Don't expect individuals to come up with fully-fledged, ground-breaking ideas on their own. Provide opportunities for people to spend time together and combine their thinking.
If you expect individuals to present their ideas to you in the form of a business case, fully developed, costed and ready to go, you will not receive very many ideas, and the ones you do receive will not be particularly innovative.
I was asked to judge an innovation competition run by a law firm. The firm offered generous prizes such as cash and travel, and allowed the staff to take time off work to write their submissions. Although the applications were well-written, the suggestions were very disappointing in their lack of creativity. For example, one suggestion was "Hold a cocktail party for accountants". Not very imaginative. Competing as individuals for valuable rewards, the lawyers played it safe. They offered ideas that they knew had been successful elsewhere. But you don't get competitive advantage by copying what others have done.
People who are good at developing a business case are not always the ones with the most innovative ideas. These are different skills, so you need a team effort.
Collective thinking is more powerful than an individual effort. Provide opportunities for people to share their thinking and build ideas collaboratively.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Keep them Wondering
Don't always be the one asking the questions. Encourage others in your team to exercise and express their curiosity by proposing their own questions for discussion.
Your decision as to where to focus your innovation effort can bring competitive advantage. To choose the best focus, you need a good flow of questions.
If you are the only person asking the questions, you limit the range of challenges that can be examined. Everyone has a different set of perceptions and experiences, and different people will see different areas where innovation could be applied.
Encourage your people to take notice of what is happening around them and their clients' needs, and to search actively for new problems or questions, rather than just reacting to the problems that present themselves.
Instead of rewarding the "best idea", try rewarding the "best question".
Your decision as to where to focus your innovation effort can bring competitive advantage. To choose the best focus, you need a good flow of questions.
If you are the only person asking the questions, you limit the range of challenges that can be examined. Everyone has a different set of perceptions and experiences, and different people will see different areas where innovation could be applied.
Encourage your people to take notice of what is happening around them and their clients' needs, and to search actively for new problems or questions, rather than just reacting to the problems that present themselves.
Instead of rewarding the "best idea", try rewarding the "best question".
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