Last weekend, I went to the Doctor Who festival in London. Yes, I admit it, I am a Doctor Who geek – from the old series, and not just the new one, mind! The festival was designed to showcase how the programme is made – monsters and all. I must admit I was feeling a little apprehensive. It felt like peeking behind the backstage curtain. Would seeing all of the workings take away the magic for me? Well actually no. It made me realise the level of meticulous planning, detail, hard work and teamwork that is the nuts and bolts of the making the programme. And how essential this to allow the creativity to flow – from the scripts and the acting through to the design of the fantastical monsters.
It made me think of the parallels with the work we do here at Curium. Helping organisations deliver sustainable change often involves looking below the surface. Breaking down processes and how they are managed into their component parts to see how well they are performing. Developing detailed plans and structures to ensure that teams understand how well their projects are progressing. And even digging into the behaviours exhibited by team members to challenge how well they are performing. For our clients, this is often uncomfortable and at times can feel mechanistic. But as with the making of Doctor Who, having clearly defined, detailed plans in place, everyone understanding and knowing the best processes to use, each team member recognising the positive behaviours needed to deliver the desired outcomes creates a platform for creativity to flow. This in turn helps support teams to implement innovative solutions and allows more time to engage with the rest of organisation to help change embed and deliver exceptional results. So remember, when next peeking behind the curtain, it’s all about enhancing the magic!
