Archive for March, 2012

Creativity Does Not Equal Innovation

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

creativity_and_innovationInnovation and Creativity are words that are at times used interchangeably in the research and development process, but they have two distinct meanings. While creativity is about coming up with the big idea, innovation is about executing the idea and making it a business success. Do not confuse the two. An organization can certainly have creativity without the right steps to implement innovation.

Innovation implementation calls for a robust, disciplined strategy. It can not be a one-time process, but must occur over and over again to form a steady flow of innovation that sustains long-term profitability. The only way to achieve that is by bringing focus, a road map, screening criteria, and checkpoints to the new product development (NPD) process.

Many innovation leaders are concerned that adding structure will dampen creativity, but in my experience, structure can actually free the creative spirit. By applying structure that adapts to the needs, size, and culture of an organization, a leader can draw both creativity and innovation out of its team members. Here are some tips for attaining that winning combination.

* Hold ideation sessions with a group of diverse and highly charged creative people in your organization – and be sure to keep any restraints off. Do not ignore or override any input from the team. Practical, real world filters can always be added later on, but you want to capitalize on all ideas early in the process.

* Keep track of meeting decisions and next steps. Delegate responsibility and encourage ownership.

* Use your motivational skills by creating clear and unwavering deadline pressure, while reinforcing and praising their incremental progress. Apply “Trust with verification”

* Give team members some incentive for their contributions and achievements. This does not necessarily have to be money – often recognition is a key driver for creative players in your organization; make them the initiative Champion, offer recognition among peers.

* Create an environment where mistakes are tolerated and free of punitive measures. Remember, the creative process is a ratio, so more attempts at success naturally equate to more failures along the way. Managing failure as a learning experience lets your creatives feel safe and empowered to do their best work.

* Provide regular feedback and keep the lines of communication open throughout the NPD process.

Last but not least consider some defined “Free Time” with unlimited creativity but accountability to report the outcome aligned with the company Vision, Mission and Strategy. For more tips on fostering innovation and creativity, see “Robert’s Rules of Innovation: A 10-Step Program for Corporate Survival.” The ten imperatives are a useful guide for successfully starting, nurturing, and profiting from a culture of sustained innovation in the workplace.

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Three Issues that Stifle Innovation, and How to Overcome Them

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

innovation1As an innovation leader, you know how important a culture of sustained innovation is to the survival of your organization. However, there are many factors that can challenge the innovation process. These issues may come from team members, executives, or the general culture of the organization. Here some common challenges that companies deal with, and solutions for overcoming them.

1. The culture of the company is to keep doing things the way they’ve been done in the past – there is a lack of curiosity and eagerness to change.

If this sounds like your organization, you know that lack of inspiration can be a frustrating situation. Determining a vision for the future of the company is the first step to tackling this problem. Set quantitative goals, such as bringing one new product per year to market, and decide the people, facilities, and resources you will need to achieve those goals. The new product development (NPD) process consists of a clear action plan, with regular meetings to instill accountability. Making NPD meetings mandatory, and monitoring progress, is the only way to ensure productivity and that the plan will stay on track.

2. Innovation attempts in the past have failed, causing team members to be hesitant about taking risks.

This is certainly a common problem in organizations, as the success ratio for new products is actually very low. A study on the grocery business (allbusiness.com) pegged the success rate for new product entries at just 1%. Without risk, there can be no innovation, so it is important for the innovation leader to invite all ideas from all sectors of the organization. Encourage risk-taking and manage failure as a learning experience, as it is an inevitable part of the innovation process. Communicate with team members to establish trust that failures will not result in punitive measures.

3. Ideation sessions lack creativity, as team members have their “day jobs” to attend to.

With routine responsibilities of the daily workplace, innovation can easily be put on the backburner. Choosing a diverse group for ideation sessions can provide just the right amount of social tension needed for a quality outcome. Break up teams and select people who do not often work together in order to minimize group think. Vary the format of meetings to avoid predictable times and places – perhaps hold a meeting at a customer’s office to take people out of their comfort zone. Creating new environments for a diverse group will garner fresh perspective.

These scenarios and solutions were based on the ten imperatives by Robert Brands to create and sustain “New” in business. For more tips on successfully achieving innovation, see “Robert’s Rules of Innovation: A 10-Step Program for Corporate Survival.”

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