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Group Flow: The Genesis of Innovation
Author(s) -
Buss Laurie
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
insight
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2156-4868
pISSN - 2156-485X
DOI - 10.1002/inst.12045
Subject(s) - transformational leadership , autonomy , agile software development , group (periodic table) , transformative learning , work flow , power (physics) , sociology , knowledge management , management , engineering , public relations , computer science , political science , economics , pedagogy , chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , law , industrial engineering
With the ever‐increasing complexity of systems, most managers and engineers understand that innovation and solutions require collaboration among multiple contributors. To facilitate harnessing the power of the group, group flow is conducive to efficient and creative work, energizes and engages team members, and supports each of the principles for agile development and design thinking . Group flow occurs when all members of a group are mutually experiencing flow (also called “being in the zone”), with the group's task demanding equal focus and effort from all members. The outcome of engaging group flow is to achieve something greater and more rapidly than each member could do on his or her own: creative solutions, genuine innovation, and decisions with profitable results. with profitable results. Group flow requires autonomy to define the goal and methodology, a protective environment, and tools to direct the focus of group members. By implementing the methodologies in this paper, the transformative systems engineer and leader will begin to see more engagement by employees and a proliferation of profitable new ideas. The author and members of the INCOSE Transformational Systems Engineering Caucus have experienced that a culture conducive to group flow holds immense potential for reward as the genesis of innovation.