Archive for July, 2011

Innovation and How to Harness the Creative Mindset

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

Every organization has a diverse group of personalities that respond differently to particular management styles. The creatives of an organization are often the group that stands out and may be misunderstood. How are creatives perceived in your company? What is the nature of the creative type, and how can they best be managed for the purposes of achieving Innovation?

First, let’s describe what creatives are like. Highly charged creative types may act out or resist when they feel restricted by the confinement of corporate culture. Some creatives may prefer to work alone, in the refuge of their own private work space until they emerge with an “Aha!” moment or solution to a vexing problem. In meetings and NPD ideation sessions, true creatives are the ones that are not afraid to ask the most challenging, thought-provoking questions to dive head-first into a problem. They do it out of sheer intellectual curiosity and the thrill of probing a conundrum – that is where they work best. It is that kind of curiosity that leads to Innovation for a business, and in turn brings profitable growth and shareholder value for the company.

The best way to harness the creative mindset is to take away restraints in the beginning. During ideation sessions, do not kill the creativity with statements of, “That will never work,” or “We tried that before and…”  The best way to extinguish the creative flame?

  • Dominate the creative process and alienate team players.
  • Ignore or override input from the group.
  • Refute recommendations by saying, “That won’t work because…”
  • Fail to recognize creatives’ contributions.

Instead, you can apply the practical real-world filters later on in the process, but listen to what creatives have to offer first. Provide a space to share ideas without fear of failure and you may be surprised at what you’ll find. Reward those great ideas that attribute to Innovation. For creative types, money is not the only motivation – recognition for achievement is a key driving force as well.  The creative players on your team may be a willful, determined and passionate bunch, but they need to feel empowered to do their best work and it is your job as the Innovation champion to keep that flame alive.

 

For more tips, see “Robert’s Rules of Innovation” on how to bring out the best in your team members and guide them towards a path to Innovation.

 

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Defeating Devil’s Advocates to Become an Innovation Champion

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

In an organization, it’s human nature to resist change and to stick with the status quo that’s often more comfortable and safe. Some of your teammates in your company may be devil’s advocates who claim they want what’s best for the business while they oppose initiatives for Innovation. As a leader and innovator-in-chief of your company, it is critical to drive the culture of Innovation throughout the organization even in the face of opposition.

To defeat devil’s advocates, first you must examine why innovation efforts fail. A major reason is tied to an organization’s culture and its people. In a BusinessWeek survey of top-ranked companies in Innovation including Google, Apple, 3M, Toyota and Microsoft, the companies attributed their success to the avoidance of certain culture-related issues. These issues included Innovation that was only “lip service” – all talk and no support. Having isolated initiatives instead of an ongoing culture of innovation was a deterrent. Fragmented support within the company was certainly an Innovation killer, as well as resources concentrated by certain innovation blocs.

So how does one defeat the devil’s advocates to become a true innovation champion for change? I asked Nic Hunt, Director of Innovation for an international manufacturing corporation, who takes a three-step approach.

1. Define the desired culture. What does Innovation mean for your company? Quantify your goals, in terms of sales numbers and time frame, which will identify and justify the resources needed to achieve the goal. Identify who will be your key players from all departments within your organization.

2. Establish the foundation. Create an identity or brand for innovation in terms of something the business engages with, that becomes the overarching theme for programs and initiatives created over time. Then establish the framework necessary to achieve Innovation, such as quarterly idea reviews, monthly development meetings, brainstorming sessions, off-site team activities or recognition programs. Build a calendar and stick to it so these initiatives are taken seriously and do not fall off the map.

3. Engineer sustainability. Develop a system that brings the Innovation program to life such as awards, patent recognition badges and innovator lunches. Share success stories of great examples of teamwork that led to superior outcomes. Create regular activities that help build a sense of purpose and spread excitement of the new innovation program. Building morale sets the stage for organization members to want to actively participate and have their voices heard.

A successful innovation strategy is multi-faceted and involves many methods, but leads to big pay-off in the end. For the full guide on achieving innovation, see “Robert’s Rules of Innovation: A 10-Step Program for Corporate Survival“.

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