Where Do Great Ideas Come From?

After nearly three decades as an operating manager and another 25 years helping others improve their workplaces, I’ve learned a thing or two about where good ideas come from and how to encourage employee creativity. I’ve hosted plenty of webinars on idea systems: suggestion boxes, empowerment, evaluating and rewarding ideas, and more. But for a change of pace, this dispatch is less about systems and more about the people behind the ideas, particularly adults in the workplace.

Remember When We Were Kids?

Kids are bursting with ideas. Just look at their artwork or writing. Their creativity runs wild because, for them, the world is still full of magic. But as adults, reality sets in. Our creativity shifts, and we start relying more on critical thinking.

Shigeo Shingo, a well-known expert in process improvement, noticed this too. He pointed out that creativity peaks in childhood and early teens. But as we grow older, our ability to think critically gets stronger so most of us aren’t coming up with brand new ideas out of thin air anymore. Instead, we draw on what we know, connect the dots, and solve problems using our experience. It’s a different, but just as valuable, kind of creativity.

How Adults Learn (and Generate Ideas)

When managing a diverse team, especially one where many spoke English as a second language, I realized adults learn very differently than kids. Here’s what I found:

• Adults are self-directed. They want to take charge of their own learning.
• Experience matters. Adults bring a wealth of life and work experience to the table.
• Relevance is key. They care about learning things that apply directly to their lives or jobs.
• Problem-solving drives learning. Adults are most motivated to learn when they face a real problem.
• Hands-on beats theory. Practical, real-world tasks are much more effective than abstract concepts.

These insights are backed by experts like Malcolm Knowles and David Kolb, who studied how adults learn best. Kolb’s learning cycle, for example, shows that people learn through a continuous loop:

1. Experience: Jumping in and trying things.
2. Processing: Observing and reflecting.
3. Generalizing: Making sense of it and building theories.
4. Applying: Testing ideas in new situations.

Everyone has their own learning style. Some dive in headfirst, others need to process and reflect, some love building theories, and others just want to try out new solutions.

So, there you have it: four types of learners, each with their own way of soaking up the world. Unlike kids, adults don’t just learn differently from children, they learn differently from each other. To break through the noise and unlock the real potential of your employee's creativity, you need to understand people’s learning preferences. There’s science behind it (here's a quick, no-pressure rubric to help you figure out your learning style). No grades, just a fun way to spot your own learning strengths. Are you an experiencer, a processor, a generalizer, or an applier? 

Unlocking Ideas in Your Team

So, how do you get great ideas from adults?

• Respect their experience.
• Give them real problems to solve.
• Offer hands-on opportunities.
• Recognize that everyone has a different approach to learning and creating.

A leader’s job isn’t just to collect suggestions, it’s to create an environment where everyone feels empowered to share, test, and grow their ideas.

Think about the people around you. Picture the enthusiastic do-er who jumps right in, the careful planner who wants more data, the big-picture thinker, or the practical problem-solver. Once you see these styles, you can tailor your approach, and suddenly, you’re not just talking, you’re connecting.

When it comes to brainstorming and creative problem-solving, the magic happens when all these learning styles collide. Alex Osborne’s classic brainstorming rules - no criticism, welcome wild ideas, go for quantity, and build on each other's thoughts - are more than just good advice. They’re the rocket fuel for creativity. The more perspectives you bring together, the more powerful your solutions are.

But it’s not just about tossing ideas in the air. It’s about magnifying, tweaking, adapting, reversing, and combining them. Just like Shigeo Shingo and Osborne discovered, great innovation doesn't come from solo genius. It explodes when different minds, with different strengths, tackle the same challenge from every angle.

Remember, the ideas of ten are always, ALWAYS, better than the experience of one. Why? Because every person brings their own lens, their own way of thinking, and their own spark. To get those sparks flying, you need everyone on the same page, aligned with the same goals and armed with the same understanding of what “better” really means. “Better means better.” It’s not just a mantra; it’s the foundation of continuous improvement.

The Bottom Line

Critical thinking is the birthplace of brilliant ideas, especially when a diverse group comes together. Sure, one person can have a good idea, but a team, united around a common goal, can move mountains. This is how you unleash real change and turn good intentions into breakthrough results. And that’s what makes adult learning, creative thinking, and teamwork so powerful.

Here's my challenge to you: Tap into your own learning style, recognize the strengths in others, and get everyone working together. That’s when the ideas start to flow, the problems get solved, and the real magic happens. Now go out there, shake things up, and let those ideas fly!

P.S. GBMP's new course, The Respect for People Road Map program, is a hands-on learning experience that empowers individuals to shift from reactive to reflective problem-solving, from indifferent to inclusive interactions, and from conflict to collaborative alignment. Participants explore the principles of respect... for others' learning, thinking and communication styles and practice behaviors that lead to Better: Better Teams, Better Culture and Better Performance.