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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, 4 August 2009
Issue 153
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.
LIVING OVERSEAS BOOSTS CREATIVITY
It has long been said that travel broadens the mind. That has never been tested
empirically until recently. And the result is that travel alone is not sufficient
to boost creativity. Living overseas, however, has been demonstrated to improve
creative thinking ability! So, if you want a quick route to enhanced creativity,
leave the country!
William W. Maddux, of INSEAD, and Adam D. Galinsky of Northwestern University
ran a series of experiments designed to measure creativity and identify correlations
between levels of creativity and living abroad. They have recently published
their results in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Maddux's and Galinsky's experiments made use of the most readily available
guinea pigs to University researchers: graduate students. Fortunately,
in America there are a lot of foreign graduate students as well as a number
of American students who have lived abroad.
Study 1
In the first study, 205 students were shown a picture of several objects on
a table: a candle, a pack of matches and a box of tacks, all of which were next
to a cardboard wall. They were asked to figure out how to attach the candle
to the wall in such a way that when lit, wax would not fall onto the table or
the floor.
Of those students who had lived abroad, 60% were able to work out the solution.
Only 42% of those who had never lived abroad solved the puzzle. Moreover, the
longer a student had been overseas, the more likely she was to work out the
puzzle.
The solution, incidentally, is to stick the empty box of tacks to the wall
using some of the tacks.
Where's the Creativity?
The second study had two aims. Firstly it aimed to confirm the findings of
Study 1 using a very different lateral thinking puzzle. The second aim was to
control for personality variables that might be related to creativity and living
abroad. Specifically, the researchers were worried that creative people might
be more inclined to live abroad than non-creative people. Hence, the results
would simply demonstrate that creative people are more creative than non-creative
people, which would hardly be surprising.
Using standard measures of personality traits associated with creative people,
Maddux and Galinsky were able to account for natural creativity in the second
and subsequent studies. However, they note: “Although controlling for
such variables cannot rule out the possibility that creative people are more
likely to live abroad, it can give us more confidence that there is a unique
relationship between living abroad and creativity.”
Study 2
The second study involved a role play exercise of negotiating the sale of a
petrol station. A group of 108 MBA students were divided into teams of two.
Each person was given confidential instruction and time to think about it. However,
they were prohibited from discussing their instructions with anyone else, particularly
their role- play partners.
One person in the role-play was the seller of a Texoil petrol station.
She had decided to take a couple years off to travel the world and so needed
to sell the station. Once she returned to America, she planned to go back to
work. She had a sales price and a maximum price, below which she would not go.
The buyer did not intend to run the place herself and would need managers to
oversee the actual operations of the petrol station. She also had a price limit
above which she would not pay.
Not surprisingly, the seller's lowest price was higher than the buyer's maximum
price.
The teams performed their role plays and, of those teams in which both participants
had lived abroad, 70% reached a deal in which the buyer paid a price below the
seller's lowest offer, but also offered the seller a management job upon
her return to America. Of those teams in which neither participant had lived
abroad, none were able to reach a deal!
Adaptation
Both of these studies (and others performed by the researchers) showed there
was no correlation between travelling abroad and creativity. The only correlation
they found was with students who had lived abroad and were creative. In
reviewing their results, Maddux and Galinsky hypothesised that adaptation may
be a key mechanism behind this link. “Because culture is such a pervasive
force, impacting and shaping every aspect of one's life, adapting oneself to
a new culture – learning how to behave and think in different way [sic]
– may make individuals chronically aware of multiple perspectives and
approaches when dealing with mundane and novel situations and, thus, may be
associated with increased creativity.”
To test this hypothesis, Maddux and Galinsky and designed an experiment
based on an unstructured creative generation task. Specifically, they asked
students to draw an alien. They “predicted that people primed with cognitions
about adapting to a new culture would bee more likely to create alien creatures
that were very different to those found on Earth.” And the results do
indeed demonstrate this! You can see sample drawings in their paper (link to
PDF of paper at end of this article).
Permanent or Temporary Creativity Boost
The authors acknowledge that their experiments do not demonstrate that living
overseas causes a permanent creative boost. It only demonstrates a correlation
between living abroad and enhanced creativity. Hence it is possible that the
effect is temporary in nature. Further testing will be necessary to explore
this issue.
