Introduction to Creating an Innovative Culture
In the business world, innovation is about managing a four-stage process:
1. idea generation - in which the initial ideas are created;
2. evaluation - in which a decision is taken as to which ideas to progress, and which to discard, at least for the present;
3. development - in which an idea is made fully fit-for-purpose;
4. implementation - in which the idea is brought to full fruition.
Furthermore, innovation isn't just about developing new products; the need for new ideas, and to make something happen with those ideas, applies to all these domains too:
? processes - as exemplified by the best examples of business process reengineering;
? structures - in terms of new forms of organization;
? relationships - for example, new forms of external relationships with customers or suppliers, or new forms of internal relationships within your own organization;
? strategy - in the form not only of new innovative strategies, but also as regards the process of strategy formulation;
? you! - for maybe the most fundamental form of innovation is the acceptance, within my mind - or indeed your mind - that maybe there really is a better idea out there!
IDEA GENERATION - THE KEY PRINCIPLES
? Koestler's Law states that creativity - the generation of new ideas - is not a matter of luck or genius. Rather, it can be made to happen by a deliberate process of searching for new patterns of existing components.
? For innovation in business, the components that need to be recombined to form the new patterns are not laid bare, like the notes on a piano. Rather, they exist bundled together in existing patterns - the patterns of our knowledge, learning, and experience.
? As a consequence, before a new pattern can be formed, the old patterns need to be broken apart - only then can the component parts be uncovered, and made available for new pattern formation.
? This process of breaking apart our knowledge, learning, and experience is one of unlearning. Most people find unlearning very difficult to do, especially when we have been successful.
? All the tools and techniques of creativity are mechanisms to help you unlearn. In general, these tools fall into two categories - springboards and retro-fits.
? Springboards are processes that take as the starting point your existing knowledge, learning, and experience. The InnovAction! process, for example, takes this, identifies the underlying elements, and uses the question "How might this be different?" to discover new ideas (see Chapter 6 of Innovation Express).
? Retro-fits, such as the random word technique, project your imagination into a different domain, and encourage you to discover new ideas by retro-fitting from the different domain back to the focus of attention.
BALANCED EVALUATION
To evaluate an idea in a complete, fair, and balanced way, we need to examine the idea from a number of perspectives:
Benefits - Yellow hat
What benefits will arise as a result of successfully implementing the idea? Who are the beneficiaries? What is the likely quantum of benefit? How long will it take for the benefits to come to fruition?
Issues to be managed — Black hat
What issues need to be managed to bring the idea to success? Which issues are potentially "showstoppers," and how can these be circumvented? What are the risks? And how can these risks be identified and managed?
Constituencies and feelings - Red hat
What constituencies (groups of people and individuals) will be affected by the idea, both when it is implemented, and also during implementation? What is their likely reaction to the idea? What can be done to manage these feelings to best effect?
Data - White hat
What data do we need to take an informed decision? What are the sources of the data, and how reliable are they? How do we handle uncertainty in the data?
Solutions - Green hat
What solutions can we identify to the problems identified by the black, red, and white hats? How can these problems be overcome?
Actions - Purple hat
What actions should we take in the light of our analysis so far? Do we have enough information to take a decision? Or is it appropriate to continue this analysis further?
Process - Blue hat
How do we orchestrate this process itself?
TWELVE KEY FEATURES OF THE UNLEARNING ORGANIZATION
1. The day-job doesn't get in the way. Unlearning organizations make time for thinking, exploration, innovation. They don't let the pressures of the day-job stop this.
2. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is not "the way we do things around here." Unlearning organizations don't wait for things to break before they fix them. They are always searching for better ways of doing things, even if there is no explicit "problem" to solve.
3. The only rule is "rules are for breaking." Unlearning organizations recognize that rules, policies, procedures, processes, are artifacts of the time they were originated. All are constantly under review, and those that remain fit-for-purpose are retained, those that have passed their sell-by date are ditched.
4. Negligence is distinguished from learning. Unlearning organizations know that "failure" is a very broad term, and embraces many things. In particular, they distinguish between "negligence" (the deliberate departure from an agreed policy) and "learning" (what happens when an outcome differs from expectations). They do not condone the former; nor do they penalize the latter.
5. They listen. To each other, to the outside world. Actively. Bosses do not finish the sentences of their subordinates; peers use their ears more than their mouths.
