Dragons Eh? Makes a Change!

How often do we get the chance to be inventive? To be truly creative? Seldom? Never? Sure, you may come up with ideas - particularly if you’re a designer or a consultant - to fulfil a brief or problem-solve. But when do we apply that sort of creativity to the way we work?

On BBC's Dragon's Den, the ideas that win the investment don’t just offer a share of existing markets but create entirely new ones. They leave you thinking, "Of course, that’s brilliant", and they tend to be fairly obvious (in retrospect).

The thing is, as we get older we think less creatively. Stifled by rules, regulations and the perceived need to conform, we work in a rigid world where competition, formal procedure and the risk of 'failure' discourage creative thinking. Which is a shame...if you think about it.

Coca Cola Enterprises (CCE) recently organised a conference for operational staff, with 'What is a World Without Change' as its central theme, and asked CentreStage to get involved. The two-day event combined discussion and team-building activities designed to address developments in the drinks industry.

One of the activities, Dragon's Den, required delegates to work in small groups to 'design' one thing they would do differently in their area to make the business more successful in 2007. Teams then presented their ideas to a dragon (or if you want to be pedantic - a CentreStage actor in a dragon costume), in a den decked out with atmospheric lighting, dry ice and mood music!

Having presented their ideas, teams faced probing questions from the dragons as they attempted to win investment. In doing so, and to sufficiently justify their concept, participants had to take a step back from their jobs and consider CCE's market, its competitors, its opportunities, potential pitfalls and causes of resistance to change.

The session offered participants a huge amount of jollity (or intrepidation!) and pause for thought. As well as being a great team activity, it gave everyone the chance to think creatively; to ask the question, 'What if?'. No rules, no restrictions, just the opportunity to conceive something original and ground-breaking.

True, it's not like that in the workplace, but what if it were?!