Change Management

Having chosen the problem and made sure that everyone has a bird’s eye view of the 90-day journey, it is necessary to pay attention to the process of change management.

No one likes change. It is uncomfortable, like the pain of unbroken new shoes. If you are serious about the initiative, involve the top management to mentor, to troubleshoot, to remove obstacles. Involve them in planning the initiative. Ensure that they are part of the monthly rewards event. Their presence in monthly meetings either in person or on video will ensure greater engagement and involvement from the team.

‘Town Hall’ is Naina Lal Kidwai’s (CEO, HSBC India) face to face event with each of her major branches. It creates a personal connection which is difficult to duplicate. They are reminiscent of Sam Walton’s Saturday telecast meetings in all his stores. In Jamshedpur at Tata Steel, workers get a chance to explain their innovations to Ratan Tata on Innovation Day.

Preliminary Steps to Ensure a Successful Innovation Initiative.

• All problem owners make a final presentation of the problem statements and outcomes expected.
• Encourage suggestions and debate.
• Have clear systems for measurement of results and feedback
• Discuss the possible obstacles in the path of radical change.
• Involve top management in the presentation.
• Provide open channels of communication: a website, a hotline, a magazine (could be an e-magazine) and face-to-face meetings with top management.

Finalize the Problem Statement

It is critical to ensure that the problem statement is:

• Core to the business goals of the organization.
• Clearly defined and is truly the problem and not just a symptom
• Approved by top management in its final state.

When many commando teams are planning to pursue a single problem, the leaders have to support, nurture, mentor and reward. Without this clarify and wholehearted support, the initiative will falter.

It sometimes happens that junior commando teams choose the problem statement and arrive at solutions. When this is presented to the top management, they receive feedback that the management considers this a problem not worth solving. All the effort is wasted and people dismiss the process as ‘something that does not work in our old-fashioned organization’.

Think outside the box, Eliminate the box. Eliminate non-value adding activities.

Own a Problem

It is essential for every problem to have a problem owner (PO). It is this problem owner who will choose the solution that best suits his resources map. The PO is critical else the teams will not have the necessary momentum to reach the finish line and sidestep hurdles. A problem without an owner is like a baby without a mother.

The problem owner:

• Own the issue
• Describes it.
• Directs the content of the meeting by:

- contributing wishes and ideas,

- selecting the avenues to explore,

- paraphrasing ideas to check understanding before evaluating.

• Evaluates constructively.
• Decides when a solution has been reached.
• Commits to the next action.

The problem owner is the captain of the solution team. He steers the discussion in the right direction. He identifies the issue, describes it. He states the goals and describes the ideal situation. He encourages everyone who participates and supports nebulous new ideas. Evaluation and development of the final action plan are his territory.

They must be experts at instilling a positive field. If need be, handhold them as they meet. They should be willing to maintain logs and discuss obstacles. They must also be willing to be evaluated. Rewards will make them more effective.

Management Systems and Implementation – the Steering Committee

Create a steering committee to lead and coordinate the innovation initiative. The chief innovation officer is usually the chief executive. He is supported by the innovation champions and at least two members of the top management. This committee should conduct weekly reviews. They will ensure smooth process flow while inspiring the teams to deliver results.

The duties of the innovation champion will be as follows:

• Ensuring that the innovation spirals meet regularly,
• Organizing the training of the trainers and others on an ongoing basis.
• Regularly following up to ensure that the tasks agreed to are carried out.
• Facilitating collection of monthly reports and preparing a consolidated report.
• Handholding teams, encouraging and promoting innovation across the company.

The steering committee meets once a month to review and take corrective action. The floor should be kept open for those who would like to participate. All teams can meet to gather forces for implementation.

They should ensure that support is provided for innovative projects with potential.

Sub-problem Statements

Each problem can be broken up into sub-problems. A problem is like a jigsaw puzzle, made up of many pieces which are its sub-problems.

Create small teams around each sub-problem. Allow each team to work using thinking tools.

Create a problem statement and sub-problem statement as per the following format and work on it with your organizational problems:

Problem Statement Problem : How to………….

Serial No	Sub – Problem	People to be involved	Budgets	Outcomes

Teamwork drives innovation. Challenge each other when working together.

Impact Analysis

It is now time to prioritize problems to be solved. Make sure no time is wasted on non-critical problems. Team members can critique and analyze each problem ruthlessly. Put them up on white boards in your innovation centre so that people live amidst them, feeling free to add their thoughts.

