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Report 103
Your newsletter on applied creativity, imagination, ideas and innovation in
business – delivered to your e-mail box on the first and third Tuesday
of every month.
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Issue 144
Hello and welcome to another issue of Report 103, your fortnightly newsletter
on creativity, imagination, ideas and innovation in business.
As always, if you have news about creativity, imagination, ideas, or innovation
please feel free to forward it to me for potential inclusion in Report103.
Your comments and feedback are also always welcome.
Information on unsubscribing, archives, reprinting articles, etc can be found
at the end of this newsletter.
PURPOSE DRIVEN INNOVATION
You have doubtless visited a hotel or restaurant or other service business
where a small box invited you to offer suggestions on “how can we better
serve you?” Very likely, you never bothered to make a suggestion because,
like most people, you sincerely doubted anything would happen to your suggestion.
Indeed, I often wondered if such boxes were ever emptied and suggestions read!
In other words, you probably didn't make the effort to offer a suggestion because
there seemed to be no purpose to doing so.
Likewise, many firms' suggestion schemes leave employees feeling the same way.
They submit ideas by e-mail or by submission into a database and never hear
another thing about their ideas again. It is rather like dropping a coin into
a very deep well. It simply disappears without a sound, never to be seen again.
As far as employees are concerned, taking the time to formulate and submit ideas
serves no purpose, particularly if they are very busy. Most employees are. Indeed,
in my experience, “lack of time” is one of the most frequently claimed
excuses for not participating in an ideation initiative.
Whether ideas submitted to such suggestion schemes are implemented or not is
immaterial to the idea submitters. They have received no information and can
only assume that nothing has happened with their submissions.
Innovators Need a Purpose
On the other hand, seeing an idea, that you (either individually or as part
of a team) have proposed, being implemented and turned into reality is a very
powerful reward.
Implementation demonstrates that time and resources devoted to developing the
idea have served a purpose. It demonstrates recognition of the employee's contribution
and gives the employee a sense of having added value to the firm. When this
happens regularly, employees are far less likely to complain that they do not
have time to be innovative!
In short, innovators need a purpose. They need to believe that their suggestions
have a realistic chance of being implemented. They need to feel that time spent
developing an idea is time well spent. If they know good ideas will come to
fruition, it is easier to bring teams together to develop those ideas. It is
easier to sell ideas up the corporate ladder. Perhaps most importantly, regular
implementation of ideas invites people to think creatively and that results
in more innovation for your firm.
Transparency Is Critical
In fact, ideas submitted to suggestion boxes are occasionally implemented.
The problem is that there is often little or no communication with the idea
submitter. Hence as far as she knows – nothing has happened to her idea.
Thus it is critical that any idea generation initiative is transparent, not
only during the idea generation phase, but also during the idea review and testing
phases. Regular reports to the idea submitters lets them know how their ideas
are developing and demonstrates the value that the firm gives to good ideas.
Good News and Bad News
Although good news about an idea's implementation is the best news an idea
submitter can receive, no news is usually worse than bad news. If an idea is
evaluated and found not to meet certain criteria considered essential for implementation,
it is better that the idea submitter receives a report of this evaluation. Although
not as nice as a passing evaluation report, it nevertheless demonstrates that
the idea was considered valuable enough to warrant the time required for evaluation.
That also communicates that the firm really is interested in ideas and is likely
to implement ideas that meet or exceed certain criteria.
Moreover, if an idea is rejected at any time, a note explaining the rejection
is better than no information. And if that note can explain the reason for rejection,
it helps the idea submitter learn more about what kind of ideas are unlikely
to be implemented and that can help her submit better ideas in the future.
At the very least, a rejection letter (or e-mail) tells the idea submitter
that someone actually has read her idea. That, discussed at the beginning of
this article, is more than many people believe happens when they submit an idea
to a suggestion box.
Focus = More Implementations = More Purpose
One of the main flaws of suggestion boxes and open suggestion schemes is that
they do not focus creative thinking. They do not give information about what
kind of ideas the firm is looking for. Hence, all kinds of dissimilar ideas
are typically collected, many of them irrelevant to business needs. This translates
into a lot of rejected ideas. Indeed, very often it is simply impossible for
the team managing the suggestion box to review the ideas efficiently. And the
result is no feedback to idea submitters, even if the suggestion scheme managers
wanted to provide it.
