the
innovative LEDGER
An e-Newsletter from The Innovative Edge™ Inc.
Vol.
6, No. 4 - April 2006
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A B-School
Lesson
By Jeff Govendo
This
past week was the NCAA Women’s Final Four, with Maryland emerging
as the winner in a thrilling, come-from-behind, overtime victory over
Duke. Both the semifinals and championship game were played before
a packed house (18,000 plus) at Boston’s TD Banknorth Garden
(I think that’s what it’s called these days). Although I
didn’t get to see the games in person, I did watch them on TV,
and they were great.
If
you had predicted – even as recently as three or four years ago
– that the women’s basketball championship would draw nearly
20,000 fans per game (not to mention a huge national TV audience),
many would have branded you a hopeless optimist. Until fairly
recently, most games were so sparsely attended you could almost hear
the fans’ individual comments as they cheered from the stands.
Then
again, if you haven’t seen a Division 1 women’s game recently,
you would be amazed at how the level of play has improved. Gone are
the two-handed set shots and “shotput” jumpers of bygone
days. Instead, the women play with the skill and confidence of
those who have grown up with the sport, and a degree of teamwork which,
if anything, surpasses that of the men’s game. With the support
of the schools and athletic conferences they represent, women have
simply gotten much better at basketball.
In
almost any endeavor, there is a reciprocal relationship between what
you love to do, and how well you do it. Engaging in an activity
you enjoy encourages you to practice more. The more you practice the
better you get – which makes it even more fun.
I
have observed this time and again when working with teams in successive
innovation sessions. Although most people inherently enjoy the
chance to think in new ways about their business challenges, often
they come across as tentative, even doubtful of their own brainstorming
“skills” the first time around. This is especially true
for those whose work environment offers few opportunities for exercising
creativity.
But
just as in basketball and so many other endeavors, there is a practice
effect that is unmistakable. Bring them back for a second round
and you’ll find people are more willing to take risks; to come
up with more daring and unusual ideas. They’re more likely to
draw upon their imaginations and unique life experiences to get ideas.
They’ll listen more open-mindedly to their colleagues, with the
intent of building upon their ideas. And significantly, they seem
better prepared to live, at least for awhile, in the ambiguity and
uncertainty that is an inherent part of the innovation process.
Now...
bring them back for a third and fourth session, and who knows where
they’ll go!
So
what’s the point of all this? With so many companies talking
these days about innovation as an integral part of their overall strategic
plan, we need to remember that whatever “systems” they may
employ to raise the innovation level within the organization, it
always comes down to how willing and able your people are to think
in new ways; to generate ideas that are different, unconventional.
Yes, it is a cultural issue (i.e., is the environment supportive
of this?), but it’s also a skill that must be developed. If you
give them the time and repeated experiences to work on this skill,
the rewards will come in the form of exciting new product ideas, better
ways to serve your customers, and increased productivity.
The
crowd will roar its approval.
