M.A. FINAL PROJECT
RESEARCH FINDINGS AFFINITY DIAGRAM "If people can't work together it may create barriers for collaboration" "there are a lot of worthless meetings I'm in" "[team collaboration] not promoted"
Negative Aspects "egos are involved and nothing gets done" "assumptions and negativity kill good shared experience in collaboration" "too many creative ideas could ruin a project" "harmful are those who don't know how to properly critique" "too many cooks in a kitchen" "voice/idea is not given the opportunity to be heard" Figure 14. Affinity diagram. Author’s image.
"Brainstorming; project meetings; professional development"
"sharing designs and getting feedback" "think outside-ofthe-box" "listening to others"
"unique set of skills" "make products better" "questions never go unanswered"
"working together with other skilled professionals, not necessarily always in the same field as you, in order to achieve one desired outcome."
Team Collaboration
Work Environment
"Keep the communication going between all areas. This allows for better collaboration, when each area knows what the other areas are doing."
"come together to help get the job done"
"spark new ideas they may not have come to fruition without the input of others." "discuss the ideas and decide together the ultimate hypothesis and inact it."
"best possible outcome"
"procrastination" or "stress" "out of ideas" "stuck on an idea" "writers block" or "mental block"
When reviewing content from interviews and surveys conducted, it was noticeable that there was a large amount of both creative and non-creative professionals that had touched on collaboration, mainly through meetings and group brainstorming, and that professionals all experienced some type of creative block, or block of sorts.
"collaborative frameworks" "input from multiple stakeholders is a requirement of all production."
"shared goal" "collaboration" "meetings"
When reviewing the findings through affinitzing, it was noticed that diverse collaboration methods did not exist, regardless of the work environment or position.
Affinity working wall located in Appendix C.
"mind fog" "inability to move forward"
•• Design Coordinator - Jewelry Company
•• Marketing Communications
•• University
•• Marketing
•• Web Design •• Editor/Writer
Symptoms Creative Block Remedies "move onto another project then come back to it" "puzzles"
"Working with other members on a team in which each person has unique skills and experiences that combine to create something greater than the sum of its parts."
FINDINGS
"take a break and do something completely different then come back to the project later with clearer thinking and better focus" "get up adn take a walk around the block or even if it's just a walk downstairs" "stimulate my brain to get out of a block"
Job Types
Creative
Non-Creative
•• Graphic Designer
•• Ag Supply (retail)
•• Art Director
•• Manager of IT Security
•• Social Media & Interactive Marketing Manager
•• Receptionist
•• Musician •• UX Designer •• Interior Designer & Researcher
•• Administrative Assistant •• Library Assistant •• Content Manager •• Academic Advisor •• Marketing Outreach
•• Self-employed cake designer •• Brand & Design Manager •• Art Teacher •• Photographer
RESEARCH 37