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the innovative LEDGER Vol. 1, No. 3,
Fall 2001 In the August 1 issue of CIO Magazine, former corporate vice president and chief information officer at Xerox Patricia Wallington discusses a "new" model for decision-making at the highest levels of management. It's called the CXO partnership, and calls upon the various leaders of a company to come together around key strategic and financial issues. Ms. Wallington points out that with the increased complexity of the global marketplace, the number of "C__O" designations has greatly expanded in recent years. In addition to the familiar CEO, COO and CFO titles, many corporations now include the positions of CTO (chief technology officer), CIO (information; investment), CMO (marketing), CCO (customer relations), and others. With all this specialization at the highest levels, she asserts, there needs to be a mechanism by which these people can come together in a spirit of cooperation and trust around issues that transcend any single executive's purview. For this, we need the CXO partnership. Now, in my reading of this article, it would seem that the concept Ms. Wallington is describing is what most of us used to call "collaboration." She cites an example from her tenure at Xerox involving the company's need to develop a comprehensive outsourcing strategy, a decision that would have wide-ranging strategic implications. It began with a proposal from her to the various division presidents, who immediately recommended that she confer with Xerox's CEO and CFO, in light of the company-wide impact any decision would have. She did this, and was gratified with their "valuable support, counsel, perspective and direction" as they grappled with the many complex issues inherent to the decision. She goes on to note that their successful joint effort was "based on a collaborative process that integrated multiple factors: effects on customers, employee considerations, technology support capability, potential partnership benefits and financial rewards." Such stories of cooperation at the highest levels are certainly encouraging. It's good to know that in situations where the stakes are high, and multiple constituencies will be affected by the decisions made, top executives can put aside their personal agendas and egos (undoubtedly sizable in most cases, for them to have attained such positions) in favor of the greater good of the organization. If calling such behavior a "CXO partnership" - or anything else for that matter - helps to encourage such collaboration, I'm all for it. After all, few fields are more adept than business at re-casting old practices in a new light and giving them a new name. If that's what it takes to keep things feeling fresh, so be it. But regardless of what we choose to call it, the fact of Ms. Wallington's writing about it as a fairly cutting edge business practice suggests it is the exception rather than the rule. For all the talk about doing away with turf battles and breaking through silos over the past couple of decades, territoriality still seems very much the order of the day in many businesses. Call it human nature or organizational culture, the fact is that in thousands of companies - from small independent enterprises to multi-national corporations - managers and executives jealously guard their fiefdoms, in real or imagined competition with their counterparts from other departments or divisions. In such an environment, information is hoarded, expertise withheld and best practices unshared, to the ultimate detriment of customers and key stakeholders. It also squelches the innovation potential of the organization. In previous writings I have posed the question, "What does an account executive have to say about a technical problem … an engineer about marketing approaches?" Diversity of experience and perspective is a cornerstone of corporate creativity. Companies in which information and opinions are shared across disciplinary and functional lines benefit from these synergies in the form of more innovative ideas. Conversely, if the "C__O's" of each division aren't talking to one another in a meaningful way, it's a good bet no one else is either. Perspective remains narrow; thinking becomes insular. It is hardly a recipe for innovation. So,
whether we choose to call it a CXO partnership, high-level collaboration,
or just plain "working together," corporate leaders who
think and act in this manner are much more likely to produce a successful
outcome than when they are "working separately." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 5 Ways to Get More Creative Thinking into Your Meeting Looking for ideas for a new product concept, or to solve a tough problem? Sometimes it's hard to keep the creative juices flowing. Here are 5 things you can try to get people to stretch their minds and come up with new thinking. 1.
Use wishful, speculative language when offering ideas - we tend
to follow our own verbal cues. Prefacing an idea with, "I wonder
what would happen if…" or "I wish we could…",
encourages us to offer ideas we're uncertain about. If it's only a
wish, we don't have to defend or prove it! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Names We Like We're always on the lookout for creative business or product names. If you know of any good ones, send them along! You may see them in an upcoming issue!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Innovation Quotation "The
intuitive mind is a sacred gift, the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten
the gift." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Innovative Edge™ Inc. is a consulting firm based in Massachusetts that helps client organizations tackle tough challenges through creative problem solving. Its president, Jeffrey A. Govendo, works in a broad range of industries as a project consultant, group facilitator, trainer and conference designer, enabling organizations to achieve their goals by increasing their capacity for innovation. Contact
The Innovative Edge at: Copyright © 2001 The Innovative Edge, Inc. The
Innovative Edge, Inc. | | |
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