Task for the day

Choose problems which are high-value, big-ticket items for the company. The four key issues which you like to consider are: increasing revenues, reducing costs, improving customer satisfaction and improving employee participation.

Analyze each of the problem using the format given below:

Impact Analysis – Outcome

Time	Increasing revenues	Reducing costs	Improving customer satisfaction	Increasing employee participation
1 Month
3 Months
6 Months
1 year

Have a long term goal and stick to it through difficult times.

Revisit the Problem Bank

The lack of collaboration between departments stifles innovation. What can you do differently in your organization?

Revisit the problem bank which you have created and include the following problems along with the existing ones

1. Problems which can be prevented with condition monitoring
2. Problems which may arise when there is a change in any of the 6M areas.

Get your team to review all the problems in the problem bank. A good company maintains a problem bank on its intranet to solicit comments from its work force. As the problems keep getting solved, they can be replaced with new, unsolved problems.

Revisit the Problem Bank

The lack of collaboration between departments stifles innovation. What can you do differently in your organization?

Revisit the problem bank which you have created and include the following problems along with the existing ones

1. Problems which can be prevented with condition monitoring
2. Problems which may arise when there is a change in any of the 6M areas.

Get your team to review all the problems in the problem bank. A good company maintains a problem bank on its intranet to solicit comments from its work force. As the problems keep getting solved, they can be replaced with new, unsolved problems.

Problem Analysis

Innovation is to analyse your problem in depth and make sure that everyone understands all aspects of the problem. Answer these questions together. Record all points using a poster and post-it slips.

What is the present situation?

Why has the problem arisen?

Why should it be solved?

Why is it a problem for me personally?

What thoughts have I already had, or what efforts have I made to solve the problem?

Why are these thoughts or efforts insufficient or unavoidable?

What kind of action can I initiate towards solving this problem? What would the ‘ideal’ solution be?

If you can able to answer the above questions, it will guide you to not only to find out the right solution but helps you to find new resolutions.

The 6M Map for Problem Analysis

Every problem can be analyzed by looking at the 6 Ms – Men, Materials, Machines, Methods, Markets and Money. Get the team to study all six aspects of the problem, past, present and future.

The 6M Map provide an elegant format to help understand the underlying structure of your company. It enables you to dissect all parts of your organizational anatomy. Each of the 6Ms should be thoroughly studied for problems. . It is important to involve everyone in identifying the real problem. What is a problem for the worker need not seem like a problem for the manager.

The following example will help you in better understanding

Mr. Ramesh former HR director of Hyundai, once recounted the case of an absentee worker. He was constantly absent because of backache. Everyone thought he was malingering until it was found that he was shorter than the other workers, and was straining his back by stretching it. Increasing the height of the platform on which he stood solved the problem and eliminated his absenteeism

Market Research

Market research enables the company to understand a marketing problem better. The value of the results depends upon on 5 steps: Problem definition, Research design, Field work, Data analysis, Report presentation and implementation. New product ideas are likely to emerge from the market place during research. This is because changing fashions and improved communication networks are creating new aspirations among costumers. This information has to be solicited. It will not flow or be recognized in the hustle and bustle of chasing bottom lines curing routine every day business operations

Outward Bound Type Programmes

These programmes employ an exotic location and new situations to stimulate creativity. It is common to develop a positive climate through teamwork concepts learnt on location. The use of physical adventure is particularly attractive to desk bound executives with their notoriously sedentary life styles. Building trust and breaking down communication barriers can often result in heightened creativity, growing out of the environment or positive field in which innovation thrives.

Differentiation of Stars from Seekers

Stars, on the whole, are very positive about their company and its future. They believe that the quality of their products is higher, and that their market share was increasing. Employee satisfaction levels were high, possibly, because people were committed and engaged.

Stars had a greater belief in the need for creativity in the organization. Innovation was clearly mentioned in their mission statement.

They had systematic customer satisfaction measures and use the information to make course corrections.

New ideas are often obtained through market research.

They make use of outside consultants.

They use cutting edge technologies to impact bottom lines.

They are able to ensure that different departments use their ability to come together.

They excel in environment scouting for ideas.

They have a shared process of idea generation, which however, could be used better.

