How Introverts Can Become Better Innovators
HBR.org 2012-04-20
Whether you are trying to create a new product, solve problems more effectively, become the most successful company in your industry, or find creative ways to meet your customers' needs, innovation is likely one of your most critical objectives at work. But a factor often overlooked may get in the way of your expressing and implementing your excellent ideas: You are an introvert.
About 50% of U.S. residents are introverts, according to a study by psychologists Stephan Dilchert and Deniz Ones. What are the signs that you are one of them? Introverts have a tendency to be drained by social encounters and energized by solitary activities. They are generally inward looking and less concerned with the outside world. They enjoy reflecting on their own thoughts and feelings, and they often prefer to avoid social situations.
When it comes to generating innovative ideas, introverts and extroverts may be on par. Yet introverts' inward-looking nature can hold them back from having their creative ideas accepted since they may be disinclined to share them with others.
But compared to extroverts, introverts may be more open to others' creative ideas. Adam Grant of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Dave Hofmann of the University of North Carolina, and I conducted some research that shed light on this possibility. We asked managers and employees at 130 franchises of a U.S. pizza-delivery company to fill out a survey, and we obtained data on each store's profitability. Managers answered questions about their own personality. Other employees answered questions about their attempts to introduce improvements in job procedures. We found that in stores where employees tried to proactively introduce their creative ideas for improvements, introverted managers led stores to higher profits than more extroverted ones did. In franchises where employees stayed quiet and didn't offer their ideas, extroverted managers led stores to higher profits than more introverted managers did.
We further examined these relationships in a laboratory experiment in which we encouraged participants to adopt either a more introverted or extroverted behavior. We found that introverts tend to listen carefully to the creative ideas suggested by others, and they help others feel valued and motivated to do their work. By contrast, extroverts tend to feel threatened by the innovative ideas proposed by others and are thus less receptive to them.
These results highlight two potential problems that you may experience, depending on where you stand on the introvert-extrovert personality continuum: If you are an introvert, you may not feel very comfortable talking openly about your creative ideas with others; but if you are an extrovert, you may be too reluctant to listen to good ideas proposed by others. Here are three steps you can take in order to avoid these problems:
1. Reflect on your creative moments and seek out an environment that triggers them. By reflecting on your most creative moments, you may come to realize you have more of an introverted or extroverted style and, moreover, that context plays a significant role in your creativity. You may realize you tend to be the most creative while working in silence by yourself or that your innovative ideas are commonly the results of group brainstorming sessions. Understanding which environments are more conducive to creative sparks will help you make sure you are exploiting your full creative potential.
2. Recognize the pros and cons of your own personality. An introverted personality brings benefits: During a brainstorming session, you are likely to be one of the best listeners in the group, thus enabling you to thoroughly evaluate the quality of the ideas being suggested. At the same time, you may need an extra push to put forth your own good ideas. You may not be ready to think innovatively on your feet, but you can certainly generate innovative ideas when you are on your own. Use this to your advantage. You can prepare for brainstorming sessions in advance, so that you can become ready to suggest your ideas at the right moment.
3. Try to adapt your personality to the context. We can't always choose whom we work with. If you are in a group that tends to be very quiet and where members seem to be as introverted as you are, you might try to adapt a more extroverted style: You can be the one asking questions, shaping the creativity process so that others feel comfortable taking risks and offering their ideas. Adapting a more extroverted style may also help you talk about your own innovative ideas more openly in such a group setting.
By following these guidelines, you can be sure to tap into your own creativity in addition to bringing out the innovative ideas of those around you.
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