Are you encouraging the creative thinking needed to transform your organization to the next level?

Double entendre’s aside, everyone is trying to find the path to innovation these days. A wise man recently imparted to my group some colorful and explicit words surrounding a company’s need to “innovate or die”. He went on to explain how he thought that we would be a failure as a company if next year we remained static with what we are doing today. This is a pretty bold, but true statement, even for a business group thought to be the leading innovator of a $6.4 billion organization. Revenue follows innovation. And if weren’t for innovation, where might we be today? Tomorrow? In this day and age it's easy for most to stick with the status quo or go with the ‘if it aint broke don’t fix it” mantra…but failure to come up with something new could be the end.

The rise and fall of Polaroid

Polaroid dominated the photo industry in the 80’s. They had expertise in optics, manufacturing and mass market distribution. The company followed a ‘razors and blades’ business model. Essentially they sold their cameras at a low margin, sometimes even at a loss, but made their money through selling high volumes of exclusive film, very much like Gillette does with its razors. Then came the digital imaging revolution, which saw strong resistance from Polaroid’s senior executive management. Ultimately they were late to adopt the new technology and missed the proverbial boat. This led them down the troubled path of near extinction, not to mention a host of bankruptcies.

Where’s the film?

Polaroid’s executives could not understand or adapt to the business concept of a camera with no film. This was a complete change in the way they did business. Why couldn’t management endorse the revolution? Tradition had built powerful mental models that prevented them from recognizing change and the future of the industry. These mental models are powerful and can stifle creativity and block innovative thinking.

Breaking mental models and setting the groundwork for innovation

How do you break out and come up with creative solutions? Think about a time when you came up with something creative. How did the idea develop? What was the environment like? Now, think about a time that you were frustrated while brainstorming. What prevented you from focusing in on the solution?

Let’s take a lesson from some of the most innovative organizations in business. Leading firms like Apple, Ideo, Intuit and Pixar all have comparable front line methods for creating a healthy environment for innovative thinking. Below are some tips to stir the creative juices.

1. Become an enthnographer: Observe the customer in their environment. There is no substitute for firsthand knowledge. Understand their needs, how they use products, and what their habits are.
2. Share your experiences: Have your team members share what they have seen, heard, and learned. Creating a group forum is a great way to create collaborative communication amongst a group.
3. Brainstorm: Let your team generate ideas in an open forum. Get as many ideas on the board as possible. It is very important to practice deferred judgment during these early stages.
4. Filter: Reduce the various ideas by voting in silence. Be sure that your team makes independent judgments.
5. Move it forward: Have a neutral facilitator. Leaders must intervene not to make decisions, but to narrow down and keep the process moving.
6. Prototype: Have your team engage in rapid proto-typing. If creating a product, have something physical for them to work with. Everyone expresses themselves differently. Accommodate and arm your team with the right tools and environment.
7. Diversify: Have subgroups work parallel on the same issue to help create divergent thinking. If groups get stagnant, switch up your teams.
8. Collaborate: Get your users involved in the process. Have your team take their prototypes out to the field to gather feedback

Some of the best ideas can come from the field or the very bottom of your organization. In 2008 two of Intuit’s newest employees came up with an initiative which led to 32 newly in-house generated ideas

Environment

Your surroundings are an essential part of the process. Try your best to eliminate distractions that might arise from an uncomfortable or sterile environment. Participants are encouraged to design their own workspace with unique décor and ambiance. Companies like Ideo went so far as to keep failed projects around. They firmly believe that it takes failed ideas to lead to ones that are a success. Their directive is to ask for forgiveness rather than permission when acting upon their ideas. All practices that help create a context conducive to creativity.

New beginnings

Polaroid may have been knocked down (multiple times), but shows resilience once again. They are proving that there is always room for innovation within an age old product or saturated industry. They have recently teamed with the eccentric superstar, Lady Gaga, to lead the launch of the new Polaroid Grey Label line. She is introducing a new wireless printer, picture-taking sunglasses, and a host of other products that work with their new Zink (zero ink) technology. As one of the top revenue generating female artists in the US today, Polaroid is banking that Gaga will continue to turn everything she touches into gold. I think her achievements are directly related to her ability to innovate and reinvent. Do you think her success can be attributed to pure talent? Or does she follow a process and create an environment that is conducive to breaking those engrained mental models? It’s time to unleash your team’s potential by opening the door to creativity.

Participate in our poll

Does your company have a process or create an environment that promotes innovation? Leave the answer in the comments section and we will post the results.