Most leaders would attest that true collaboration—the pooling of knowledge, perspectives, and brainpower of talented people—is a desired yet often elusive outcome. To change that, and boost the likelihood of generating breakthrough results, draw on parallels with improvisational jazz during your team meetings.

Through this approach, all team members get a chance to contribute equally, listening attentively to each other and building on what is emerging, just as improvisational jazz musicians begin with a unison statement of a theme and then different members provide improvised solos of a fixed length. The approach also provides ample space for creativity and exploration. But the ensuing creative collaboration happens within a predefined meeting structure, which keeps the discussion on track.

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