(From Decision, Vol. 5, Issue 6, Dec 2000.-Jan. 2001)

By Jeffrey A. Govendo

     In an article appearing in the October/November, 2000 edition of Decision, I described creativity as the act of making mental connections between dissimilar concepts in order to come up with something new. The fact that this very human act is something we all can do has profound implications for innovation within companies, especially when coupled with the knowledge and expertise employees have about the businesses they are in. I also noted, however, that these capacities are seldom exploited to their fullest. We tend to prize the job-specific skills and knowledge possessed by employees, less so their inherent ability to engage in lateral, tangential thinking to make new connections.

     At the same time, I observed that few business leaders would be against the idea of promulgating a more idea-receptive environment; rather, they simply don't know how to do it. More than ever, in fact, the need for continuous innovation - in developing new products and services, re-designing work processes, communicating with external and internal customers, and more - is seen as a key to survival in the New Economy.

     To this end, I would like to recommend six ways in which executives and managers can actively support and encourage creative thinking and problem-solving within their organizations. They apply equally to the for-profit and non-profit sectors.

1. Create a safe haven - physical, virtual or both - for new thinking.
     
      Use this to encourage a broad range of ideas, including those not immediately seen as feasible, or even "sensible." These are where the seeds of innovation are found.

      Most importantly, people must feel safe in pushing the envelope. By offering a new or unfamiliar idea, they will almost surely get it "wrong" the first time. These kinds of ideas should be considered starting points on which to build and encourage further thinking, not end products in themselves. An immediate negative evaluation of the idea (however warranted based on fact) will kill it, along with any desire on the employee's part to offer another. Therefore, it is incumbent upon those in leadership roles to convey an openness to ideas that are imprecise, untested or even fanciful in nature.

      Some companies have successfully created virtual or physical "creative thinking spaces," filled with items such as paintings, photographs, non-work related magazines, building materials and other stimuli, where employees can engage in idea generation in a conducive environment that feels "separate" from their everyday routine. Others have built "ideation rooms," replete with sofas, comfortable chairs, wall-to-wall flipcharts for capturing ideas, and so forth. In addition, it is possible to incorporate mechanisms for stimulating, capturing and building upon ideas on an ongoing basis. An excellent tool for this is a software program called Thoughtpath™ (www.thoughtpath.com) by Inventive Logic, which combines creative thinking techniques and a problem-solving approach in an easy-to-follow format that can be networked among employees.

      The key factor, of course, is neither the physical nor virtual environment, though these can certainly help. Rather, it is an attitude by management that values the inherent creativity of employees and envisions the long-term strategic benefits of empowering them to express it on a regular basis.

2. Employ a process for developing new ideas that have been offered.
     
      This is every bit as important as stimulating creative thinking, and it must be familiar to all (even if only certain people will be facilitating it). Such a process is the Open-minded Evaluation and Development procedure I outlined in my first Decision article. The five steps described are designed to encourage receptivity to a new idea, while systematically re-working those parts that require change in order to make the concept feasible. Without a vehicle such as this, along with an awareness by employees that it will be used to explore some of their ideas, there is little point in encouraging "out of the box" thinking. Creative ideation can be fun, but it gets old quickly if the ideas never go anywhere.

3. Cross-pollinate your ideation groups.

     Idea generation works best when there are differences in perspective, knowledge and background. Ideally, a team attempting to come up with a fresh, new solution to a tough challenge should consist of both experts in the area being discussed, as well as so-called "naïve" idea-contributors. Their knowledge of the subject may be more peripheral, but this allows them to see the problem in ways the experts cannot. Also, they don't "know" what doesn't work!

     I recall a new product session I facilitated for a medical instruments company that was trying to invent a new design for a particular operating room apparatus. The core team consisted of four each of R&D and marketing people. In addition, we "seeded" the group with several outsiders, including an interior designer and an urban "street artist" from Boston. An unusual combination, to be sure! Yet the perspectives they brought to the mix made a profound difference in the quality and quantity of ideas offered.

     While bringing such outsiders into your sessions may be less practical, there are still plenty of internal resources to draw upon. What does an account executive have to say about a technical subject? An engineer about marketing approaches? A line worker about company strategy? Creativity is a product of organizational diversity, and even the smallest companies have that. Use it to your advantage.

     Again, though, this only works if steps 1 and 2 above are in place: it should feel safe for people to contribute ideas that are likely to be inaccurate or incomplete, and there must be a process to follow which enables the group to begin with one of these flawed, yet intriguing notions, and systematically build feasibility into it. If either of these ingredients is missing, the process is not apt to work.

4. Whenever possible - and always when the stakes are high - have an accomplished, neutral facilitator conduct ideation sessions.

     There are myriad ways for people to discount and otherwise put down each other's ideas. Some are blatant ("That's ridiculous," It'll never work," "Been there, done that…"). Others are much more subtle (a roll of the eyes, an exasperated sigh, refusal to acknowledge an idea offered), often committed without awareness or intent. Either way, the effects are the same: potentially ground-breaking ideas are lost, and so too are those offering the ideas. Creative thinking, in the context of a "get it right" corporate environment, is risky business. A good facilitator will not only keep the process moving along, but will also protect ideas and the people who offer them, two of your company's greatest assets.

5. Actively support employees for engaging in the process, as well as for the results.

     It is important to recognize the efforts of those who contribute to the process of generating and developing ideas, even if no applicable concept or solution is produced. Properly encouraged, these individuals are more likely to engage in the creative process again, and perhaps come up with the next big breakthrough idea for the company!

     Supporting such involvement needn't be difficult nor complicated. It may only entail giving people the time (i.e., company time, not their own) to periodically take part in a two to three hour ideation session. Given a conducive climate (see nos. 1 & 4), most employees enjoy the opportunity to exercise their creative muscles. It is a side of them they may not often get to express, so it tends to be rewarding in itself. What's more, I have observed that there is a definite practice effect; the more people do it, the more comfortable they become, and as a result, the greater the potential for coming up with innovative solutions to the challenges they are working on.

6. Conclude every ideation session with a set of action items or recommendations, and assurances they will be followed through.

     This is not to suggest that every concept developed will necessarily be implemented - far from it. It does mean, however, that whatever steps are needed to take it to the next level of possible implementation be stated - as specifically as possible - along with whomever is responsible and an estimated timetable for completing each one.

     There are two reasons why this is so important. The first, obviously, is that if a group has in fact come up with a potential innovation for the company, you wouldn't want to "lose" it through a failure to take the necessary immediate actions. Secondly, it addresses the all-too-common scenario in which somebody wonders a week or two later, "Whatever happened to that idea we were working on …?" Again, the entertainment value of pure creative thinking is short-lived; task groups want something to show for their efforts, even if the concept they were envisioning cannot be fully realized at the present time.

     It is easy in our digital age, where each new day seems to herald the advent of a new technology, to lose sight of the organizational conditions that engender such innovation. At times it seems as if technology itself is responsible for such progress, but this is not the case. Rather, it is people - working together in high-performing collaboration - that reach beyond current boundaries to come up with new ideas. Such dynamism needn't be the sole domain of business startups or web-based entrepreneurs. More established companies possess all the raw material they need for an environment that sustains innovation over time. Start putting these recommendations in place in your organization, and you too will begin to experience the power of your people's imaginations in improving the bottom line!

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