be flattened.
Once upon a time, the head was the brain and rest were essentially hands. The boss decided and dictated what was best for all. Or an expert told us what needed to be done and allowed questions at the end. Brainstorming was about coming up with different ways to agree with the boss or asking appropriate questions that would not offend the trainer.
Those were the days when in-person meetings were a dozen a day even in organizations that were already moving towards a flatter hierarchy. What happens when in-person meetings become a rarity after the offices open? How can one possibly tap as many brains as possible when the unknowns overwhelm the ecosystem and all ideas need to be on deck?
Brief, facilitate and harvest
Last week, I was in a video conference meeting with some of my fellow Rotarians. We had a problem to solve and, as the “expert”, my expected role was to prescribe the solution and answer questions to ensure clarity.
Instead I wore the hat of a facilitator. Right at the beginning, I carefully briefed everyone about the problem. Then I used the software’s feature to divide the participants into groups, akin to breaking up a large audience into small clusters to facilitate more effective brainstorming. When the groups came back and presented their findings and suggestions, all I did was listen— no interrupting, no judging. We ended with a few solutions that were set to be enthusiastically implemented, because every participant felt they owned each solution.
This was inspired by my recent experience in conducting similar brainstorming sessions for companies. I was surprised by a bunch of nimble ideas that came up, including some that had the potential to positively change the very direction of the business. My role as an unbiased facilitator was to enunciate the problem or situation clearly and to create conditions to stimulate uninhibited thinking and expression.
These sessions have driven home the importance of brainstorming in today’s conditions. It can pay rich dividends if it is facilitated by someone with ample experience in business and mentoring. Of course, he or she must be neutral with zero bias towards the company, its policies or any of the participants.
It takes a lot of money and time to gather people from diverse backgrounds in one place to get the best of the brains. After Covid, both money and time would be scarce. Even if one had plenty of both, lingering health concerns would prevent the coming together of so many people.
When we enter an era when all the manuals and templates may be relegated to the corporate archives, the answers are best culled from everyone out there facing new questions. It will take innovation, collaboration, engagement, and empowerment to win every day and to nurture the stamina to challenge the next.
Despite the marvels of technology, we are likely to be short of capable hands. However, we are already using the tools to get our brains to pull together. Let’s work up a storm.