Fall 2009 eNews
Innovation: A Must-Have Survival Tool
By Renie McClay
Innovation has never been more important than it is right now. Companies need to look at creative ways of marketing their product to reach their existing customers and to get in front of new customers. They need to find new ways to save costs, increase revenue, and become more efficient. Doing what they have always done will not position them for the future. Twenty years ago, innovation and creativity were buzzwords used to describe a company’s marketing efforts. Today, their application is significantly broader.
What's the difference between creativity and innovation? Creativity involves generating new ideas; innovation is putting those ideas into practice. It takes everyone working together in an organization to achieve both. So how can organizations foster innovation and new ideas? They can start by encouraging a creative culture. Here’s how.
Encourage and reward new ideas. Regularly ask employees what they think and really listen to what they have to say. Recognize and reward new ideas. Stop people who dismiss others’ suggestions by saying “we tried that.” Case in point: a group in the packaging industry identified a cost savings for the company that saved them $1 million in the first year. It was identified in a workshop, and when the staff responsible for the money-saving idea were asked why they didn’t speak up sooner, they said, “We did years ago! No one listened.” Let workers know YOU are listening!
Carry a creativity notebook. Thomas Edison always carried an idea book with him. The book was not for recording a to-do list but rather for capturing ideas when they occurred to him during his day. He scheduled time for just sitting, so ideas could come to him more easily. Later he would review his accumulated ideas and drawings. The twenty-first century version of this journal might be a smart phone, a laptop, or a designated document on a flash drive that you can add to regularly. What is key is that it is something that can be accessed quickly and reviewed at a later time.
Create a space for generating innovative ideas. Creative thinking requires quiet time in a relaxed space for ideas to percolate and surface. They typically don’t come to us when we are stressed out or working feverishly to meet a deadline. And seldom are they produced in a “sterile” working environment. Innovation leader Gerald Haman says, “If you want people to think outside of the box, don’t put their brains in a box.” So how can potentially stodgy places be transformed into stimulating environments that encourage out-of-the-box thinking? Try to dedicate a physical space for creativity—not a networking, social place, but a quiet, comfortable “think tank” where people can sit and let ideas flow. Tap into people’s senses through use of colors, scents, and textures in this space. Include toys or fiddlers (i.e., things to keep hands busy, such as Koosh balls or stress balls) to help set the tone. If you can’t have a dedicated think space, why not decorate a meeting room monthly and invite employees to come and express ideas? Hang flip charts containing questions around the room and let people anonymously answer those questions. If possible, serve simple snacks to encourage attendance.
Give managers tools and techniques to stimulate creativity. When your company’s leadership demonstrates firsthand that it values innovation, it will set the tone that will then trickle down. Provide managers with the proper know-how and challenging exercises that will help them to stimulate new ideas at team meetings and brainstorming sessions. For example, managers can start meetings or problem-solving sessions with a blue sky exercise, a type of exercise in which people identify the best solution possible as if there were no limits. Encourage wacky ideas. You never know when an idea that is “way out there” may lead to something that will actually work!
Just like any culture-changing initiative, results won’t happen overnight. Start the ball rolling by getting your leadership team on board followed by communicating the value of innovation through events and internal communications. Armed with new information and tools, your organization’s creative energy may quickly become a valuable survival tool in the months ahead. And you might even have some fun in the process!
Resources
Gelb, Michael J., and Sarah Miller Caldicott. 2007. Innovate Like Edison: The Success System of America’s Greatest Inventor. New York: Dutton.
SolutionPeople, Gerald “Solutionman” Haman, http://www.solutionpeople.com.