The question nobody asks We constantly wonder whether our employees are creative enough. Whether they can think innovatively. Whether they have the right skills. But we never ask the question that really matters: how are they creative? Every brain solves problems differently. Some seek radical innovation, others refine what already works. Some think out loud, others brood in silence. Some make decisions based on logic, others on human impact. These are not shortcomings. They are preferences. And when you don’t understand them, you create friction where there should be synergy. The best teams can leverage these dynamics to achieve better results. The invisible energy drain When someone works outside their natural style, researchers call it coping. Coping takes energy. It reduces the quality of work. It wears out your best people. And it happens every day, in every organization, without anyone noticing. Most teams force their members to constantly adapt. To the dominant voices in the meeting. To the prevailing culture. To expectations that don’t fit who they are. Without realizing it, organizations waste their most valuable resource: the creative potential of their people. Research by Peter Oeij (Oeij, 2018) into innovation teams reveals a crucial insight. Teams that successfully deal with critical incidents during innovation projects have one thing in common: they operate within what Oeij calls a mindful infrastructure. This is not a vague concept. It consists of four concrete elements. Firstly, psychological safety. Team members feel safe to speak up, even if their ideas deviate from the norm. Secondly, a learning environment. Mistakes are seen as learning moments, not failures. Thirdly, participation in decision-making. Everyone has a voice in the process. Fourthly, synergistic leadership. Leaders who encourage collaboration and collective strength rather than enforcing hierarchy. Teams working within this infrastructure exhibit what Oeij calls team innovation resilience behavior. They are alert to small signals that could become big problems. They avoid hasty conclusions. They connect management goals with operational practice. They value expertise over rank. And they can radically change course when necessary. This is where it gets interesting. Cognitive diversity in teams is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it leads to better decisions and more innovation. On the other hand, it causes friction and miscommunication when no one understands how that diversity works. Explorers break boundaries and question everything. They constantly ask why not. Developers refine and improve. They ask how instead of why. External thinkers think by talking and get energy from interaction. Internal thinkers think by reflecting and need peace and quiet. Some make decisions based on logic, others based on what feels right for the people around them. In traditional meetings, these styles clash. Explorers find developers boring. Developers find explorers chaotic. External thinkers dominate the conversation while internal thinkers tune out. No one wins. Everyone loses. This is where the CPS 6.1™ facilitator makes the difference. Not as someone who leads the meeting. Not as someone who sets the agenda. But as the architect of that mindful infrastructure described by Oeij. The VIEW assessment reveals how each team member approaches problems. How they respond to change. How they process information. How they make decisions. With this insight, the facilitator stops fighting differences. He learns to use them strategically. The concept of coverage is crucial here. When you find yourself in a coping situation, find someone for whom it is a natural style. Teams that understand this principle transform their diversity from an obstacle into a competitive advantage. This ties in seamlessly with what Oeij discovered about resilient innovation teams. They don’t excel because they avoid mistakes. They excel because they know how to deal with mistakes and unexpected situations. They have the psychological safety to identify problems. The learning environment to learn from mistakes. The input to integrate diverse perspectives. And the leadership that makes all of this possible. Four days in Brussels. French, Dutch, and Belgian professionals. Real customer problems. Real solutions. On day three, the tipping point happened. Participants facilitated sessions themselves and discovered their blind spots through the VIEW assessment. They didn’t just learn techniques. They changed how they look at team dynamics The feedback spoke volumes. Participants said that the training was insightful with hands-on learning. That it gave them the confidence to really use the tools. That it created the spark to get teams more involved The next edition runs from February 16 to 19 in Brussels. Four days to master the entire CPS 6.1™ framework. To learn the sixteen tools. To discover your own problem-solving style and learn how to facilitate each style. You have two options. The two-day Basics for those who want to master the core framework and get started right away. Or the four-day full certification for those who want to dive deeper with real customer practice and coaching. Register this year and take advantage of a 10% early bird discount. Because the best teams are not made up of people who think alike. They are made up of people who understand and leverage their differences. And someone who knows how to facilitate that. Someone who creates the mindful infrastructure in which resilience can grow. Someone who turns cognitive diversity into a strength rather than a source of frustration. Someone who helps teams not only survive, but excel when the going gets tough. That person could be you. Reference: Oeij, P. R. A. (2018). The resilient innovation team: A study of teams coping with critical incidents during innovation projects. In M. Tynnhammar (Ed.), New waves in innovation management research (pp. 1-17). Vernon Press.
What resilient teams do differently
The paradox of diversity
The facilitator as architect of resilience
An effective facilitator fulfills three roles simultaneously.
From friction to wealth.
The November edition of the CPS 6.1 Facilitator certification proved it once again!
February 2026: your turn
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Facilitation