Hence, ideas campaigns and other ideation actions based on creative problem
solving (where a manager starts with a problem and invites ideas that solve
the problem) tend to have a higher percentage of implemented ideas. Moreover,
because ideas are related to the problem, they can be evaluated more quickly
and information can be sent to the idea submitters faster.
What You Can Learn from This
The main lesson to be learned here is that people will be more creative and
share their ideas more frequently when they feel there is a purpose to doing
so. Your innovation initiative need only meet three basic requirements to give
them that purpose:
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It needs to be launched with the aim of actually implementing promising
ideas. Ironically, many innovation initiatives do not include this basic
requirement. They are done simply to perform an innovation initiative or
as a marketing stunt!
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The system supporting the initiative must be transparent so that people
can see what is happening to ideas – not just their own. Indeed, if
employees in an organisation can see that their colleagues' ideas are being
implemented, that gives them motivation and even impetus to participate
and share their own ideas.
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You need to communicate to the participants, ensuring that they know what
is happening to their ideas. And it is critical that you inform them when
their ideas are implemented.
Following these three steps will go a long way towards ensuring the success
of your innovation initiative.
WOTS IN SWOT?
By Peter Eales
It is important to put things in the right order. When reviewing new business
ideas for viability, marketing people frequently start a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats) analysis. That is not always a good plan of action.
SWOT, like any tool can be highly effective if used correctly and downright
dangerous if not!
Criticisms Surrounding SWOT
Most people know SWOT to be a process where you list Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats. These can be for your firm or your competitors';
alternatively for an idea or again for anything with market and wider environmental
implications. However one organisation has said, “don’t bother it’s
easier just to generate alternative strategies”. Manyworlds.com: “Don’t
Do SWOT – a note on Marketing Planning” says do this:
(1) set objectives,
(2) generate alternative strategies,
(3) evaluate alternative strategies,
(4) monitor results, and
(5) gain commitment among the stakeholders during each step of this process.
Marketers' Concerns
Marketers and strategists however stress that SWOT analysis, if carried out
properly, is the end of a review. You’ll have heard of the Marketing Audit.
The outcome of that process delivers a list of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats. The first part of a marketing plan reviews the past and present
macro and micro environmental situation and assessment of the organisation.
And modern marketing strategy recognises the need to innovate and focus on people,
processes and systems. Hence various audits and tools such as the McKinsey 7
S’s framework can be useful. I have supplied a free template (http://www.oisolutions.co.uk/services/sales-and-marketing-services/marketing-plan-template.aspx
or http://snurl.com/d0h7p)if you wish to use it with various optional audits
listed.
SWOT is not a Brainstorm “Dump”
The point is that when conducted properly SWOT analysis is part of a systematic
review process. Whether used in the idea management process or after an audit.
The problem being that people too often start with a blank sheet of paper with
the acronym emblazoned across it, ready to fill in empty boxes! But I think
what is beginning to emerge in business is a debate about the difference between
creativity and evaluation in the innovation process. This has not always been
clear to in the past. Just like a production line, there are very clear stages
to idea development and idea management. SWOT has its place on that production
line too.
ABOUT PETER EALES
Peter Eales runs o i solutions (http://www.oisolutions.co.uk),
an innovation and marketing company based in the South East of England. They
help companies grow using innovation marketing and rewards from their online
shop, Nature's Presents (http://www.naturespresents.co.uk/).
Peter was a plc Marketing Director and is now Deputy Chair in the South East
for the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
YOUR DAILY CREATIVE EXERCISE
Minds like bodies need exercise. Just as bodies that don't get exercise become
flabby and less responsive, minds that don't get exercise become intellectually
flabby and less responsive. Hence, if you want your mind to be in tip-top creative
shape, you need to give it creative exercise every day.
Intellectual Stimulation
Intellectual stimulation is an essential component of your mental exercise
regime. Reading up on current events, the latest news in your field and the
like is all beneficial as is reading novels and other forms of entertaining
reading. But the creative mind benefits most from having a wide and deep pool
of knowledge from which to extract tidbits and develop creative ideas. So do
not limit yourself to publications in your field of interest. Read widely!
Aside from reading, watching theatre, opera and other performances can be tremendously
stimulating. Even television, within limits, can help expand your mind. But,
as I assure my children on a regular basis: too much television is distinctly
bad for the mind.
Looking at art, listening to music, travel and other activities broaden and
stimulate the mind. Do them often.
Creative Exercise
Input is great and it is an essential part to mental exercise. But to ensure
a limber mind you should also have output. In fact, you should perform creative
acts on a regular basis: ideally daily or at least two or three times per week.
