Strategies for cultivating & facilitating non-linear thinking

Illustration by Yvette Shanks. Learn more about our illustrators.

Strategies for cultivating & facilitating non-linear thinking

One thing we love about our projects is that we get to work with people with a wide range of thinking styles. We have the extreme linear thinkers, who are bringing their skills of analysis and the scientific method to every step in the process. And we have the extreme non-linear thinkers, who cannot be constrained by the bounds of a process. And many, many people who fall somewhere between, and who might even shift along that spectrum depending on the time of day or phase of the project. Here are a few strategies for working with people to find balance – enough non-linear thinking for insight and creativity, and enough linear thinking to maintain focus and forward momentum. 

For people who are a little hesitant to activate their non-linear minds

Make the overarching process clear and visible

Folks who are more connected to linear thinking can benefit from seeing where the full picture of a process is going. Whether it’s a one-day workshop or a long-term collaboration, a visual of the timeline with clear expected deliverables and decision-making points can help make folks feel comfortable to be a little looser and intuitive at other points throughout the process. 

Invite the linear thinkers to guide and review analysis 

Building on people’s strengths can also be a great way to get them involved. Since non-linear and linear thinking are best used in an iterative cycle, bringing the more linear thinkers into points in the process where there’s analysis can be helpful. For example, if there’s analysis that informs the prompts for ideation, invite the linear thinkers to review the data points and share their responses and reactions. Help them be grounded in the step-by-step process that leads to prompting of high-quality non-linear thinking. 

Don’t force non-linear thinking 

For people that get itchy thinking non-linearly, it’s important to create the conditions but not to force it. Everyone hates a coerced brainstorming moment. Instead, invite folks to challenge themselves, but acknowledge that it’s fine if they’re not in the mindset or ready to explore yet. Consider offering an alternative style of idea generation, such as finding case studies of how similar organizations or initiatives approached a similar challenge or opportunity in the past.  

For people who are all-in and need a bit more structure

Make space for inviting the random ideas 

People who are more on the non-linear side of the spectrum sometimes need to share the random ideas that pop into their mind, right when those ideas arrive. Make it clear how these thoughts can be shared, and welcome them into the process—with some clear boundaries to ensure the whole process doesn’t get derailed. Often facilitating this can be a delicate balance between the more linearly-minded and the non-linear thinkers, as the linear folks can be frustrated by a process that doesn’t feel like it’s going step-by-step and the non-linear folks can be frustrated if they feel like their creative ideas aren’t being heard. Make intentional spaces within the structure of meetings or overall project flow to welcome the most non-linear thoughts.  

Reflect back verbally and visually 

To help ensure everyone (but especially the non-linear folks) is heard and recognized, reflect back the things that are shared for all to see. Sometimes we do this by taking live notes up on a shared wall, writing pad, or virtual space. Or we might verbally summarize what we’ve heard back to them, so they can validate or add clarity to their thoughts. Even if we’re not in a moment that can focus on that point in more depth, we take care to be seen valuing that contribution by documenting it before steering the conversation back to the area of focus. Often, we like to create a designated physical or virtual spot (and give it a snappy name like our bike rack or parking lot) that contains all the ideas, thoughts, and questions we need to come back to. It could be a poster, or just a stack of notes, but we document the ideas in a way that is clear. Then, when the time is appropriate, we come back to those questions and ideas. 

Whatever your default style of thinking, challenge yourself and your collaborators to try to find more balance, incorporating both linear and non-linear thinking to see what emerges when you follow both a shared process and your creative intuition.