the
innovative LEDGER
An e-Newsletter from The Innovative Edge™ Inc.
Vol.
6, No. 11 - November 2006
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Designer
Genes, Part 2
By Jeff Govendo
In
last month’s issue of this newsletter, I referred to a Fast Company
article by Roger Martin, Dean of the University of Toronto’s
Rotman Business School, in which he wrote about the increased prominence
of design-centric planning and execution in some of the world’s
most successful companies.
The
term “design” is partly about the look and feel of products
a company produces. Firms with reputations for design are those
whose products are readily identifiable and excite the consumer –
companies such as Apple and BMW. Even companies whose products are
ostensibly more mundane – Whirlpool and P&G, for example
– have distinguished themselves in product design over the past
few years. Whether it’s the latest version of the iPod or
a nice-looking clothes dryer, people love to buy "cool."
But
the concept of “design,” as Martin and others are using
it, is more comprehensive. It’s about letting go of traditional
hierarchies and decision-making, getting more out of every employee’s
inherent creativity, and learning on a deep level what your customers
want. It’s encouraging employees at all levels to create informal,
cross-functional networks to take full advantage of their different
perspectives and experience. It’s paying attention not only to
available data and what has worked in the past, but also the hypothetical
“what if’s” that are not accounted for by current market
data or company experience (what Martin calls “the logic of what
might be”). Design-centric thinking, in short, is about creating
the conditions for consistent innovation.
Large,
well-heeled corporations can and do spend millions on design firms
and consultants to help them structure their facilities and business
processes for this purpose. But not every organization can do this.
As I noted last month, though, every company – from small
operations with 50 employees to mega-corporations – has a set
of “designer genes” in their makeup, which can significantly
raise their innovation potential. There are things that can be done
short of breaking the bank to tap into these. Here are 6 of them:
1.
Cross-functionalize. Yes, we’ve all heard this and some companies
have done it very successfully. But for many, when it comes to prioritizing
ideas and making actual decisions, there is a tendency to fall back
on traditional, siloed hierarchies that can negate the diversity of
thinking in cross-functional teams. These teams don’t have to
be permanent fixtures (in fact, they shouldn’t be), but definitely
do have to be more than "innovative window dressing" whose
output is likely to be discounted when the "real" decisions
have to be made.
2. Give people time to think together. Cross-functional groups
cannot engage in innovative idea generation or problem-solving if
they spend only token amounts of time together. While working under
time pressure can sometimes produce surprisingly innovative results,
there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that simply allowing
dedicated, knowledgeable people to be together – both formally
and informally – goes a long way toward creating an enduring
culture of innovation.
3. Enjoy a little chaos. "Cross-functional teams look
messy and inefficient, but they are more effective at problem-solving,”
says McKinsey partner James M. Manyika. (I would add that they are
also better at creating problems – i.e. new challenges –
that can lead to potential innovations). The apparent untidiness of
the creative process, however, shouldn’t be confused with loss
of control. As Richard Gaul, former head of communications at BMW
states, "Discipline and creativity are not a paradox… where
you break the rules you have to be very disciplined."
4. Create and spread an ethic of letting new ideas live. Nothing
does more to inhibit creative thinking than finding infertile ground
for new ideas. Hostile or impassive responses to imaginative ideas
ensures that people will hesitate to offer more. Pat phrases such
as “no idea is a bad idea” won’t do the trick. You
need a consistent and easy-to-replicate process for responding to
new thinking that keeps people involved and working actively to “find
the gold” in a rough, unrefined idea. (See "The Key to Innovation:
Just Say Maybe").
5. Have deep conversations with customers and potential customers.
I use this specific phrasing to distinguish it from typical market
research techniques such as surveys, questionnaires, and standard
focus groups. Perhaps "Live with your customers" should
be the directive here (raising some logistical issues), as the idea
is to get beyond the usual surface Q&A and discover what truly
excites them and satisfies their deepest needs. What they tell you
may not "fit" in an online survey instrument or be at all
quantifiable – yet anecdotal information and observation might
yield the best information you can get.
6. Enable and insist upon follow-through. Next to shooting
down new ideas, the best way to discourage creativity and experimentation
is doing nothing with them. Sure, people do love to express their
creative sides, but without taking action and seeing some results,
it wears thin after awhile. This does not mean every idea will lead
to a new product or business process innovation – not at all.
But if there is excitement around a concept and a sense it could be
profitable, there should be some next steps taken toward possible
implementation.
Try
adapting these suggestions to your own unique situation to bring out
the best in your organization.
Find
out where the designer genes are in your company’s DNA!