PO

PO is a tool perfected by Edward De Bono and is a word used to protect delicate new ideas from destruction.

PO1

PO1 is used to protect an impossible idea from immediate destruction. The tool used here to protect the idea is intermediate impossible.

Example: Parking on Mount Road becomes a problem due to over crowding and lack of adequate parking space. You can use an intermediate impossible here: Drivers should be encouraged to park only on weekends.

This can lead to the idea to provide parking spots for car on different days of the week. So each car would receive special facilities only on certain days of the week. This would encourage car pooling and a shift of leisure time activities to times when the congestion is less. The intermediate impossible helps to put a fence around an idea which is impossible, thus allowing it to develop without immediate attack

PO2

PO2 is very similar to attribute matching. They help us to put together dissimilar ideas and expert solutions from different fields. Example: If you would like to get fresh ideas on education compare it to a motor car. The attributes of a motor car are,

1. It moves
2. It should be regularly filled with fuel
3. It can carry people
4. It provides a good view of the country
5. It has four wheels

Aplying some of the ideas to education will ensure that we get a whole group of creative ideas like educational programme should put different types of people together in close proximity (as in a motor car) and enable them to share ideas in a time bubble away from others. Education should provide regular inputs from an outside source (like fuel).

PO3

PO3 is a tool to generate alternatives. When a system is working well, as a matter of routine, PO3 should be used to encourage thinking of 10 alternate ways of doing it better. This is an important and interesting tool to prevent stagnation.

ADI

Building relationships, lifetime relationships if possible, through good communications provides the right environment for creativity.

Reducing conflict improves creativity. Innovators are good negotiators because of their ability to invent a variety of alternative ways of handling the problem. Conflict is reduced by the ability to invent variety of alternative ways of handling the problem. A good tool to reduce conflict is Edward De Bono’s ADI. Take any conflict situation and do a ADI which is mapping the situation.

A Areas of Agreement

D Areas of Disagreement

I Areas of Irrelevance

It is often found that the two parties agree on 95% of the points. All heated arguments and conflict may be about 3% of the points while 2% may be irrelevant.

Creativity helps teams to cope with change. They are able to use change not as a threat but as an opportunity and a challenge to improve their problem solving abilities.

Turncoat

Play Devil’s Advocate. As a discipline, think of the exact opposite of the view you have been holding. If you’ve been saying ’Yes’ get the motivation for ‘No’.

If you are an optimist, as a discipline work out the motivations of the pessimist.

Most of us tend to see situations through the flawed windows of our own nature. We are optimistic or pessimistic and do not really participate with others in understanding all aspects and connotations of a problem. The Six thinking hats can help a group or even a person to study all aspects of a problem. Here are the hats and stands for.

Each of us wear each hat in turn or persuade other to wear them. I’d like to state here, that while thinking one should remove all barriers and obstacles. Thinking is the easiest way of testing a solution. Thinking through all possibilities can prevent major financial distress. But most people are as careful and timid with their thinking as they are with their actions, thus losing the possibility of nurturing creative ideas.

People feel busy and productive, leaping into activity. One can happily be busy doing work which may be non productive. In my view thinking should be the major activity of managers.

The rules of action has been already codified by Edward De Bono as ‘Physical nature of shoes’.

Creativity helps us to find alternative to successful activities. After the first three years. Sterling Holiday Resorts was doing well. But progress lies in constantly striving through innovation to delight the customer.

Peaceful Setting Technique

The objective of the peaceful setting technique is to enable people to mentally remove themselves from present surroundings so that they have access to a less cluttered, more open mental process. The goal is to eliminate the constraints of the normal work environment that impede full use of their native creative ability. By trying to utilize all five senses in this setting (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing), they can more easily call on their sixth sense, intuition.

Example for use

If you cannot shut the door and put the phone on recording position, go to another location where you are less likely to be disturbed (such as the company library, a conference room, or an unoccupied office). Now, close your eyes. Get comfortable. Picture yourself on a deserted beach on a beautiful desert island. Try to experience all five senses in this setting: taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing.

• Think for a few moments about the things you enjoy in your work.
• Think about the people who are a pleasure to work with.
• Think about the parts of the job itself that are enjoyable, that give you a sense of satisfaction.
• Think about the environment the things the company has done to make your work more enjoyable.

Next, try to channel your creative process into ways to improve a problem that all employees face.