6. They share. Resources, information, people, risk. They operate in highly connected networks rather than hierarchical silos; nothing is "mine," for everything is "ours"; everyone is comfortable playing whatever roles are fit-for-purpose at the time.
7. They say "yes" more than they say "no." Go to a meeting. Take a blank sheet of paper, draw a vertical line down the middle. Label the left-hand column "yes," the right-hand column "no." Each time you hear the word "yes," or an equivalent positive remark, place a tick in the left-hand column; likewise for "no" and its surrogates. In an unlearning organization, you will have far more ticks on the left than the right.
8. They don't rush to judge. Unlearning organizations know when to evaluate ideas, and do this only when there is a full and well-balanced view. They do not shoot from the hip, or jerk from the knee: they think from the head.
9. They have a wise approach to managing risk. Unlearning organizations fully recognize that innovation is all about managing risk. They also know full well that, in today's business climate - and especially tomorrow's - to maintain the status quo, though comfortable and familiar, is likely to be more risky than stepping wisely into the unknown. They do not expect every innovation to succeed, nor do they place any foolhardy bets.
10. Their performance measures support innovation, rather than discourage it. Unlearning organizations have enhanced their portfolio of performance measures to ensure that they support, rather than inhibit, innovation. Even to the (unusual) extent of measuring inputs (such as hours spent on idea generation) rather than outputs (number of ideas put into the suggestion box).
11. They are very good at managing both the line and projects
"Did you hear about Pat?"
"No, I don't think so. What's going on?"
"He's been assigned to a "special" project."
"Well, he's on his way out then."
That is a conversation you will not hear in an unlearning organization. Managing the line and managing projects exist easily side by side; being assigned to an innovation project is a symbol of regard; and risk-taking is rewarded.
12. They regard innovation as a core business process in its own right. Unlearning organizations manage innovation, in all its aspects, as a core business process, indeed as the core business process, forming the very heart of the organization's silver bullet machine. For they know that innovation - the ability to solve problems wherever they might arise, to be able to grasp opportunities however fleeting, to be confident in generating stunning new ideas again and again and again and again, and to deliver them too - is truly the ultimate competitive advantage.
For more information:
* Creative Thinking, Business Skills, Innovation & Creativity Books, Personal Productivity and Effectiveness, *
In the business world, innovation is about managing a four-stage process:
1. idea generation - in which the initial ideas are created;
2. evaluation - in which a decision is taken as to which ideas to progress, and which to discard, at least for the present;
3. development - in which an idea is made fully fit-for-purpose;
4. implementation - in which the idea is brought to full fruition.
Furthermore, innovation isn't just about developing new products; the need for new ideas, and to make something happen with those ideas, applies to all these domains too:
? processes - as exemplified by the best examples of business process reengineering;
? structures - in terms of new forms of organization;
? relationships - for example, new forms of external relationships with customers or suppliers, or new forms of internal relationships within your own organization;
? strategy - in the form not only of new innovative strategies, but also as regards the process of strategy formulation;
? you! - for maybe the most fundamental form of innovation is the acceptance, within my mind - or indeed your mind - that maybe there really is a better idea out there!
IDEA GENERATION - THE KEY PRINCIPLES
? Koestler's Law states that creativity - the generation of new ideas - is not a matter of luck or genius. Rather, it can be made to happen by a deliberate process of searching for new patterns of existing components.
? For innovation in business, the components that need to be recombined to form the new patterns are not laid bare, like the notes on a piano. Rather, they exist bundled together in existing patterns - the patterns of our knowledge, learning, and experience.
? As a consequence, before a new pattern can be formed, the old patterns need to be broken apart - only then can the component parts be uncovered, and made available for new pattern formation.
? This process of breaking apart our knowledge, learning, and experience is one of unlearning. Most people find unlearning very difficult to do, especially when we have been successful.
? All the tools and techniques of creativity are mechanisms to help you unlearn. In general, these tools fall into two categories - springboards and retro-fits.
? Springboards are processes that take as the starting point your existing knowledge, learning, and experience. The InnovAction! process, for example, takes this, identifies the underlying elements, and uses the question "How might this be different?" to discover new ideas (see Chapter 6 of Innovation Express).
? Retro-fits, such as the random word technique, project your imagination into a different domain, and encourage you to discover new ideas by retro-fitting from the different domain back to the focus of attention.
