Ethos Issue 5, Nov 2008

Creating Hot Spots of Innovation and
Energy in Your Organisations
Lynda Gratton

Shape the Space and Time for Reflection
The formulation of igniting questions requires courage and connections. It also requires space and time devoted to the activity. Otherwise, the igniting questions go unspoken and unanswered, and the mundane triumphs. Our research has shown that it is often a lack of space and time that overwhelms the igniting purpose. Ignition needs both chronos—the compression of time, making the most of every moment, as well as kairos—the extension of time. Between the two, we move from the efficiency of compression to the slack of extending time, from the brainstorming that brings out ideas and data to the "brain-stilling" of depth and reflection. Here are three questions to ask about space and time:

Is the layout of the office conducive to broadening networks? The layout of the space inwhich people work can play an important role in supporting the creation of wide networks and creating space for reflection.

Is reflection built into development? Hot Spots of energy and innovation arise when broad networks are built and reflective questions asked. Both require periods when people can "play"—when they can have the unusual conversation, read an out-of-the-ordinary book, meet people outside of their normal network. All this requires that the tight rein of speed be relaxed. So an important question for HR is whether there are opportunities for broadening and reflection in the development of talented people.

Do we encourage a "third place"? Beyond the constraints of work and the roles of the family, there is a "third place", a place beyond work and family. It could be walking in the hills, yoga in the morning, engaging in a community project, time reading and thinking. The "third place" is unique to everyone and my research has found that being able to relax in a "third place" is crucial to reflection and building broad networks. Yet too often, work fills every available space, taking away any opportunity for quiet reflection. So the question for HR is how the organisation can support and encourage broader and deeper development and acknowledge the importance of the "third place".

And the acid test for this? I believe that the leaders and their HR partners who make this shift will walk the corporate corridors in anticipation rather than trepidation. And that has to be worth the effort.

Lynda Gratton is Professor of Management Practice at the London Business School. Her latest book is Hot Spots: Why Some Teams, Workplaces and Organisations Buzz with Energy—And Others Don’t (published by Berrett-Koehler in North America and Financial Times/Prentice Hall in the UK). Her previous bestsellers were Living Strategy: Putting People at the Heart of Corporate Purpose (Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2000) and The Democratic Enterprise: Liberating Your Business with Freedom, Flexibility, and Commitment (Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2004). In 2007, Gratton was named by The (London) Times as one of world’s top twenty business thinkers and was ranked second in Human Resources Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential poll. You can join the Hot Spots community by visiting www.hotspotsmovement.com

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