Accelerating Innovation
Edge of the Box Thinking
26/October/07 Filed in: Leadership
Articles
When desperate for innovation, what is most any
leader likely to say? “Think outside of the box.”
Think about it.
“Out of the Box” is a cliché, a phrase that’s been around for decades. Everyone knows what it means, but it’s hardly a trigger for ideas that are fresh, creative, and original. I encourage people to focus on Edge of the Box thinking – especially if you need ideas with a high potential for useful application.
Edge of the Box thinking is based on viewing the world at the boundaries of your organization and experience, where inside and outside perspectives can be combined, and where fresh ideas most likely will emerge. In today’s knowledge-based world, useful innovation typically arises out of combining core competencies with ideas taken from places outside of your industry or field, but not so far out as to be inaccessible. Read More...
“Out of the Box” is a cliché, a phrase that’s been around for decades. Everyone knows what it means, but it’s hardly a trigger for ideas that are fresh, creative, and original. I encourage people to focus on Edge of the Box thinking – especially if you need ideas with a high potential for useful application.
Edge of the Box thinking is based on viewing the world at the boundaries of your organization and experience, where inside and outside perspectives can be combined, and where fresh ideas most likely will emerge. In today’s knowledge-based world, useful innovation typically arises out of combining core competencies with ideas taken from places outside of your industry or field, but not so far out as to be inaccessible. Read More...
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Free the Creative Genie
26/October/06 Filed in: Leadership
Articles
Sooner or later any group that works together, be
they employees in the same office, volunteers on a
non-profit board, or executives on a management team,
will be called upon to come up with some creative
ideas – to innovate. Unfortunately, what typically
happens when the designated leader asks the group to
“give me your best ideas,” the reply is limited to
standard answers, conventional responses, or blank
stares. Would that these hard working souls had some
creativity in them! Well I’m here to tell you that
groups can let the genie of creativity out of the
bottle if they understand three counter-intuitive
principles - quantity over quality, reduce
inhibition, and seek some chaos.
Read More...
Read More...
Leading for Innovation
03/November/04 Filed in: Leadership
Articles
Does the future success of your organization require
ongoing innovation? Let me ask another way, if you
keep doing things exactly as you do them today will
you be just as successful in five years?
If your organization is dependent on knowledge work and professional competencies it’s highly unlikely the winning formula will remain unchanged. Innovation is essential! The challenge is that leading a team or organization for continuous innovation requires different structures, processes, and culture than managing for continuous high-performance operations. Read More...
If your organization is dependent on knowledge work and professional competencies it’s highly unlikely the winning formula will remain unchanged. Innovation is essential! The challenge is that leading a team or organization for continuous innovation requires different structures, processes, and culture than managing for continuous high-performance operations. Read More...