The role of improvisation in generating Collective Impact

Collective Impact is the outcome generated when stakeholders from different sectors to come together, in a structured and collaborative way, to achieve social change.

As improvisors we come together on stage, in a structured and collaborative way, to create entertaining stories and scenes.

Is it possible, then, that the principles of improvisation can help diverse organizations work better together and achieve desired network effects and change in communities?

Surely! In this article, I want to share three brief activities that we ran, in collaboration with Heather McLeod Grant, at a national conference hosted by the Collective Impact Forum. My hope is they can help people to connect, empathize, and invent together in a more playful and authentic manner.

Embracing emergence to build something new

In “Embracing Emergence: How Collective Impact Addresses Complexity,” published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, John Kania and Mark Kramer lay out an inherent challenge to working together across sectors:

[In complex systems], there is no single solution to [the] problems, and even if a solution were known, no one individual or organization is in a position to compel all the players involved to adopt it.

Instead of a top down, predetermined solution, complex systems find emergent outcomes when participants follow a set of rules in coordination — such as a flock of birds responding to a changing wind in unison or termites coming together to build an intricate and structurally sound mound.

In matters of business, it is tough to say “we don’t have a plan, but if we keep doing what we’re doing we think something good will happen.” In improv shows, we have sold tickets to paying customers without a single idea of what our show will be about. However, we have an agreed set of tools to help us create together, which time and again has proven to be even better than an explicit plan.

The most fundamental tool is the principle of “yes, and!” Commitment to using this tool will lead a group to new, emergent solutions as people listen to others and build on their ideas.

At the conference, we used a simple example of planning a party to demonstrate this principle.

How it works — ”Yes, And”

In groups of four of five, one participant would make an offer in the interest of planning a party. For example, “let’s have balloons!” The other participants would then respond, with different rules for different rounds.

Round 1: Any response to an offer must start with “No,” then complete the sentence. Only do this for ~30 seconds, to remind people how it feels.

Round 2: Any response to an offer must start with “Yes, But…” then the rest of the sentence. Ask at the end, “how was this different from ‘no?’”

Round 3: Any response must start with an enthusiastic “Yes!” followed by “AND,” with a build on the idea. For the balloon example, this might look like “yes, and let’s put notes in the balloon,” followed by “yes, and spikes on the ceiling so they will pop and the notes will fall down!” Suddenly, a full idea is built — when no single person had the initial vision.

While there is a time and a place for saying “no,” and fine tuning brainstorms to fit the constraints and situation you face, if every member of a group can internalize “yes, and,” dramatic emergent solutions can be built within communities that will allow people to implement and innovate on complex ideas continuously.

How it works — “Word at a Time”

Another way to easily demonstrate an emergent outcome is to build a word at a time sentence or story. In this activity, two partners create a run-on sentence or story by each contributing one word to the story back and forth. No one partner is responsible for the outcome, but by supporting the direction the partner is going with their word a coherent and usually enjoyable story can be created. The trick is in that mindset: each partner supports the other, delivering what they need to make their idea succeed. When all members of a team support the proposed ideas in this way, all members insure the creation of a creative and productive whole.

As improv guru Dan Klein says to introduce a word at a time activity, “your individual skills at this game are average, but your partner is a genius. Your job is to support what they say.”

Supporting novel approaches by cultivating a Growth Mindset

Upon visiting Facebook, Google, or any other Silicon Valley stronghold you will see design philosophies scattered around the campus: “done is better than perfect,” “fail fast,” “there is no do, there is only MAKE.” Indeed, in the heart of innovation employees are encouraged to take risks early and often. In Collective Impact work, the challenges are daunting, so how do we make innovative progress? What if we mess up? How can we normalize and mitigate the fear of failure?

To embody this mindset, we go beyond saying it’s okay to fail and instead focused on celebrating mistakes.

How it works — the “Failure Bow”

This is a partner game in which two people count to three, back and forth. It looks like this:

Partner 1: “One” … Partner 2: “Two” … Partner 1: “Three” … Partner 2: “One” … Partner 1: “Two” … Partner 1: “Three” … and so on.

