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John Winsor recently published in his blog an interesting list of ideas to create innovative environments within the workplace. It deserved to be referenced and reviewed by others. Here is a summary of the points he makes. - Create SWAT Teams and insulate them from the daily grind and demands of the business.
- Team chemistry is so very important so bring together a group of personalities that can work together, not compete against one another.
- Constantly experiment with the teams that you develop. It makes sense to create teams that fit the situation. Bring together different people until you find the one that pushes the envelope.
- Search for balance between structure and creativity. It's important to remain flexible, changing patterns to keep people energized and focused, but there also needs to be some structure and order.
Michael T. Bauer
http://www.creativeleading.com
I spend time every week searching for information, thoughts, whitepapers, anything about creativity and innovation within the workplace, with leaders, and in developing new products. Once in while I come across something that makes me laugh and take notice. I want to tell you about this one. If you have a friend who is a lawyer...then this will be the perfect gift. Now, please don't throw tomatoes at me for posting something humorous about the legal profession. If you want the perfect gift, you need to go to the Billable Hour and purchase a watch or clock. What's different...the watch is divided so you can determine your billable hours. And the watches and clocks are designed by a lawyer. By the way, don't forget to sign up for their newsletter...the Timesheet! Fun!!!
Michael T. Bauerhttp://www.creativeleading.com
Business 2.0 has published its list of the dumbest moments in business in 2005. I took a few minutes to read through many of the items...and laughed hard at a few of them. We look for organizations to be creative because with creativity comes new product designs, improved operations, and ultimately more profits. But sometimes we find mistakes too. Here are two of my favorites on the list...
In July 2005, the founder of a physicians' answering service in N.Y., was charged with computer tampering. It seems that he was able to hack into a competitors system. Patients trying to reach their doctors were greeted with busy signals or the sounds of sexual moaning. Want to read the posting...it's #11 on the list.
Or how about #68...a turnaround specialist has to leave because of his own policies. It seems that the CEO of Boeing, brought out of retirement to help return a sense of ethics and values back to the company, is forced to resign because of allegations of an affair with a female employee. The CEO had violated a code of conduct that all employees were required to sign. It appears that the code of conduct was designed because the prior CEO was accused of having affairs with female employees too. You can read more about this and more at Business 2.0.
Who will be creatively dumb in 2006? I can't wait to find out.
Michael Bauer
http://www.creativeleading.com
I've become a huge fan of the writing style and quirks of marketing expert Seth Godin because he forces me to examine my world from multiple angles. He has the ability to challenge current thoughts and suggest new perspectives. I've read all of his books. Now that is dedication. Plus I continue to follow some of the work he's involved in.
One of my favorites is the website Change This. Godin helped start it and now it has a life of its own. I love the manifestos that are available at this site. The are written by very creative authors who know how to challenge assumptions, beliefs, and attitudes about life. These manifestos are just fun to read. For example, check out the "Escape Adulthood" manifesto. It is written by Jason Kotecki who says "Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them." I ran across his work, decided to download his manifesto and then went and looked at his website...there is something really "cool" about being a child in an adult body. Check out his work at kimandjason.com.
Michael Bauerhttp://www.creativeleading.com
This is the final post in the Creating Innovation Series. I have a few more points that Sutton wrote about in his book, "Weird Ideas That Work." His book explores how to promote and sustain innovation. So, here are the remaining ideas: - Reward success and failure, and punish inaction.
- Decide to do something that will probably fail, then convince yourself and everyone else that success is certain.
- Think of some ridiculous things to do, then plan to do them.
- Avoid, distract, and bore customers, critics, and anyone who just wants to talk about money.
- Don't try to learn anything from people who say they have solved the problems you face.
- Forget the past, especially your companies successes.
Now you have the blueprint to developing an innovative environment. Grab the book and learn more about the details.
Michael Bauer
http://www.creativeleading.com