• Think of someone that you don’t get along with very well, not a manager, but a peer an individual in your work unit or outside your unit – that unit – that you have problem with.

It is not reasonable to expect to come up with an approach that will cause that person to begin to like you. But it is practical to come up with an approach that will neutralize the problem and enable you to communicate with that person without feeling stressed or angered.

Wishful Thinking Technique

Applied properly, this approach can free you from unnecessary but unrecognized assumptions that you are making about the scenario of concern.

Procedure for use:

Generally, the steps to follow in applying the technique are as follows:

1. State the question, goal, situation, or problem.
2. Assume anything is possible
3. Using fantasy, make statements such as: “What I really want to do is……” or: “If I could choose any answer to this question, it would be…….”
4. Examine each fantasy, make statement and using it as stimulation, return to reality and make a statements such as: “Although I really cannot do that, I can do this by…” or “It seems impractical to do that, but I believe we can accomplish the same thing by…”
5. If necessary, repeat 3 and 4.

Turn it Upside Down (TUD)

Steps followed in TUD:

1. Common Belief: Hospital is a place for people who are sick.
2. T U D: Hospital is a place for people who are healthy.

When we looked at a hospital as a place for people who are healthy,

Our base of customers increased to include a vast number of healthy people who were interested in preventive and positive health programmes. The “Well Woman” programme which involved a health and beauty focus was a positive health programme. Yoga experts, beauticians and women’s health practitioners brought excitement into this vastly successful programme. Preventive health care came into positive focus.

The relationship with customers which traditionally started on a note of pain, anxiety, illness and death, began on a happy note. The focus was how to remain healthy and how to prevent problems. The lifetime relationship, which is the bedrock of direct marketing today, started on a happy, positive note.

Wildest Idea Technique

The approach in the use of the wildest idea technique is to remove people out of their normal problem-solving modes, which are usually quite conservative, by asking them to try to come up with a “wild” idea. An example was the discovery of radar, which was developed from the bizarre suggestion of a radio “death-ray” for shooting down planes. Instead of rejecting the ideas someone used it as a stepping stone to the concept of radar.

The approach is most useful when an impasse has been reached in problem solving or opportunity identification. Participants need to be jogged out their mind-set by considering things so remote or unusual that they change their normal frame of reference or paradigm paralysis. It takes a while to get a group into the swing of generating wild ideas. Most of the ideas are impractical, but eventually a useful one emerges. It is usually one that couldn’t be produced by one of the more conservative techniques.

Procedure for use

1. The facilitator selects the first wild idea as a starting point and asks the group to build on the ideas.
2. The group continues to explore variations or extrapolations of the wild idea.
3. Then the facilitator asks the group to try to find practical uses of the wild idea.

If the results do not meet the problem resolution requirements, the process is repeated on another idea. If no practical ideas emerge, another wild idea is used and the process continues until an acceptable idea is found. This is an important technique because it produces a surge of ideas that are often highly cost-effective.

Boundary Examination Technique

The objective of this technique is to restructure assumption (boundaries to our thinking) and provide new ways of looking at the problem. Another way of thinking about this situation is to try to suspend assumptions. Senge says that “suspending assumptions is a lot like seeing leaps of abstraction and inquiring into the reasoning behind the abstraction.” Boundary expansion is used primarily to question various frames of reference in defining a problem. Boundary examinations are based upon the assumption that a problem’s boundaries are neither correct nor incorrect. The objective is to restructure the assumption of a problem to provide a new way for looking at it. The major strengths of the technique are its potential for 1) Producing more provocative problem definitions, 2) Clarifying often indistinguishable problem boundaries, 3) Demonstrating the importance of formulation flexible problem definitions, and 4) Coping with management teams that are overly precise in their problem definitions.

Procedure to follow:

1. Describe the problem as presently understood.
2. Identify key elements of the definition and examine them to reveal underlying assumptions.
3. Analyze each assumption to determine the causes and effects.
4. Restate the problem based on your deeper understanding of the elements of the problem.

Brainwriting Technique(Shared Enhancement Variation)

The distinction in brainwriting is the generation of ideas individually and recording them on a piece of paper. The advantage over brainstorming is reduction in the effect of dominating individuals; brainwriting ensures that all participants have equal opportunity to share their ideas. The other advantage comes from the rotation of ideas among participants with each person expanding and improving the idea. By the time the process is completed, everyone has ownership in the idea. The result is a more mature idea, ready to be implemented, compared to the results of brainstorming where the ideas are mostly immature.

