The improv game
Alan Weiss, Gene Moran · Productivity Press eBooks · 2022
Improvisational comedy can be pretty funny, often because the degree of uncertainty for the audience heightens the anticipation of the moment. Those performing the improv are also subject to surprise along the way. In the early 2000s, business schools would begin to recognize the value of the skillset that makes improvisation generate unexpected outcomes while simultaneously fueling a person’s confidence in ambiguous situations. The word "no" in business should only apply to situations where legal compliance and ethical behavior are at stake. Everything else should be a variation on yes and acceptance. Law and policy are both means of mandating compliance; one can apply influence to both. Keeping the business dialogue positive allows it to move forward. Repositioning a decision into a more favorable timeframe can often improve the odds of the win. As important as the concepts of improvisation are, forcing it can lead to a fast fail.