the
innovative LEDGER
An e-Newsletter from The Innovative Edge™ Inc.
Vol.
10, No. 9 - September 2010
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Teaching Old Dogs Creative New Tricks, Part 2
By Jeff Govendo
In
last month's newsletter, I referred to a rather ominous sounding study
which stated that creativity among American school children has gone
steadily downward since 1990, as measured by a highly credible battery
of creativity tests. Since many of those kids are now adults in the
workforce, I wondered if their innate creative abilities (which I
believe they've always had, despite the test results) could actually
be re-ignited at work. Can the job setting itself help a young
manager or sales associate, for example, be more creative where school
(and perhaps home) may have failed?
It's
an important question. American business is facing global competition
that's only getting getting fiercer and more relentless. Nations such
as China, India and South Korea are investing more in nurturing creativity
in their corporations as well as schools. It's no wonder that in
a recent IBM survey of 1500 top executives in the U.S., creativity
was cited as their most sought-after attribute in new managers.
While
we can only hope education reform will begin to address the apparent
slide over the past 20 years, there is a large number of employees
currently in or coming into the workforce who represent those lower
test scores (the post-academic "old dogs"). And we need
their best thinking NOW.
So,
what can companies do to promote this (and enhance their own bottom
line in the process)? Here are 4 ideas on how an organization can
start to create a culture that encourages creative thinking and action
that can raise its competitive innovation profile.
1.
Mix and match your thinkers
If your company is very small, you probably do this already. However,
if it's large enough to have departments or divisions, it's likely
that employees are dealing primarily with the same set of co-workers
most hours of every day. That's unfortunate, because nothing feeds
the creative thinking process like differences in background, opinion,
world view, etc. Try putting new combinations of people together in
problem-solving meetings or brainstorming sessions. Include those
with expertise in the subject area, as well as those whose knowledge
is more peripheral. Bring in customers and other outsiders for their
perspective.
2.
Make it safe to think creatively
Creative thinking is inexact; imprecise. It usually involves guessing,
or wondering aloud. It is born of "not knowing" for sure.
The biggest reason people don't exercise their creative powers is
the anticipated reaction from those who cannot abide by such uncertainty
or ambiguity. For sure, no business can operate successfully with
their people "guessing" about everything all the time. But
if creativity is as important as those in the IBM survey say it is,
they've got to be able to do it some of the time, and fearlessly.
Some
companies have incorporated the "sandbox" concept -- a physical
or virtual space to coax out "wild & crazy" ideas without
fear of recrimination. All well and good. The idea, though, is to
encourage creativity whenever and wherever it is needed. If the sandbox
helps people loosen up and practice their creative thinking (yes,
it improves with practice), it serves a useful purpose. On the other
hand, if it compartmentalizes the company's culture ("Here's
where we think seriously; over there is where we think creatively."),
it may do more harm than good.
3.
Turn differing points of view into new ideas
A mix of ideas - including those that appear to oppose each other
- dampens the creative process only when people's egos are so tied
to them they can't make room for more. Otherwise, the more ideas the
better, especially when attempting to creatively solve a seemingly
intractable problem.
This
is where a skilled, neutral facilitator can help. He/she can turn
disagreements into new sources of ideas. And companies that can generate
more ideas against their toughest challenges are way ahead of their
competitors who are stuck in the "same old, same old."
4.
Think of creative ideas as starting points, not finished products.
This may be the single most important suggestion for encouraging creative
thinking among company employees. It is simply not realistic to expect
a brand new, imaginative idea to also be practical enough for immediate
implementation. If that is the criterion employed, new ideas tend
to be rejected or ignored, and people stop trying. Instead, a systematic
process should be in place for exploring, developing and refining
new ideas; i.e. building in feasibility. Sure, not all of them
will pan out, perhaps most. But some will, and these are what separate
innovative companies from their lesser competitors. Without such a
process in place, creativity comes to exist for its own sake, and
will not exist for long.
Work
is not designed to make up for what may be missing in a child's formative
years. But to the extent that certain changes in the work environment
can help bring out one's inherent creative abilities, they are well
worth trying.
After
all, we can't send these old dogs back to school.
