Laurien Wolfswinkel (Projectmanager BEACON):
‘Standing together in front of a whiteboard I see as a very valuable method of working when managing innovation projects. If a project team member no longer has an overview, or if team members disagree, it works well to create a common picture. I then ask many questions: What exactly do we want to develop? Is this picture correct? Or is it different after all? How are you going to approach it? So are there three ways? Is this what you mean? The open-ended questions allow people to come to their own conclusions. At each step, I adjust the drawing. This creates a collective picture. I find that much more pleasant to work with than directly telling people what I think. And it works much better. It creates involvement and support in the project team. People see their own valuable contribution in the context of the entire project. And because they came up with it themselves, they feel more connected to it and more responsible for it. That gives a boost to cooperation.’
Joint focus
‘It’s not about visual representation, it’s about creating a collective picture. With individual employees, you can also simply use pen and paper or an Excel sheet to create insight. If you are with your team, or with a group of stakeholders, you use the whiteboard or post-its. With these, everyone can give input. Then you can start looking: what belongs to the same denominator? And so slowly structure comes in. When a picture emerges you can say: We now have two categories, is anything missing? When the picture is finally “ready,” everyone has the same picture. This way you avoid endless talk without decisions. With only words, it is easy to talk past each other anyway. While drawing it up, it already feels more like you are deciding together. Creating the visual creates a common focus. And the chances of agreeing when everyone walks out of the consultation are very high afterward.’
Both for content and process
‘Visual structuring works very well for making joint connections and understanding the issues. It is also very helpful for guiding the process. I use it, for example, to make a plan of approach for validation of a project. Or for a project where the context is still vague and needs to be clarified before the team can get started. I also include stakeholders who are important for the success of a project. This way they can think for themselves and come to conclusions. The great advantage is that afterward you also have direct involvement and support from your stakeholders.’
Ownership
‘I like collaboration where all team members are actively involved. Where people don’t perform their own function with blinders on, but where you strive for something together.
It is my experience that visual structuring is very helpful in this. Creating connections together creates clarity, connection and ownership. People understand better how their part fits into the whole, which makes collaboration better and more fun.’
