Unleashing Creativity in Just Four Little Letters
Innovating is like navigating a complex sea of inputs and ideas, turning data into direction, and seeking sunken treasure in the deep. Believe it or not, four little letters from the behavior science used to train dogs can actually help make everyone less seasick: LIMA. It stands for “Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive.” Each layer of the LIMA pyramid offers valuable insights on how to make powerful behavior changes, which we can apply to foster a more fulfilling creative process, while dramatically increasing output.
LIMA - Do you mean the capital of Perú? Close! Let’s unpack it. Least Intrusive means finding ways to change behavior without space invasion. Leaning down and getting your face close to the dog’s face - invasive. Minimally aversive means doing less of anything that would be considered hurtful by the dog. Prong collars, leash jerks, grabbing the scruff, yelling “no” – trainers refer to these as aversives.
In the ideation and innovation process, least intrusive might be something like everyone knowing they will always be allowed to finish their sentence. Minimally aversive might be something like no one ever being told an idea is bad or wrong. So how do we make the leap from LIMA in dog training to LIMA in the innovation process…and still get wickedly-good ideas? Let’s walk through the levels of the LIMA pyramid, starting with the foundation.
1) Medical/Nutritional: Unwanted dog behaviors will often manifest due to a medical concern. My beloved Buddy Beagle, may he rest in peace, had a tumor in his liver which we did not know about. He developed a behavior of barking at other dogs when they approached his mid-section. First stop – the vet, where we learned the whole thing was due to pain.
Just like pups, our own mental and physical well-being profoundly impacts our creative capacity. Simply setting the right temperature and putting snacks on the table can help clear and energize the mind. Embracing all communication styles around the table is essential, as is having empathy for neurodivergents’ different reactions to stimuli. When we as leaders attend to the physical and emotional needs of our people, we lay a solid foundation for innovation.
2) Environmental Design: The classic example is the dog that barks when people walk by the window. The pawrents pull their hair out, yelling “NO” and punishing the poor critter – but it just gets worse. LIMA calls us to throw out the entire notion that the dog is “bad.” LIMA would say, simply pull down the shade….change the environment. The dog is barking due to distress and anxiety caused by the triggers outside. Assuming Rover is healthy, the next least intrusive, minimally invasive thing to do is to help him calm his stress by improving his environment.
This one is essential to positive, fulfilling ideation – our workshops get people out of their offices and off their zoom calls. We strip out hierarchy and judgment, we empower all learning styles to fully participate, we structure respectful turn-taking into the conversation, and we sprinkle-in authentic moments of appreciation and gratitude. We change the environment from the high-stress/fast-paced brainstorms found in many organizations – to a more collaborative space where everyone can relax enough to comfortably express themselves.
3) Positive Reinforcement: Positive means adding something. Reinforcement increases the likelihood the behavior will continue. Adding a treat to the dog’s mouth when they sit, increases the likelihood they’ll do so again. If Rover is physically/mentally healthy and feeling safe in his environment, being rewarded for learning something new is usually quite effective.
Humans, no surprise, also thrive on positive reinforcement. Putting yourself out there with a creative idea is super scary. In brainstorms, more than ever, we need affirmation. Celebrating small wins boosts morale, brings people together, and reinforces the behavior of generating ideas.
We design playful idea-affirmation into our innovation techniques. We are also intentional about interrupting unwanted behavior, like if someone accidentally jumps right into critique. Too often, much like Rover barking out the window, jumping straight into criticism has become learned behavior for many. Much like Rover, it never, ever, means the person is bad. Something might need attention in the first 2 layers of the pyramid. Or, we may just need to make more space to practice positive reinforcement of the behaviors we like.
Our workshops gamify giving and receiving affirmation, so it doesn’t feel like we’re lecturing the group about a new process to follow. We make it fun and integrate it into the ideation itself. Over time, it becomes self-reinforcing, and powerfully bonds the team together. Just like with Rover, if our innovators are physically and mentally well, the environment is psychologically safe, and people are offering positive reinforcement on the reg… just imagine the ideas that can be unlocked.
Cue The Wrap-Up Music: There are still three steps to go in the LIMA pyramid, two of which play a strong role in our workshops. The third is positive punishment (using aversives like telling someone “no” or harshly critiquing their idea). I never use punishment when I train dogs, and we never, ever use it in our workshops.
All that said, this post is already a bit long in the canine tooth. So – much like the awesome Dune 2 movie I just saw – I’ll save the rest of the LIMA pyramid for the sequel coming soon. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for the read – and let us know if we can help you bring LIMA into your creative innovation sessions as well!