The shared enhancement variation uses the following additional steps:

1. The problem or opportunity is recorded at the top of a sheet of paper.
2. Participants record a possible solution on the sheet of paper.
3. The sheets of paper are collected and distributed randomly among participants. (Each time the sheets are redistributed, care is taken to ensure that recipients never receive the same sheet twice.)
4. The recipient of a sheet is asked to record three useful things about the idea.
5. The sheets are collected and redistributed and Step 4 is repeated.
6. The sheets are collected and redistributed and Step 4 is repeated.
7. The Sheets are collected and redistributed. Recipients are asked to respond to all the question, “what is missing from the idea: what would make it more useful”?
8. The sheets are collected and redistributed and Step 7 is repeated.
9. The Sheets are collected and redistributed for the final time. Recipients are asked, “Assume that cost is not a constraint, what has to happen to make this idea work?
10. The Sheets are collected and typed.

The approach normally produces sufficient information for each idea to be forwarded to management for evaluation.

Force Field Analysis

The name comes from the technique’s ability to identify forces contributing to our hindering a solution to a problem, and can stimulate creative thinking in three ways: 1) to define what you are working towards (vision), 2) to identify strengths you can maximize, and 3) to identify weaknesses you can minimize.

1. At the center of the sheet, write a statement of the problem you wish to solve.
2. Just below, at the left of the sheet, describe what the situation would be like in the worst case – catastrophe
3. On the same line, at the right of the sheet, describe the ideal, or optimal situation.
4. The center position represents your current situation. On the right, describe the “forces” tugging right now to move the situation toward the ideal. Then describe on the left side the “forces” tugging right now to move toward catastrophe.
5. The next step is to identify approaches that would improve the situation. Because the typical situation resembles a tug-of-war, use the following three approaches to move the centre line in the direction of the more desirable outcome:

• Identify things that would strengthen an already positive force.
• Identify things that would weaken an already negative force.
• Add new positive forces.

The Six Thinking Hats

This is Edward De Bono’s Classic tool – for mapping a situation and understanding all aspects of a problem. This tool is extremely effective when used in groups.

Most of us tend to see situations through the flawed windows of our own nature. We are optimistic or pessimistic and do not really participate with others in understanding all aspects and connotations of a problem. The Six thinking hats can help a group or even a person to study all aspects of a problem. Here are what the hats stand for.

White Hat – An objective look at data and information

Red Hat - Legitimate feelings, hunches & invitation

Black Hat – Logical negative judgment and caution

Yellow Hat – Logical positive, flexibility and benefits

Green Hat – New ideas and creative thinking.

Blue hat – Control of the thinking process

Each of us wear each hat in turn or persuade others to wear them. I’d like to state here, that while thinking one should remove all barriers and obstacles. Thinking is the easiest way of testing a solution. Thinking through all possibilities can prevent major financial distress. But most people are as careful and timid with their thinking as they are with their actions, thus losing the possibility of nurturing creative ideas.

Analogies

The use of analogies and metaphors can be a valuable tool in stimulating creativity, both in problem definition and problem solving. Einstein often used these techniques as a way to visualize and solve problems. The development of analogies/metaphors creativity technique is generally credited to de Bono (1970). However Aristotle spoke of the value of metaphor almost 2,200 years ago: “Now strange words simply puzzle us; ordinary words convey only what we know already; it is from metaphor that we can best get hold of something fresh”. An analogy is a similarly between two things and the strange familiar,” By the use of analogies, an individual or group can often find a new insight and approach to the nature of a problem and thus its resolution.

Often one can force analogies e.g. “How is this problem like a time bomb?” to examine and restructure a query. To use the technique of applying analogies:

1. Identify the essence of the query that you are facing (for example, the query might be “How can we improve the way we work with other departments?”). The key to the statement is one of “improving”

2. Create a list of devices and methods that are particularly relevant to the key concept (improving). For example, runners follow a training regimen to improve, which includes a combination of factors (diet, exercise, psychological techniques).

3. Review your specific question in the context of each device or method on your list.

The Auspicious field

Auspiciousness or a feeling of wellbeing is created in a space or a field by treating it as sacred. What happens to a space that is sacred is transformation.