Such acts need not be grand. They should just be part of your schedule. Cooking
new foods, writing original blog posts, drawing, photography or even flower
arranging all help keep the mind agile and creative.
And just as you need to be regimental about your physical exercise, you should
also be regimental about your creative exercise – as strange as that may
seem.
Keeping to Schedule
A great many writers are highly regimental in their writing, forcing themselves
to sit and write no matter what. Sometimes, at the end of the day, they will
throw away everything they've written and start again the next day. But at least
they are forcing themselves to be creative and write whether they want to or
not. (For an interesting article on how authors feel about the act of writing,
visit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/mar/03/authors-on-writing)
Likewise, if you like to cook, but never seem to have the time, then make it
a rule that you will always cook something new on Tuesday and Friday evenings.
Force yourself to sit down and write a blog post every day before lunch. Draw
pictures with your children every Monday and Wednesday evening after dinner
and so on.
The acts themselves do not matter. What matters is that you are pushing your
mind to be creative on a regular basis. And that will ensure that you can always
be creative when you need to be!
WORKSHOP: INNOVATION TRAINING FOR MARKETERS AND SENIOR BUSINESS PEOPLE (BOURNEMOUTH,
UK)
Training for strategic marketers and senior business people. How to innovate:
processes, creative ideas, management and implementation. 50% of revenues come
from products less than three years old - so innovation works. Innovate in the
downturn: stay ahead of competition.
"Business as usual" will only lead to negative growth. Innovation
on products and services is the best strategic approach for longevity in business.
Businesses need to invest in the downturn to be ready to bring to market the
new products and services for when times get better and people once more have
disposable incomes. Innovations must also focus on cost savings, process improvements,
re-use, recycling, shortening the time from order to invoicing - all as a means
to improve cash-flow and reduce costs especially now we are in a UK economic
downturn.
Three experts (Andrew Greaves, Peter Eales and Jeffrey Baumgartner) who work
internationally on innovation provide strategic and pragmatic training. The
session is unique in offering value to a wide range of business people: large
organisations and directors certainly but individual marketers with a strategic
innovation interests should attend.
For more information and to register, please
follow this link...
JENNI: THE INNOVATION SENSATION
If you are responsible for innovation in a medium to large sized organisation,
you face a number of challenges: from how to capture quality, focused ideas
from across the enterprise to how to evaluate efficiently and effectively the
ideas that you capture.
Suggestion schemes can be great for capturing lots of ideas, but they are often
unfocused and dealing with all of the ideas you capture can be a nightmare!
Fortunately, there is a simple solution: Jenni idea management software service.
Jenni is not a suggestion scheme software. Rather it incorporates the tried
and tested principles of creative problem solving (CPS) to focus innovative
thinking on specific business problems. Moreover, Jenni's suite of evaluation
tools makes it easy to assign evaluations to experts and review their reports
on-line. And that enables you to identify readily the ideas with the greatest
potential value.
Moreover, Jenni is much more than a software solution. It is a comprehensive
service complete with access to Jenni, a dedicated innovation coach and first
hand access to our team's in-depth knowledge of organisational creativity and
innovation. And our risk-free contract means that if Jenni isn't delivering
results, you can cancel your contract with just 30 days' notice!
Learn more about Jenni (http://www.jpb.com/jenni)
or arrange a demonstration by contacting
your nearest Jenni representative.
ARE YOU AN INNOVATION CONSULTANT?
If you are providing innovation services such as consulting, training or coaching
and want to add a great idea management software solution to your portfolio
of products and services, contact
me and let's talk about how Jenni
can help your clients innovate better – and help you gain new clients.
You benefit from our generous commission programme, marketing on the popular
www.jpb.com web site (over 150,000 page hits/month)
and collaborating with a fantastic global team of innovation, marketing and
sales experts (http://www.jpb.com/about/index.php).
In addition, by packaging your services with Jenni, you can provide your clients
with value added innovation services that help them increase profitability.
It's a fantastic win-win-win scenario for us all!
LATEST IN BUSINESS INNOVATION
If you want to keep up with the latest news in business innovation, I recommend
Chuck Frey's INNOVATIONweek (http://www.innovationtools.com/News/subscribe.asp).
It's the only e-newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on all of the latest innovation
news, research, trends, case histories of leading companies and more. And it's
the perfect complement to Report 103!
Happy thinking!
Jeffrey Baumgartner
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