Creative ideas come through networking. An invention becomes an innovation through collaboration. Not coordination or cooperation – but collaboration. For collaboration to happen there needs to trust. For trust to build up there needs to be transperancey.
So if you are a business owner or a CXO, don’t give your employees a ‘Vision and Mission Statements’. Given them your Business Model Canvas. Show them how your business is uniquely positioned compared to your competitors – show how you are innovating in the face of competition. If you cannot trust then don’t hire that person.
For those unfamiliar with Business Model Canvas (BMC), it is a tool that helps business owners and managers plan their business strategy. As you can see from the image above, like an hawk’s eye view, a BMC give you the big picture perspective of a business.
Sharing your BMC with your employees builds trust and it gives them clarity too as what and where they are expected to improve. It help them identify opportunities and potential areas of innovation. Thus your trust can come back as a positive, profitable contribution.
With this said, now assemble a team again to play a quick game of VUCA. Make sure the room is diverse or has people from all functions of your business. This time while contributing ideas to their partner, let each player mention in which category (BMC box) that idea belongs or best fits in.
Thus by playing VUCA with BMC as the whiteboard, you can build trust, encourage collaborating and spot crucial bottle necks between departments.