When you consider yourself as sacred, you will treat yourself well. You will wear clean, good smelling clothes. Maybe ironed and starched, mended if torn, but clean and fresh. You will smile at yourself and encourage yourself. Just as you put on clean fresh clothes, you will also clean up the mental space or field around you. Sweep out all ill-will, anger, fear and anxiety. Let there be the fragrance of incense, divinity of prayer and mantra, the smiles of loved ones, laughter and joy, the smell and taste of good plain, food. It is as important to clean the field around you as it is to have a bath. Sweep out the sad baggage of the past. Take into that field only what is bright and elevating, fine and happy.

The space around you, your house, your office needs the same kind of careful attention. When a space is sacred, it magnetizes wonderful people, merges and attracts beautiful events into it.

All the words spoken in that space should be beautiful and loving. When harsh words or events happen, do not allow them to take root like evil weeds. Sweep them away and find the gentle kindness that grows beneath.

Rules for Productive Brainstorming Session

1. Encourage all ideas however foolish they may sound at first. Criticism, or sarcasm or lack of interest, no matter how subtle will quickly stamp out enthusiasm for innovative thinking. Managers are taught to be quick, critical and judgmental. It is important to turn that off.
2. Record all ideas. The great Walt Disney’s brainstorming sessions included a large bulletin board where all idea cards were pinned and photographed to be used in future sessions.
3. Build on others’ ideas using developmental thinking. Tell your teammate three things you like about his idea and then give him an itemized response on your areas of concern.
4. Select a “problem owner” for the session who will facilitate and encourage discussion without dominating. Bosses are the worst “problem owners”.
5. Use creativity tools.
6. Bring in people from different backgrounds. Bring in customers.
7. Make the session happy, enjoyable and fun.

Brainstorming

One of the popular effective method used in developing Mindspower through creativity is a tool known as Brainstorming.

There is a brainstorming technique is a technique called developmental thinking, which is used to explore ideas, which are attractive but not yet feasible. In simple terms, if two people, A and B are discussing an idea given by A, B, as a discipline, should identify three elements which he likes about the idea. This encourages A. B then goes on to give an itemized response on his specific concerns about the idea. The concerns are specific and they identify problem areas for A to solve. Instead of being adversaries on opposite sides of a problem, A and B become partners in growing the idea in a peaceful, nurturing climate. There is a great deal of work done by various thinkers on how to make the group climate more creative and less hostile. What happens in developmental thinking is that all potentially positive features of the ideas are identified and the deficiencies are used to give the direction for improvement, preserving the element of novelty while the idea is modified to make it feasible. This process is a contrast to the conventional screening of ideas into ”good” and “bad” after a typical brainstorming session, when novel ideas are likely to be screened out because they are not feasible.

The Environment of Creativity

There are three elements involved in developing a creative atmosphere.

*Extended Effort

*Suspended Judgment

*Postpone reaction

Extended Effort

Very often we tend to use the first idea that emerges particularly if it is a good idea. That is why the enemy of a better idea is often a good idea. Very often, you develop a single minded infatuation with your idea, thus shutting the door to other ideas. Extended effort involves spending a lot of time or simply generating a number of options. You could give your group a target: go on generating multiple options until you reach 100. Focus should be on idea fluency. The internal ‘Censor Board’ takes a vacation. All ideas are simply recorded in an atmosphere of nuturing and appreciation.

Suspended Judgement

Our parents, elders and significant people in our life start building up our internal ‘Censor Board’. Any idea that sounds foolish or even different from the norm is immediately shot down.

Suspended judgment involves putting a fence around a new, germinal idea to protect it from judgment, criticism or attack. A new idea is treated with respect, with as much tenderness as a sprouting seed. This ensures a climate where the idea can be recorded and perhaps developed. Edward De Bono’s ‘PO” and the Synectics ‘Springboard’ provide a protective shield for new ideas.

Postpone Reactions

The temptation to react quickly and sharply to an idea often prevents new ideas from emerging. Immediate reactions are often knee jerk reactions characterized by strong emotions like anger and aggression. These emotions prevent clear thinking. Locked into the ‘fight or flight’ mechanism, the body shuts down all functions except those necessary for survival. All parts of the brain except those necessary for survival are shut down. These parts are those we share with dinosaurs – the primitive brain. The higher levels of thinking, reasoning and creativity are temporarily shut down. So an angry, disturbed man cannot think very clearly. Providing a “safe place” for ideas to be shared without attack, results in a nursery of germinal new ideas.

