Improvisation as a Business Plan
A Night at the Improv. Second City. Yes and….. These are all great names and descriptors associated with the art of Improvisation. When there is no script and only a vague theme or topic, individuals that can think quickly on their feet are excellent at improvisation. They feed off inputs from their fellow actors and the audience. It is this spirit of improvisation that epitomizes what many HR Professionals have been thrown into this year. In one of the panel discussions I recently participated, Joji Sekhon Gill properly noted that there is no playbook or policy guide for what we have had to deal with in 2020. So in a sense, and in a more light-hearted approach to 2020, could this be “HR’s Year at the Improv?”
When 2020 began, most organizations started off in January operating with the plans they had taken most of the Fourth quarter to finalize. Ok, I know from my own experience that most organizations haven’t fully completed those plans, but for the most part are operating off of new budgets. Then came COVID. No need to explain that. At this point, most 2020 plans (approved or otherwise) were tossed aside as budgets swung wildly all over the place. Few contingency plans survived this “unprecedented” event.
When it came to a response to the pandemic, the first instinct was safety. Get everyone home and safe first to avoid mass contamination in the workplace. While the right choice, most organizations were not fully prepared or mature enough in their digital strategies to pivot so quickly. We have seen that those with virtual work programs benefitted from an established (or mature) virtual infrastructure immediately. Those that had to develop one from scratch quickly saw the impact of being less mature in their digital strategy, but it did not necessarily impact their ability to improvise a solution.
It’s this idea of Improvisation that some feel may be “off the cuff” thinking, but in reality has much more to it. Luckily, I happen to know an insanely talented improv performer who, get this, was a regular on stage at “Second City,” yes THE Second City in Chicago. The “birthplace” to so many of my favorite comedians including: John Candy, Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Dave Thomas and countless others. I’ve asked my friend and colleague James Bernath to give us some insight into what makes a great Improv Performer and how HR Professionals can leverage these skills in 2020. Take it away James!
Thanks Brent! 2020 being the year of the “pivot” has required many organizations to improvise, but here’s the thing…do you have improvisors on your team? How would I know? What even makes someone good at improvising? Is this just an innate ability? Can people learn how to improvise?
Maybe. You will. A few things. For some. Sure thing.
Those are the answers. Good Luck!
Okay fine, I’ll elaborate…
Do you have improvisors on your team? How do I know?
There’s a few questions that can get you started identifying these people: What challenges have your team or organization overcome in the past? Who was actively (key part) involved in reaching the other side of the issue? Who made sure others were involved and kept an open mind (necessary)? That’s a good place to start your hunt.
What even makes someone good at improvising?
It’s simply the ability to connect one idea to the next. Those that can establish the Relationship, Emotion, and Location of a situation quickly will be more successful than others. But how does that apply to me, my team, or even my company? Let’s break them down:
Relationship – Understand the connection you have (or don’t) with your coworkers and establish that right in the beginning of the event. What roles will we be playing? How will we support (and you must) one another?
Emotion – What is the current context? Is someone at a 10/10 right out of the gate? Don’t ignore the emotion. It should be understood by all involved from the start. Especially now. A business as usual, let’s just ignore the current climate, conversation seems odd to everyone and won’t deepen any connection.
Location – Where are we? Likely, we’re working from home, getting ready to go back into the office, or been part of the team holding down the fort this whole time (thank you to those folks!). The nature of the location can be a big part of how you’re addressing the issue at hand. It has pros and cons. Embrace all of them.
Is this just an innate ability? Can people learn how to improvise?
Some people are just going to be naturally talented like in all areas of life; however, even those people will not be truly great without practice. Even Ryan Stiles, Amy Poehlr, and Wayne Brady performed thousands of hours of improv before they showed up on TV. So, what does that mean to you, your team, your company? Put in the time if you want to get good at it. Brainstorming is a great way to start: Set a time limit, don’t say no to any suggestion (no matter how crazy), expand on those ideas (no matter how crazy), and then break them down once the time runs out (worth looking into or hard pass!). This can be done by yourself or in a group. This helps train the creative parts of your brain to not be afraid to step up on that stage.
Yes, and…..thank you James! You could say that Improvisation is the cool cousin to “Critical Thinking.” Yes? Maybe? Ok, I’ll leave the humor to the professional. If there’s one thing I can say with somewhat certainty these days, we’re all improvising. Whether it’s Parents improvising as Teachers, Teachers improvising classes or Kids improvising adventures; none of this is “by the book.” So much is changing by the day, or even by the hour. I think it’s a good guide to remember the three points from James that drive good improvisation: Relationship, Emotion and Location. And of course, a little laughter is always the best medicine in tough times. Thank You and Goodnight!