Create a Reciprocity Ring for better innovation and value creation results
Recently I watched the webinar Creating a “Giver” Culture by Wayne Baker. He suggested that innovators, producers and value creators both provide help often and request help often, as shown in the diagram below.
Baker suggested that one way to create this giving culture is to create a “Reciprocity Ring“. I included this in a recent workshop, and participants said it was one of the most valuable activities.
Here’s how it works:
– Each person writes down one need or wish on an A4 piece of paper. This could be personal or professional, and if it’s stretching the boundaries, even better.
– The need is shared with the group.
– Using post-its, everyone in the group identifies ways to help with the wishes, through personal referrals, ideas of people to contact, etc.
– Everyone shares their post-it filled paper and thoughts about how to go forward.
Baker gives examples of some wild ideas he thought were beyond hope, but the network helped to make them possible, for example “seeing a Bengal tiger in the wild”. Adam Grant, author of Give and Take, does this exercise in his classrooms and says that in 80% of the cases, people find good leads that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.
If you want to explore this idea, you could test the Reciprocity Ring informally using paper and post-it notes or with the Givitas app developed by Baker and Grant.
Either way, you may want to try increasing the giving and receiving behavior in your organization and improve your innovation and value creation results.
Questions for consideration.
1. Would your organization benefit from more innovation or value creation? Exchanging ideas and contacts could help.
2. Do you have an upcoming workshop or teambuilding exercise? Consider including the Reciprocity Ring exercise to enhance your giving culture.