The Feminine Principle

And, as we generally fear our fathers and love our mothers, the concept of a mother-Goddess appeals more to our heart than that of a father-God.

Women are trained to be lovingly supportive, of listening to a child struggling to say his first word. Patience is a culturally celebrated feminine virtue. “As patient as the earth” is the phrase used for a good mother.

Empathy becomes easier in such a relationship, protected by the possibility of a lifetime bond.

Traditionally women are comfortable with the care of the old and the infirm. They are patient with lack of competence.

Today this is changing where women have to operate in the workplace where the rules are different. Unconditional acceptance is ordained in a verse which says, “whether he is hard hearted as a stone or a useless as a leaf of grass, he is to be loved and supported as a husband, within the circle of a lifetime relationship like marriage”.

Many men question the need for empathy in a bottomline-oriented workplace. Toughness is respected and empathy is considered a sign of weakness.

Cross-Functional Dynamics in New Product Development

Managing cross-functional teams is one of the challenges of new product development, yet how members from different functional areas come together, interact, and arrive at consensus is a poorly-understood process. After a pilot study, the authors conducted interviews with 40 managers (representing all the key functions) from 10 different firms to better understand the human interactions across the functional area.

Three major finding emerged from the study. First, the relative participation and contribution of production groups were significantly less than that of other groups. The R&D groups tended to have the highest participation and contribution and in a sense “owned” the new product activities. Marketing performs relatively more tasks, yet participates less in new product decision making.

Second, participation and contribution were related. That is, when participation of a functional group was low, so was its contribution. To create a sense of ownership and get the best contribution, it is important to get early participation and to allow all members of the team to analyze the new product opportunity.

Third, cross-functional cooperation was weak in most of the firms studied. Importantly, efforts designed to increase a functional group’s participation in new product decision making may result in that group performing more tasks, but not necessarily increasing its cooperation with other groups.

These finding suggest several human interaction issues. Because of the apparent ownership of new product activities by R&D, this group may be less excited about cooperating with other, and indeed other groups are more likely to be asked to cooperate with R&D. R&D may believe that new product pursuits do not concern other groups such as production. As a related point, R&D may be more concerned about serving the needs of future customers, while production’s concern may be more about current customers.

The author found that the contributions of marketing and production were most likely to increase as a result of specific senior management activities, in particular (1) pressuring R&D groups into sharing control, and (2) forming cross-functional teams to manage new product decisions and work flows. In the forms where cooperation was poor, there were little or no efforts designed to promote collaboration among the groups.

Cost Effectiveness of Creativity

A manager holds up his hand and comments: I’m not sure I want my people to be more creative; they have trouble getting their work done on time and within budget as it is”

Many of us are led to believe that creativity is costly. For example, we hear about the costs of some project such as Gillette’s 21 – part razor. It was introduced during the 1989 Super Bowl (one I prefer to forget, since my Denver Bronco team was demolished by the New York Giants). Super Bowl advertising is the most expensive in television, so Gillette spared no expenses to introduce their new product. The company spent more than $100 million in developing the product and over $150 million to advertise it. Nor is the 21 – part razor a very profound invention! The implication is that most products require this kind of investment, causing managers to question the viability of embarking on a creativity improvement program. Yet, a profound invention – the CAT scanner – cost less than $15000 to develop. Creativity need not be expensive. Creativity is highly cost-effective.

Stimulating Innovation

I believe that while creativity is something that is intrinsic to all humans and can be “triggered off” in a variety of ways, innovation requires that companies consciously create conditions where strategic, organizational issues are creatively resolved through the involvement of people. In my opinions there are three essential conditions that can stimulate innovation in organizations, and these are:

· A culture that empowers people
· Recognition of innovative thinking, and
· Prevalence of outstanding leadership

Too often, however, companies are unable to elicit the involvement of their people, because there has been no conscious effort to share the “larger” picture with everybody. Commitment, which many corporate leaders claim is lacking amongst today’s employees, is directly related to the extent of sharing of information and to the extent of trust that is created thereby.

A formal system of recognition and public encouragement for innovative thinking goes a long way in communicating what the company expects from its members.

