Daily techniques to boost creative thinking

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As finance and accounting professionals are increasingly called upon to lead strategic initiatives in complex and unexplored territories such as environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting, blockchain technology and digital currencies, their ability to find and develop creative solutions will become essential.

And as artificial intelligence (AI) takes over more of “traditional” accounting tasks, finance professionals will also need to adopt more strategic, creative, and innovation-driven roles in order to remain relevant to the business. era of the machine.

“Finance professionals are now required to go well beyond technical layers and financial data to offer clients dynamic and tailor-made solutions, which requires a more creative and fluid mindset,” explains Mohamed Zayne. Nabbee, ACMA, CGMA, group financial manager at Creative. CFO, a global finance consultancy based in South Africa.

Yet in an industry that has long been characterized by linear processes and the rapid delivery of very specific and tangible results, the shift to more abstract and creative ways of thinking might require a different set of techniques.

FM magazine spoke to Nabbee and Gabriella Goddard, Director of Coaching at the Brainsparker Leadership Academy in the UK, to find out how finance professionals can develop and hone their creative thinking skills – and prepare for the complexity and the uncertainty that awaits them.

Divert your thinking. When faced with a challenge, it’s important to diverge your thinking before you converge on a solution, Goddard said. Divergent thinking involves generating various ideas or approaches to a challenge in a short period of time. Characteristics of divergent thinking include allowing ideas to take shape in the absence of criticism and over-analysis.

“Expanding the range of possibilities can lead to new connections, and one of them could spark this ‘aha’ idea,” Goddard explained.

To do this, start by asking a question about your problem, starting with “How could we …?” For example, “How could we use AI to speed up the expense approval process?” “This type of question inherently implies that there is a solution and gives you the perfect framework to think about multiple possibilities,” Goddard said.

Another way to expand the range of possible options is to use concept mapping, she noted. This is a radial diagram where you write the central problem in the middle of a blank page and then branch it out with different possible answers.

Each branch can then be extended with additional details.

“Mapping your ideas in this visual format not only increases the amount of ideas you generate, but it can also reveal new connections that you hadn’t thought of before,” she said.

Allow time for unstructured reflection. At Creative CFO, professionals are encouraged to set aside time in their calendar for brainstorming and creative, unstructured thinking. These sessions could be spent brainstorming for a specific client or organizational challenge, or developing new financial models or tools for wider use.

According to Nabbee, it’s important to make sure these sessions take place on a day when there are very few technical sessions or technical meetings, so that the mind can relax and shift to a less production-oriented fluid mode. .

“Also make sure that these creative or free-flowing sessions are visible on your shared calendar and communicated to your colleagues, so that you are not interrupted and that you do not have any technical requests to answer during this period”, a- he declared.

Clear your mind before entering these sessions and try to avoid having any preconceptions or expectations about the outcome, he added.

Take a sheet from Disney’s playbook. When approaching or problem-solving, it’s easy to cling to a point of view, Goddard warned. One way out of a single view is to follow the Disney Method, a technique developed by neurolinguistic programming (NLP) expert Robert Dilts. NLP is considered to be a psychological approach to changing thoughts and behavior that involves analyzing the strategies used by successful individuals and applying them to personal goals.

According to Goddard, Dilts modeled how American entrepreneur and film producer Walt Disney came up with his ideas – and one of the main aspects of the Disney method is that it forces you to look through different lenses, a- she declared.

“First of all, you look at the problem through the eyes of the Dreamer and create a vision of the ideal outcome,” she explained. “Then you go realistically and think about how to turn that imaginary idea into a tangible plan of action.”

Finally, you get into the critique and explore the potential risks and weaknesses of the idea. “As you take these steps sequentially, any ideas that come to an end are more likely to be successful.”

For finance and accounting professionals tasked with creating new frameworks and structures that meet the demands of the digital age – as well as the complexities of social and environmental pressures – the daily use of creative thinking techniques could provide unexpected and impactful solutions.

Jessica hubbard is a freelance writer based in France. To comment on this article or suggest an idea for another article, contact Drew Adamek, a FM editor-in-chief of the magazine, at [email protected].


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