What differentiates a high-performing team from one that struggles? Is it possible - or even desirable - to keep strong personalities from dominating your meetings and development processes? How can you encourage the kind of collaborative environment needed to create genuinely innovative ideas and products?
Art at Work is a unique program that uses Visual Thinking Strategies, or VTS, to build better teams and drive innovation. VTS centers around a facilitated group discussion of works of art and is backed by over 40 years of field research showing its effectiveness and accessibility. VTS is proven to increase critical thinking, observation, visual literacy, communication & collaboration skills for all learners.
By allowing individuals to talk about art - without needing a background in the field - the Art at Work program advances skills you can use to create more relevant products and stronger communities. Because there are no right answers, VTS has the ability to create a safe space that encourages participation from all viewers: a space that creates psychological safety. This in turn gives participants the opportunity and confidence to share their ideas freely - making collaborative work more engaging, inclusive and equitable. Team-building and the value of diverse points of view are built into the experience, teaching valuable lessons immediately applicable to ongoing company initiatives.
Collaborate
As a group we’ll view and discuss three works of art per hour-long session, building our powers of Observation. Participants will work together to create meaning through the use of Storytelling - a fantastic Team Building exercise. By allowing individuals to talk about art - without needing a background in the field - VTS advances collaborative skills such as: Brainstorming, Speculating, and Reasoning with Evidence.
Elaborate
We’ll continue our discussion in order to dig deeper and find more, Cultivating a Point of View. VTS asks the group to link their thoughts together and construct a new narrative. By using the observations of the entire team to inform our story, Revision & Elaboration skills are strengthened. Comfort with Ambiguity and Openness to the Unfamiliar are emphasized.
Innovate
Recent studies have shown that creating an environment of Psychological Safety - one where team members feel safe to try new things, share ideas, and bring their full selves to work - is mission critical in driving innovation. Because there are no right or wrong answers , VTS creates a safe space, one that encourages participation from all viewers. People that might normally be reluctant to share are drawn into the conversation. Divergent Thinking and Civil Debate are encouraged, while Empathy is enhanced. By showing, rather than telling, we allow participants to discover the value of diverse points-of-view for themselves.
“When I participated in Alex West’s Visual Thinking Strategies workshop...I experienced a huge aha moment. Here, finally, is a way we can practice telling stories together, practice thinking critically, and possibly expose and work around our unconscious biases.”
Lisa Crispin - Author & 2012 “Most Influential Agile Testing Professional”