How to navigate Belief vs. Faith in workshop facilitation
What do philosophy and product design have in common? A lot more than you might think. Alan Watts, a 20th-century philosopher known for bringing Eastern philosophies to Western audiences, shared ideas about belief and faith that can change the way we think about innovation.
Product designers and creative teams often deal with two forces: belief, which feels safe and familiar, and faith, which pushes us into the unknown. This balance can decide whether you stay stuck or create something groundbreaking. In this post, we’ll break down these concepts and show how you can use them to push past obstacles and spark real innovation.
Understanding Belief: The Innovation Trap
What is Belief?
Belief, as Watts might say, is like putting on mental blinders. It’s the firm idea that we already know the “right way” to do something. While that certainty can feel safe, it often traps us in the same patterns of thinking. For product teams, this shows up as sticking to existing solutions or copying what’s already out there, thinking innovation means just tweaking what works.
Belief is like a security blanket—comforting, but it stops us from exploring new ideas. Instead of asking, “What’s possible?” we get stuck asking, “How can we improve what we already think works?”
Real-World Example: Project Management Apps
For years, project management tools all looked the same—endless task lists, rigid setups, and clunky interfaces that felt draining to use. Teams kept using the same structures, not because they worked best, but because that’s just what people thought project management was supposed to look like.
Then tools like Trello and Notion came along, shaking things up with flexibility, creativity, and user-friendly customization. They ditched outdated ideas and reimagined what productivity tools could be. The takeaway? Challenging old beliefs leads to real innovation.
Faith: The Gateway to Innovation
What is Faith?
If belief constrains, faith liberates. Faith is about venturing into uncertainty, trusting that something valuable will emerge. It's not about blind optimism, but about being open to potential solutions you can’t yet see. Faith says, “What if the answer isn’t what we think it is?”
For product people, this means creating space for exploration without immediately dismissing ideas as impractical or infeasible. Faith involves trusting the creative process to lead somewhere worth pursuing.
Innovation Approach
Here’s an example of a creativity exercise we’ve used in our workshops. For 30 minutes, team members explore ideas without any criticism—no “this won’t work” or “we’ve tried that before.” Instead, they’re encouraged to ask, “What if?”
The results are amazing. A rough idea from one person can spark a breakthrough for someone else. Teams leave with fresh ideas and connections no one expected. It shows that creativity isn’t just about taking a leap—it’s about trusting you’ll figure it out as you go.
The Belief-Faith Dance
How They Work Together
Belief and faith aren’t opposites—they work together. Belief is the solid base, built from the knowledge and expertise your team has gained. Faith takes that and asks, “What if?”
It’s like dancing. Belief keeps you on beat and grounded, while faith adds creativity and keeps things exciting. The best ideas happen where belief and faith meet—practical enough to work, but open enough to try new things.
Putting It Into Practice
Here’s how to balance belief and faith in your design process:
- Start by gathering everything your team knows about the problem or product—get all the facts and ideas down.
- Use those insights to spark creativity. Hold a session to explore bold, unconventional ideas. No judgment, no screens—just let the creativity flow.
- Revisit your ideas later with a fresh perspective. Some might not work, but you could find the spark for your next big breakthrough.
Innovation isn’t about ditching belief entirely—it’s about not letting it limit what you can create.
Workshop Breakthrough Strategy
Key Principles
The secret to innovation? Your first ideas are just the start, not the finish line. Real creativity happens when you push beyond what feels safe. Here’s how we approach it in our workshops:
- Ask different questions. Sticking to the same problems means getting the same answers. Instead, ask the bold, unexpected questions.
- Hold off on judgment. Big ideas often sound crazy at first. (Remember when renting strangers’ couches seemed impossible?)
- Move fast. Don’t get stuck on one idea. Treat each one as a step toward something better.
When you follow these steps, teams stop asking “Can we?” and start asking “Why not?”
What Success Looks Like
Success isn’t just about making a cool product—it’s about creating something that changes how people think. The best ideas don’t just solve problems; they show people needs they didn’t even know they had.
Take Airbnb, for example. It changed the hospitality game by betting on something simple: people would be okay staying in strangers’ homes if the platform made it easy and safe. That bold idea took them from a small experiment to a multibillion-dollar global business.
Your Next Steps Toward Innovation
Your team already has what it takes to innovate—the knowledge, skills, and creativity. What often holds teams back isn’t a lack of resources but a lack of confidence in their ability to try something new.
Here’s how to change that:
- Challenge assumptions. What beliefs are driving your current process? Are they facts, or can they be questioned?
- Build confidence through action. Try simple creativity exercises like journaling ideas or “What if” brainstorming to get your team thinking differently.
- Bring it together. Use what you know to inspire what you imagine, and start turning ideas into action.
If you want to help your team break through creative barriers, My workshops are here to guide you. I focus on removing roadblocks and helping teams deliver the kind of innovation that makes customers say, “This is exactly what we needed.”
Sign up for a workshop today—your next big idea could be just one activity away.
