Just got a hardcopy of the latest issue of Fast Company and found an interesting article about "flow" and the art of work.
The concept of "flow" has been around for a while now and alot of people has talked about it since Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experiences" hit the streets in 1990. Csikszentmihalyi has later on expanded the concept of flow to business and creativity but it is primarily associated with sports and leisure. The article asks how "flow" could be part of ones working experience and how leaders can achieve "flow" at the office. Some advise on how to do this is presented;
- Track happiness obsessively. Check up on your co-workers/employees energy levels on a daily basis. A simple 1-5 scale will do. If it’s low - do something.
- Focus on the personal. To achieve "flow" you need constant feedback. To do this you, simply put, need to care for your co-workers.
- Set clear expectations. Set goals your employees can achieve. Follow up in detail, once a month, one-on-one.
- Don’t interrupt. Particularly with creative types, there’s nothing worse than sudden disruption. And I guess, it goes for the rest of us as well
These four points might over-simplify leadership and seem obvious to many including myself. I think that is the reason they are often neglected and forgotten as "the content" of a given project rather then "the process of creating the content" are managed. The result in many cases are that the resulting "content" is not as good as it could have been and alot of teeth has been grinded in the process.
I am not saying that "flow" at the workplace equals innovation and great results or that innovation and great results demand "flow" but I believe they are related in some way.
Do you have any experiences with "flow" and can it be achieved in teamwork?
One comment so far
My experiences of “flow” in a professional and team based workplaces have been very stimulating, nourishing and rewarding. The most successful experiences have stayed with me and formed a body of learning and intuitions to draw from.
Context, frame of references, clear targets and goals, and most importantly people, in balance, can and do yield innovative objects and experiences.
For me, the overriding emphasis of the Magnus’s post, is the awareness of the human aspect of work. It is “sense making” that happy people will work better together, be more productive and probably more creative/innovative too. People like to be valued for who they are and what they can do. Trust is important as well.
When well selected people are allowed to “own their own process” within the context of the objectives they strive to realise their best. Constant ongoing dialogue is essential. Assuming everyone knows what is happening causes problems. It’s all about communication - listening and empathy.
When people are “inspired” by what they are doing, then really great things can happen. As a creative collaborator, and a leader in terms of my role as an educator, it is all about the dynamic or “personality” of the group. Every group is different.
Like people, some group “personalities” are more functional than others. Workplaces are like this in many ways. The better the group dynamic, the more like “flow” can be achieved, like momentum to drive creativity and potential for innovation.
These are not “new” revelations about leadership and organisational culture as such, but as Magnus points out we can see the fundamentals that foster successful outcomes overlooked in many places. By reminding ourselves we may create more innovative and flowing workspaces through these softer skillsets.
Happy = Creative