In a nutshell

Flip-it creates space for innovation to emerge by helping groups identify and stop counterproductive behaviours or practices. There’s lots of laughter as issues that are taboo get aired and some real lightbulb moments.

“Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.”
— Pablo Picasso

Activity Flow

Step 1: Reverse Brainstorm (10–15 minutes)
Clarify your focus by posing a deliberately unhelpful question along the lines of:

“How can we make sure we achieve the worst result imaginable?”

Examples:

• “How can we ensure our team never innovates again?”

• “How can we build a system no one wants to use?”

Now make a list of all the terrible ideas you can think of.

Use the improv idea of saying ‘Yes, and…’ to stretch good ideas into great and unusual ones – not limited by time, money, capabilities, resources or even morality.

Step 2: Radical Honesty (10–15 minutes)
Review your list of awful ideas.

Now ask:
“Are we currently doing anything even vaguely like this right now?”

Go line by line and create a second list of real actions, behaviours, or policies that resemble the disastrous ideas from Step 1 in some way, shape, or form.

Be honest. Use the technique. This is where taboos and uncomfortable truths come out. Productive disagreement of this kind is rare and highly valuable.

Once you have identified a similarity, explore how these counterproductive actions are harmful to your deeper purposes.

Create a space where what the group can discuss what it knows to be true, but rarely admits.

Step 3: Flip It – What Will You Stop? (10–15 minutes)
Decide what to stop doing.

Ask the group: “What must we stop doing to make progress on our deeper purpose?”

For each item on your second list, determine what first steps will help to stop this unwanted activity, programme, process, behaviour or effect.

Don’t accept bright ideas for doing something new or
additional here: make sure suggestions are about stopping things not starting new things. (you could do a follow-on round of good ideas or have a separate list as you go).

Include the people that will be involved in the changes and make decisions about what will be stopped in the form of “I will stop…” or “We will stop…” Be definite and don’t accept “Maybe we will stop…”

Don’t miss gems further down the list.

Repeat the process as required.

 

Results

• Surfaces hidden or unspoken patterns

• Sparks courageous conversations and honesty

• Encourages laughter, lightness, and creativity around difficult topics

• Creates clarity and momentum by removing obstacles

• Reframes “stopping” as a powerful, proactive choice

Things to flag up

• Resist the urge to “solve” or “add”—this is about removing, not improving

• Create a safe space where people can name things usually left unsaid

• Let the laughter come—it helps people go deeper

• Keep things moving—don’t dwell too long on any one item

Riffs & Variations

• Use in project retrospectives, innovation labs, or team resets

• Apply to behaviours (“How can I be the worst listener imaginable?”)

• Run with cross-functional groups to uncover system-wide patterns

• Follow up with a Start It session (but only after stopping has been honoured)

Debrief prompts

• What did we discover that surprised us?

• What are we finally admitting that’s been true for a while?

• What felt freeing or uncomfortable about this?

• How do we make space for radical honesty and “stopping power” more often?

• What difference might this make if we really follow through?