Gently Turning Down Ideas

Ideas are going through the innovation funnel and only few percent will reach the end. What’s happening with the army of ideas lost inside it? How will their creators find out what happened?

One of important parts of innovation process is the point where it is necessary to inform idea submitters that their idea will not be realized. We can call it “gently turning down idea” or “killing ideas” depending on the way it is done:

How to do it in a gently way, that will not make our innovators angry? How to do it in a way, that innovator will still have the faith in innovation process and will submit new ideas in the future?

It has to be done politely yet containing a good explanation of the process, which includes the information about idea reviewers and the facts about what was weighed and considered in the final decision.

If this is the end of the road for this idea, the submitter must be informed so that he or she is clear about the main reason for closing idea, for example:

• there was already similar ideas inside innovation process
• it covers a topic which is not a focus of our organization
• there are no sales channels
• this opportunity is too small for us
• it is too complex for realization

If we communicate this information successfully, we will see that this person is still interesting in submitting new ideas despite being disappointed the message.

Giving no response at all, with no clear direction or conclusion is a poor decision. In that case ideas remain open for many months or possibly years, and innovators have the impression that they just thrown their idea into the well. In that case we can not expect new ideas from this persons, as they don’t think that our innovation processes work.

It is also possible that innovators refuses to take this decision and try to work on idea as “submarine project”. Later, a new enhanced proposal with more details, including the prototype, may be inserted again in innovation process with maybe a different result.

This article was originally posted at Innovation Excellence.

Matt Ridley: When ideas have sex (TED video)

Great TED presentation:

 

Creativity – a Birthright

Everyone is born creative, kids are so creative, and human beings made the civilization and modern technology with this gift. But, when people hear what I’m doing, they always start to ask similar questions like:

How can one become creative?
Which ideas have the best chance?
How can I know what already exists?
But, I don’t have a chance from here?

Often, creativity is something that “someone else is doing”, someone in big offices, someone in R&D or “Innovation departments”, someone who knows it better…

But, everyone is born creative, right? Creativity and innovation can (should) happen in every environment.

People are often too occupied with their everyday-work, that they don’t have the time to think of something else. Often, they think that “people in management” are the ones who should think about new ideas.

Well, this is so wrong, everyone could have improvement ideas in everyday-work.

One way is to show positive examples – success stories from their company or even better, from their department in order to figure out that creativity can happen also in their workplace.

To be able to help them, first the obstacles to innovation must be recognized.

So, what’s blocking creativity? In most cases it’s the knowledge and time.

There is no chance for innovation if there is no knowledge about current trends, or there is no knowledge on what the competition is doing. This could be done with series of prepared workshops or even better, with establishing technology management process if possible.

Maybe, this could be the first thing needed to be done in the long way to build Innovation Ecosystem.

Next problem is the time – when to develop ideas. Well, first come to an idea and then find time, right? Ideas always gets innovator’s attention and true innovator will always find time for idea.

To start, people must be reminded that they ARE creative, if not in their workplace, then in the garage, in the backyard or in the kitchen.

Creativity has to be awakened within. Creative potential engaged.

This article was originally published on Innovation Excellence.

Barriers to Innovative Culture

Have you heard a friend, relative or coworker make fun of their bosses or management because “they are doing something stupid.”? And when you ask  ”why won’t you propose a solution?“, the answer is a familiar response: “They wouldn’t listen to me” or “they don’t care what I think” or “let them do whatever they want!”

This barrier between employee and the firm — I call it ‘learned helplessness’ — is happening in organizations where employees learn that there is no need to think creatively or exchange ideas, and it is an example of what kind of culture should be completely changed. These kind of work environments exist in many places and you can imagine how much space is left for improvement.

In such organizational settings, there is no space for ‘bottom-up’ ideas – ideas which comes from employees and cultures of continuous improvements. While they could be established in every company, more often if may not exist.

Well this is so 20th Century?

Innovative climates could be incorporated in many organizations which are not aware of their current state where statements like these can be heard:

-    This already exists!
-    We’ve been doing it the same way for years, why should we change it now?
-    This is not the problem!
-    This will not work in real world.
-    Who will buy this?
-    This kind of idea is not possible to realize, maybe in a ten years from now…
-    We don’t have time for that.
-    This is not in our area of work.

Reasons why innovators could be faced to the wall in their organization:

-    Political – someone will come out as incapable
-    Fear of change
-    It’s not my idea, so why would I support it?
-    Laziness – why take on new technologies or new fields of work?

Change occurs in steps. The first step is to recognize the barriers that exist, and then start to encourage and incorporate innovative culture into organization. For further insights go to white paper on Establishing innovative Culture.

This article is also published on Innovation Excellence.

Free version of “Unleash Your Creativity” App available now!

I’ve decided to make a FREE version of my iPhone/iPad App “Unleash Your Creativity” and it is now available on AppStore.

FREE version has all features like FULL version, but in limited scope. So you can search all menus, but only 1-3 submenus or categories could be opened.

I hope that this could give enough view into the usefulness of Application and that it will encourage users to download FULL version.

Presentation of Unleash Your Creativity App

Unleash Your Creativity featured on TrendHunter & InnovationTools

First & positive reviews of “Unleash Your Creativity” App which are coming from famous websites like TrendHunter & Innovation Tools:

TrendHunter: Refining Imagination Apps
‘Unleash Your Creativity’ Application Helps Revitalize the Art in You

Innovation Tools: 2 new iPhone apps help users generate creative ideas

What’s similar with innovations and soccer?

Where are similarities between innovations and youth academies at soccer clubs?

Think about a soccer team that have around 500 kids in youth categories. All kids are in training process for years and after some period selection is done. Then, only the best will play in the first XI in their category.

When they have 17-18 years, maybe 5 youth players get an opportunity in first team per season (and that’s too much to say!). And from those 5 players, maybe 1 or 2 will become players in first XI.

If we compare that with business process, we have 1 or 2 from 500 success rate!

Now, you can see the similarity with innovation process where many ideas don’t have real chance.

That’s why you must be prepared, that many ideas will fail.

The best soccer clubs in the world have the best youth academies or they are good in scouting young stars.

Note:
Think about your favorite soccer club.
Are you satisfied with their youth academy?
What can be improved?
Can see the similarities with your work?

How to be more creative?

Here is the small insight from my iPhone/iPad App “Unleash Your Creativity“:
15 tips to help you make more creative:

1. talk with creative people that you know
2. take a walk every day an make “internal” brainstorming
3. change the look of your office
4. write down your ideas
5. keep your idea notebook on your desk
6. read books that are not connected to your work
7. always ask yourself about the simplest solution
8. ask your colleagues how they will improve your idea
9. try to describe your idea as that you must explain it to total stranger who is not an expert for your field of work (Homer Simpson is good example)
10. don’t go from work if you haven’t write down one idea or a comment in idea notebook
11. make an investigation about certain destination, even thought you don’t plan to travel there – maybe you will find inspiration
12. decide to be creative
13. eat at another restaurant
14. go to work with public transportation
15. leave yourself a few minutes in a day for daydreaming

More info about “Unleash Your Creativity”
AppStore link

Unleash Your Creativity App is published now!

My iPhone/iPad Application Unleash Your Creativity is now published on AppStore.

After trying to find a way to publish book, I decided that it’s more “innovative” and easier way to create an App. I hope that this could be good way to reach creative individuals who need to find a way to create, reshape and finish their ideas and convert them to successful innovations.

Unleash Your Creativity is a mobile application that encourages creative thinking. This is an application which can help you in unleashing your creative potential.

More information can be found on UnleashCreativity site or directly on AppStore.