A surprising moment during a new team’s activity reminded me how quickly people can align when something meaningful, like artwork, captures the collective’s attention.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai recently sold for a record‑breaking £70,500,000 to its new owner, but its value extends far beyond its price tag. In our sub-team’s learning design work, an unexpected discussion about this artwork became a catalyst for cohesion as we collaborated to design a learning activity for another group. That moment sharpened a line of thinking for me about the role art can play in the team‑building sessions I deliver.
When you consider the benefits that emerge from a well‑designed senior team development programme, reduced silos, deeper collaboration, accelerated learning, and workplaces that feel genuinely better to be part of, that £70,500,000 suddenly seems less extravagant. After all, we were only looking at a free digital image of The Great Wave, yet it managed to unify our newly formed team around the task we were shaping together. It reminded me how arts‑based methods can foster metaphorical thinking and emotional connection, both crucial for leadership growth and team cohesion.
It’s remarkable how a single piece of art can shift energy, create shared focus, and open up new ways of thinking.
That experience stayed with me as I later explored the work of van Coller‑Peter, S., & Olinger, H. N. (2022), The drivers of reflection in arts‑based coaching (South African Journal of Business Management, 53(1)) https://doi.org/10.4102/sajbm.v53i1.2765, and the work of Giraldez‑Hayes, A., & Eames, M. (2024), Arts‑Based Coaching: Using Creative Tools to Promote Better Self‑Expression. Their research highlights how creative tools can be embedded into leadership development to enhance self‑awareness, empathy, and team communication, making the arts a practical, accessible component of any facilitation toolkit.
If a centuries‑old woodblock print (significant to my own textile‑printing efforts at A‑level) can unify a modern team in seconds, then organisations are underestimating the power of experiences that move people. Senior team development isn’t a luxury; it’s a powerful, strategic lever for culture, performance, and inclusion. When leaders invest in conditions that help people think well together through accessible, inclusive arts‑based activities, the ripple effects are profound. The Great Wave reminded me that transformation often begins with something deceptively simple, and that’s exactly where the returns might be priceless.
Here’s a short clip showing how the artwork reached its extraordinary valuation at auction:
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