That does not, however, mean “yes, but” should be the mantra of an innovation department. According to the Harvard Business Review, organizations should turn instead to “yes, but, and,” for a combination of criticism and ideation that will lead to stronger ideas based not on compromise but on creativity and true collaboration.
Here’s why it works, according to HBR:
- “Yes, but” is often used to kill an idea based solely on a glaring flaw, ignoring that fact that such flaws are inherent in many ideas, and especially in the most innovative ones. A flawed yet transformative idea is made stronger when those issues are addressed up front.
- Using “yes, and” by itself, on the other hand, is like “moving forward without progress.” Rather than digging into the original idea, this mindset encourages the continued pitching of new, increasingly unrelated ideas.
- “Yes, but, and,” then, results in more thoughtful innovation: A colleague may point out a flaw in an idea, but follows that with a way to overcome or avoid the flaw. The process continues among the team, with everyone constructively building upon an idea to create “a deep cycle of critical dialogues that can lead to a coherent, breakthrough idea.”
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