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the
innovative LEDGER
An e-Newsletter from The Innovative Edge™ Inc. Vol.
2, No. 4, Winter 2002 This story is based upon two unrelated articles on the subject of innovation I've read recently, but they are closely related in my mind. The first appeared several weeks ago in the Boston Globe's business pages. Entitled "Blinded by the Blight," author Scott Kirsner laments over the conservative, circle-the-wagons mentality so many leaders in technology companies seem to have adopted in the current economic slump. "Anyone who tells you that the only problem facing tech companies is a shortage of buyers is only half right. The other half of the problem is a shortage of vision," declares Kirsner. "Today's leaders are obsessed with incrementalism…" he notes, adding that "…in a slow economy, a strategy of baby steps can actually be more risky than one of giant leaps." Kirsner points out that there are big, global issues out there: the need for affordable technologies to help alleviate third-world poverty, for better distribution of quality healthcare and life-saving drugs, for clean and renewable sources of energy. They require big, creative solutions. While many of our business leaders fret over whether there's a market for an extra gig of memory or a cell phone that doubles as a camera, there are life-and-death problems that bright, creative people could and should be addressing. It's not that they don't care, or that these aren't potentially profitable opportunities. It's simply that it's not considered economically feasible to be looking at major new initiatives while money is so tight. Yet perhaps that assumption isn't true. Switch now to an article by Robert Chapman and Gary Hamel that appeared in last month's Harvard Business Review, entitled "The World Bank's Innovation Market." In it, they describe a process started in 1998 in which the bank broke from its traditional, top-down decision-making model in order to create an "innovation marketplace," in which staffers at all levels could present funding proposals for new World Bank initiatives. The idea was to get more people involved in an entrepreneurial way, and for the decision-makers to respond "more like venture capitalists," committing relatively modest amounts to a number of innovative projects, rather than deciding on only one and investing heavily in it. With this approach, they were able to spread the risk while encouraging many new ideas from the people who were "closer to the action" in the first place. The process worked so well, and the results so promising, that the model has been replicated and expanded over the past four years. Tech companies (and others) could adopt this model too. It might be exactly what they need to keep the creative fires burning, even in lean times. They can use the model to encourage employees to think about the "next big thing," and about how the company's knowledge and core competencies could be applied to problems that really matter. Our economy will rebound at some point, and when it does, wouldn't it be nice to be able to hit the ground running with concepts or prototypes for products and services that truly differentiate and provide meaningful benefits? The time to think about such possibilities is now. After
all, it costs no more to think creatively about the future than to
fret over it. Which would you rather do? *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * We've all dealt with meeting grinches. They steal meetings by dominating, naysaying, or going on irrelevant tangents. Here are 6 ways to keep them from stealing your meeting! 1. First, assume
they mean no harm - it's true…few people come to meetings with
the express intent of disrupting them, despite behavior that suggests
otherwise. They just don't know a better way. As meeting leader, this
should be your mindset; it will help you deal more effectively with
them. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 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 "I'm
slowly becoming a convert to the principle that you can't motivate people
to do things, you can only de-motivate them. The primary job of the
manager is not to empower but to remove obstacles." Scott Adams,
creator of "Dilbert" *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 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 © 2002 The Innovative Edge, Inc. The
Innovative Edge, Inc. |
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