BALANCED EVALUATION
To evaluate an idea in a complete, fair, and balanced way, we need to examine the idea from a number of perspectives:
Benefits - Yellow hat
What benefits will arise as a result of successfully implementing the idea? Who are the beneficiaries? What is the likely quantum of benefit? How long will it take for the benefits to come to fruition?
Issues to be managed — Black hat
What issues need to be managed to bring the idea to success? Which issues are potentially "showstoppers," and how can these be circumvented? What are the risks? And how can these risks be identified and managed?
Constituencies and feelings - Red hat
What constituencies (groups of people and individuals) will be affected by the idea, both when it is implemented, and also during implementation? What is their likely reaction to the idea? What can be done to manage these feelings to best effect?
Data - White hat
What data do we need to take an informed decision? What are the sources of the data, and how reliable are they? How do we handle uncertainty in the data?
Solutions - Green hat
What solutions can we identify to the problems identified by the black, red, and white hats? How can these problems be overcome?
Actions - Purple hat
What actions should we take in the light of our analysis so far? Do we have enough information to take a decision? Or is it appropriate to continue this analysis further?
Process - Blue hat
How do we orchestrate this process itself?
TWELVE KEY FEATURES OF THE UNLEARNING ORGANIZATION
1. The day-job doesn't get in the way. Unlearning organizations make time for thinking, exploration, innovation. They don't let the pressures of the day-job stop this.
2. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is not "the way we do things around here." Unlearning organizations don't wait for things to break before they fix them. They are always searching for better ways of doing things, even if there is no explicit "problem" to solve.
3. The only rule is "rules are for breaking." Unlearning organizations recognize that rules, policies, procedures, processes, are artifacts of the time they were originated. All are constantly under review, and those that remain fit-for-purpose are retained, those that have passed their sell-by date are ditched.
4. Negligence is distinguished from learning. Unlearning organizations know that "failure" is a very broad term, and embraces many things. In particular, they distinguish between "negligence" (the deliberate departure from an agreed policy) and "learning" (what happens when an outcome differs from expectations). They do not condone the former; nor do they penalize the latter.
5. They listen. To each other, to the outside world. Actively. Bosses do not finish the sentences of their subordinates; peers use their ears more than their mouths.
6. They share. Resources, information, people, risk. They operate in highly connected networks rather than hierarchical silos; nothing is "mine," for everything is "ours"; everyone is comfortable playing whatever roles are fit-for-purpose at the time.
7. They say "yes" more than they say "no." Go to a meeting. Take a blank sheet of paper, draw a vertical line down the middle. Label the left-hand column "yes," the right-hand column "no." Each time you hear the word "yes," or an equivalent positive remark, place a tick in the left-hand column; likewise for "no" and its surrogates. In an unlearning organization, you will have far more ticks on the left than the right.
8. They don't rush to judge. Unlearning organizations know when to evaluate ideas, and do this only when there is a full and well-balanced view. They do not shoot from the hip, or jerk from the knee: they think from the head.
9. They have a wise approach to managing risk. Unlearning organizations fully recognize that innovation is all about managing risk. They also know full well that, in today's business climate - and especially tomorrow's - to maintain the status quo, though comfortable and familiar, is likely to be more risky than stepping wisely into the unknown. They do not expect every innovation to succeed, nor do they place any foolhardy bets.
10. Their performance measures support innovation, rather than discourage it. Unlearning organizations have enhanced their portfolio of performance measures to ensure that they support, rather than inhibit, innovation. Even to the (unusual) extent of measuring inputs (such as hours spent on idea generation) rather than outputs (number of ideas put into the suggestion box).
11. They are very good at managing both the line and projects
"Did you hear about Pat?"
"No, I don't think so. What's going on?"
"He's been assigned to a "special" project."
"Well, he's on his way out then."
That is a conversation you will not hear in an unlearning organization. Managing the line and managing projects exist easily side by side; being assigned to an innovation project is a symbol of regard; and risk-taking is rewarded.
12. They regard innovation as a core business process in its own right. Unlearning organizations manage innovation, in all its aspects, as a core business process, indeed as the core business process, forming the very heart of the organization's silver bullet machine. For they know that innovation - the ability to solve problems wherever they might arise, to be able to grasp opportunities however fleeting, to be confident in generating stunning new ideas again and again and again and again, and to deliver them too - is truly the ultimate competitive advantage.
For more information:
* Creative Thinking, Business Skills, Innovation & Creativity Books, Personal Productivity and Effectiveness, *
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