Tell people to go as fast as possible. They will mess up, and after one minute stop the activity and ask them what they did with their bodies when they messed up. Usually, people cringe, shrink, or do another apologetic gesture. Then, let them know when they mess up they are to look their partner in the eye and simultaneously cheer “we fail!” with expansive body language. Then introduce more complexity to the game: try it in rounds where you replace “one” with a clap, “two” with a snap, and “three” with a stomp.

One feature of high functioning teams is that one person can mess up and no one points the blame. Instead, the team rallies and supports that person with the celebration “Ta Da!” or “We Failed!” Then, they do it better next time, having authentically learned and improved.

Behind every mistake is an opportunity to learn and improve. The more a fear of failure is replaced with celebration of risk taken, the faster our communities will learn and create new, emergent, successful systems.

Boost creativity with metaphors

We know that the communities we work in have many diverse perspectives, which can sometimes make it tough to draw connections and find common ground. However when thinking about Collective Impact, this diversity is a gift that will allow new and creative connections to be made. What might be obvious to me, a man from midwestern suburbs, is very different than what will be obvious to Heather, a woman who grew up in California’s central valley. By connecting our “obvious” statements in creative and new ways, we can explore new perspectives on old concepts.

Creativity is connecting the dots you see in new and interesting ways. Diversity is adding more dots.

How it works — “Simile Circles”

As a warm up, we tried an exercise in creating similes that works like this:

Person 1: “____[abstract noun]_____ is like…”

Person 2: “a ___[object]_________, because…”

Person 3: “_____[thoughtful connection of the two]______.”

For our purposes, we always started with “Leadership is like…” and, in groups of four or five, took turns going in a circle letting each person add a new line before starting over with “Leadership is like.”

For example, a completed round of three might look like this:

Person 1: “Leadership is like”

Person 2: “an airplane because”

Person 3: “it can take a long time to sort out logistics and get everyone on board, but once you get up in the air you can all soar together!

Person 4: “Leadership is like…” [and the game continues]

How it works — “Empathy Story”

Another key element of supporting diverse teams is fostering a strong sense of empathy and connection. At the Collective Impact Forum, we tried a simple storytelling exercise to teach an empathetic disposition. It is a partner activity, and works as follows:

Step 1: Facilitator tells Partner A, to tell a story about a moment of direct impact, such as tutoring a student or helping a client (you can adjust the prompt depending on audience). Partner A tells a 1 minute story.

Step 2: Partner B repeats that tale back to partner A in the first person, using I statements and mimicking intonation

Step 3: Partner B tells a similar story to partner A

Step 4: Partner A repeats the story back in the first person, and must also mimic all the body language she saw partner B use in the telling of the story.

Step 5, Debrief in pairs: what was it like to hear your own story repeated back to you? What was challenging? What did you learn about how you listen, and your partner?

Closing

Our closing activity was simple — give people time to share appreciation with others. In an activity I call “gratitude mob,” we tell people to walk around in a clump and walk up to others and thank them for something — a comment, a disposition, an appreciation. The receiver of the gratitude is only allowed to say “thank you,” and does not reciprocate in that moment. This streamlines the event so more thanks can be said, and avoid the need to say any forced, reciprocal compliments. Afterwards, the spirit is carried forth and more gratitude is shared.

When improvising, the goal is to make the most you possibly can with what you have in front of you. The same can be said for Collective Impact initiatives. Every connection, obstacle, and opportunity is a gift that will take you to new places, if you have the flexibility, confidence, and improvisational mindset to accept it with a generative, supportive, and emergent mindset.

If you have any questions about how to implement these activities in your own community, or want help thinking of variations, please don’t hesitate to email me at david@cocap.io.

Thanks to Heather McLeod Grant for her collaboration and support.

About the Author: David Havens

David Havens has taught improv at the Stanford d.school and the California College of the Arts in addition to companies including Box, Emergence Capital, and Google. He holds a BA in Human Biology from Stanford University and was a Senior Investment Associate at NewSchools Venture Fund before founding Collective Capital in partnership with his colleagues.