Changemakers On: Imagination

One place to start is by utilizing the power of storytelling to open up new approaches for designing and constructing a space. Another is to let go of the outdated idea that only certain types of people are imaginative. Finally, adapting to an uncertain future requires the ability to tap into new, creative ways of thinking.

Ultimately, bridging the gap between what’s real and what’s possible demands embracing our imaginations without reservation.

Have you ever dreamed of visiting a Star Wars cantina while on a mission for the Resistance? Or try to beat Han Solo’s Kessel Run in the Millennium Falcon? 

Thanks to Walt Disney Imagineering, it’s possible at two immersive experiences called “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” (at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida) and “Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser” (at Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida).

Greg Ashton was the overall concept architect for these projects and part of the interdisciplinary team that created these vivid environments that fans can explore for hours, or days at a time. While a workplace may not offer the same kind of creative playground as those found in a galaxy far, far away, how the teams at Imagineering bring these experiences to life contain lessons for those living closer to Earth. 

One approach Ashton uses is creating a design framework that leverages the full creative capabilities of their teams.

“In one case, we were not designing a building. We were designing a spaceship,” says Ashton. “But it’s not about a single authorship of the vision. We empowered everyone on the design team to bring their own thoughts, passions and ideas to the experience, which reflects more diversity of thinking and vision. To me, it's a powerful way to work because everybody's engaged and invested."

The idea that some professionals are creative while others are not is a myth.

“Every member of every team has a creative brain,” says Dr. Oana Velcu-Laitinen, a Helsinki-based NeuroLeadership Coach and the author of the recently released book How to Develop Your Creative Identity at Work. “It’s important for leaders to forget about this creative and non-creative dichotomy,” she says.

“Creativity is a concept that covers many thinking skills and abilities that we all have. But depending on our training, each of us has developed some skills more than others,” says Velcu-Laitinen. “Some people have developed their imagination, while others have refined their intuition or execution abilities.”

Velcu-Laitinen says that leaders can foster cultures of creative thinking by creating open-ended tasks and asking questions that enable people to think for themselves. 

“Instead of just stating what needs to be done, it’s better to ask your team what their goals are or what they need from you. One thing I’ve noticed in my research is that people get excited and become more creative when you give them a task that isn’t too specific,” she says.

To demonstrate creative thinking among team members, Velcu-Laitinen suggests giving each member of a team a piece of paper with a single line on it and asking them to complete a drawing. Don’t give any other specifications.

“It's amazing what people can come up with from just a single line. There is so much creative thinking in these people. And there’s so much joy in the room when they get to be creative,” she says.

Leaders also need to be aware that even smart, accomplished people often don’t allow themselves to think imaginatively. Instead, they focus on what is “real”. This, in turn, limits a team’s and an organization’s ability to produce innovative ideas. Leaders should encourage their team to take time to explore their imaginative thinking, and that can be done by asking what-if questions.

“If we want to create new knowledge and make new discoveries, we must bridge this gap between what is real and what is possible. Creativity is the key to do that,” she says.

Designers of built spaces typically focus on the end-state — the idealized version — of a workplace that occupants will want in the future.

But what if designing built environments embraced the idea that the future is unknowable? What if the shifts in how we work and collaborate continue to evolve so rapidly and unpredictably that a built space needs to be able to evolve alongside new expectations of that space?

“The things that impact our future state are not in our control. The pandemic showed us that,” says Geoff Gosling, Co-Founder of DIRTT. “Fundamentally, our goal should be to design an environment that embraces that ignorance so that people can make choices with what they know today – with the understanding that as things change, they’ll need to make adaptations.”

Embracing the idea that built spaces will always be in flux requires designers to reimagine how space can be built. “The built world should accommodate the people in it, rather than us accommodating a space that no longer serves us,” says Gosling. “So, it’s about continually making small adjustments to our spaces with the most current information.”

It’s an evolutionary way of thinking about design, he says.

This article is part of a series where we talk to industry leaders about the issues, changes, and opportunities facing design, construction, real estate, and business leaders. Explore more topics and hear from more changemakers.

• Why education should teach and challenge us to think and grow.

• How leaders can unleash teamwork to its fullest potential.

• Why collaboration should be managed to enable team performance.

• What the changing business landscape means for construction and design.