Cutting edge technologies

Cutting edge technologies were considered among the most important areas for ensuring success of the company. Merely incorporating cutting edge technology can make or mar a whole industry. When the flourishing textile mills of Coimbatore failed to keep pace with the cutting edge technologies adopted by the Japanese, the whole industry went into doldrums. Conversely, when Tirupur technocrats decided to incorporate world class spinning technology, this small Tamil town found a place in the world class facility for spun knit wear.

Customer focus on Innovation

Incorporating the customer’s voice into a product is one of the most important methods of ensuring market led innovation. Often the companies assume they know what customers want. But fashions change and so do customer tastes. Nestle, found in the 80’s that their market share for chocolates was plummeting. They conducted a TCC or Tapping Customer Creativity, that is, when customers (school children) and officials of the company, learned tools of innovation in a non-threatening atmosphere and explored the field. It was found that modern children did not like chocolates which were too sweet. They also wanted some health benefits from the chocolate. The result of incorporating these suggestions is history – Nestle made a dazzling comeback with chocolates that were less sweet and were garnished with biscuits and nuts.

Constructive performance feedback

Productivity depends on performance feedback, as does the innovation. There is no incentive to think outside the box, when no one listens or cares. Positive affirmation is the key to ensuring that people stretch to think innovatively. 360 degree feedback provides young innovators an opportunity to give their bosses clear feedback on a less than conducive environment. A system to clearly map individual competences and provide consistent timely feedback, can result in providing appropriate training when required.

Providing Challenging Jobs

In the past, traditional, Indian managements maintained a shroud of secrecy regarding the company’s achievements, particularly its financial performance. Today it is well established that informed participants are better than unwilling victims sacrificed for the company’s profits. Sharing knowledge and profits have gone a long way in achieving better performance. Many companies have introduced performance based incentives as a key component of their salaries.

Spending time solving problems

Many managements are involved in fire fighting and solving urgent matters which have developed into crisis situations. Time needs to be set apart to study alternative solutions to the banks of problems that lie under the surface of a running organization, constantly fighting for time. Don’t fix it, if it aint broke’, say the Americans, meaning do not change, if it is working well. This is disastrous advice in the present context of rapid change. Alternatives have, necessarily to be developed when things are going well. Status quo is the gateway to overnight obsolescence. Innovation should be planned when things are going well. When things are going badly, when survival itself is an issue, no one has the time or energy to look for alternatives

Outstanding Leadership

I believe that while creativity is something that is intrinsic to all humans and can be triggered off in a variety of ways, innovation requires that companies consciously create conditions where strategic and organisational issues are creatively resolved through the involvement of people. In my opinion, there are three essential conditions that can stimulate innovation in organisations. They are:
a) A culture that empowers people.
b) Recognition for innovative thinking.
c) Prevalence of outstanding leadership.
Too often, however, companies are unable to elicit the involvement of their people because there has been no conscious effort to share the 'larger picture' with everybody. Commitment, which most industrial leaders claim is lacking amongst today's employees, is directly related to the extent of sharing information and to the extent of trust that is created thereby.
A formal system of recognition and public encouragement for innovative thinking, goes a long way in communicating what the company expects from its members.
Organisations that demonstrate high levels of innovation are those that share belief that things can always be made better than they are today.
Normally in organisations, services and in production, the person who is not that creative but is a team man is a better person than the other. Of course if you have a very creative person who is also a team man, you get the best of both the worlds!
To us, innovation is at the heart of what it takes corporations to create and sustain leadership. It has far more to do with continually challenging the status - quo and pushing for corporate self renewal, than it has to do with creativity and ingenuity.

Explore Opposites

I watched 'Coco' a movie about the great fashion designer Coco Chanel. When the whole world of glamorous women wore jewels and silks and colours to fussy excess, she created the little black dress - a total minimalist contrast to the current trend. A way of dressing that said clearly - "Less is more!" Perhaps the total lack of resources she experienced in her childhood in an orphanage, made her use adversity to make a style statement, where she used to telling effect what little she had. Innovation is often born of adversity. That is why India with over 250 million people , has the opportunity to create minimalist, inexpensive designs for the world.
Innovation is about doing things differently. The surfire method is to think about the exact opposite of what everyone is doing. As VP Marketing, Apollo Hospitals group,I noticed that hospitals used to be a place for the sick. We turned it upside down and made Apollo a place for wellness with a multitude of check-ups. People worldwide who were well came to remain well, making it a household brand.
"If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it." - Albert Einstein