Tension - the unexpected ingredient in great app development

While cohesive thinking and consensus are great, tension can breed better ideas

At work (and in our personal lives), we instinctively avoid conflict - and for a good reason. It’s uncomfortable. Within the workplace, tension and conflict are often an everyday occurrence – ideas clash, and the agendas and priorities of different departments differ – but it doesn’t always need to be viewed as a negative. This is particularly true when it comes to innovation tasks like building an enterprise app, where tension can serve as a catalyst for creativity and better ideas.

Tension comes and goes, and while it might seem counter-intuitive, here’s why embracing certain ‘tension’ can add value to most app development projects.

How can your business benefit from embracing tension?

Tension between stakeholders and delivery teams is normal in the app development setting. Rather than trying to alleviate it all and create harmony, consider embracing and harnessing some of that tension early in the design process.

Here’s why:

It’s where creativity thrives

Friction drives us towards solutions and ideas. Collins Dictionary defines creative tension as “a situation where disagreement or discord ultimately gives rise to better ideas or outcomes.” Nurturing an environment where fresh perspectives and diverse opinions are encouraged (over continual consensus and agreement) allows innovative thinking to flourish.

It leads to increased drive and focus

Humans naturally strive to resolve uncertainty and conflict. An element of tension in your development project will drive people towards solving the problem at hand and achieving a common goal.

It also impacts your bottom line

Consensus can be costly. It not only stifles creativity but top execs estimate that avoiding conflict has cost their companies almost US $8,000 each day!

Nothing great ever came about without a little tension!

Creating an environment that embraces the right tension

There needs to be cohesion and agreement to produce a great digital product, but during the design phase, research shows that too much shared thinking can stifle creativity and innovation. This is largely due to ‘groupthink, defined as “a phenomenon that occurs when the desire for group consensus overrides people's common-sense desire to present alternatives, critique a position, or express an unpopular opinion.” So how can you create an environment where groupthink doesn’t rein in tension?

• Invite an outsider – things can get stale with the same old group with the same shared experiences in your business. Welcome fresh thinking from an outside expert that will revitalise the dynamic and challenge existing ideas.

• Keep your opinions to yourself – as a senior team member or influencer in your business, let others on the project team have their say before offering your opinion. Whether intentional or not, your opinion can sway the thinking of others.

• Make it diverse – bring in as many interested parties as possible from different divisions, from those who will use the data to end-users and even team members with little to do with the project. This identifies and addresses tensions early, invites different viewpoints and perspectives and helps development teams keep sight of the problem they’re solving.

• Psychological safety - tension can't be productive in an environment where the teams feel insecure or a lack of trust. If you're going to use tension to your advantage, you have to be sure that there is a belief that ones work environment is safe for interpersonal risk taking. If you don't have one already, be prepared to create a psychological safety bubble.

Release the tension – your app will be better for it

It can be tricky to switch your mindset from diffusion mode to sitting with tension and reaping the benefits. But as American chewing gum tycoon William Wrigley Jr once noted, business is built by folk who disagree and “When two people always agree, one of them is unnecessary.”

With a working relationship spanning over 20 years in design and development, UiRev has solid experience in harnessing tension-related creativity. We take a problem-solving approach to app development, ensuring your business gets the results it needs.