I believe it would also be interesting to see if similar correlations exist
for various kinds of expatriates. Having lived in several countries, I've observed
and experienced various kinds of expat groups. Some essentially form closed
communities in which members work, live and socialise primarily with others
from their own culture. Overseas military bases are primary examples of this.
Lessons to Be Learned
For businesses and other organisations with international offices, sending
as many people as possible to live and work abroad would be an excellent mechanism
for increasing the creativity of individuals within the organisation. More importantly,
this creativity should be harnessed by the organisation, such as through putting
such people in charge of projects in which a high level of creativity is desirable.
Managing skunkwork projects ( http://www.jpb.com/report103/archive.php?issue_no=20050104
) is one such task that comes to mind.
Companies which do not have international offices would do well to hire foreigners
to positions which require, or would benefit from, strong creative skills.
And if you have an opportunity to live abroad – take it! Not only can
you expect to become more creative, but living in various cultures is a rich
and rewarding experience.
References: “Cultural Borders and Mental Barriers: The Relationship
Between Living Abroad and Creativity” (2009) by William W. Maddux
and Adam D. Galinsky; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology; Vol 96,
No 5, pp 1047- 1061). Download as PDF from http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/psp9651047.pdf
A CRITICAL SKILL FOR EVERY INNOVATION MANAGER
I work and correspond with many innovation managers and innovation consultants.
Twice in recent months, I have spoken such people who lack what I believe to
be one of the most critical skills for anyone charged with supporting an innovation
initiative of any kind: the ability to listen!
While the ability to listen is a highly desirable trait in anyone irrespective
of her career, it is arguably critical in an innovation manager.
In Order to Develop an Innovative Solution....
In order to develop an innovative solution, you need to fully understand the
problem you are trying to solve or the goal you are trying to achieve. Albert
Einstein is credited with saying that if he had 60 minutes to save the world,
he would spend 55 minutes defining the problem and five minutes solving it.
(note: I have not been able to verify this statement with a source, if you can
please let me know!). Surely the first step in defining any problem is listening
to the person or people explaining it!
Yet, in most corporate situations, the idea manager should not be listening
to a single person describing a problem. She should be asking many people about
the problem, its reasons for being and its consequences (see Turning Problems
into Challenges in the 7 July 2009 issue of Report 103 at http://www.jpb.com/report103/archive.php?issue_no=20090707
).
The innovation manager who does not listen cannot expect to understand a corporate
problem and the effect it is having on employees, suppliers and customers. And
while she may offer clever solutions, the solutions are unlikely to address
the true problem and so are unlikely to be true corporate innovations (we define
corporate innovation as the implementation of creative ideas in order to generate
value, usually through reduced operational cost or increased income).
Collaboration Does Not Work Either
Business innovation almost never occurs in isolation. Rather it is the result
of collaborative problem solving, idea generation, evaluation, testing and implementation.
It is virtually unknown that all of these actions can effectively be performed
by a single individual. Moreover, research consistently shows that collaboration
via diverse teams is the most effective approach to creativity and innovation.
Clearly, then, if an innovation manager does not bother to listen, she cannot
be an effective collaborator. The act of collaboration requires not only sharing
your knowledge, but learning from other people's knowledge.
Ordering Clients About
To some extent, an innovation consultant who lacks the ability to listen to
others can order clients to follow certain actions in order to build and run
a standardised innovation structure. But without understanding the client's
true needs, that structure cannot be modified to meet those needs.
But Don't Worry
Don't worry. This article is not about you! I am sure you are a fantastic innovation
specialist who makes it a habit to listen to clients and/or colleagues carefully
in order to implement effective practices.
On the other hand, if you are hiring an innovation specialist, either as an
innovation manager employee or as a consultant charged with helping your firm
implement an innovation initiative, make sure the person you hire has good listening
skills!
WHAT'S YOUR PLAN B?
“Plan B” is a term that refers to a secondary plan to put into
action in the event the primary plan (plan A) does not work out. It is also
the name of various medications, at least two music groups, a magazine and several
organisations. But out interest is in the original term.
As we have frequently noted in Report 103, the implementation of a highly innovative
new idea is a risky endeavour. If the idea works out, it is highly profitable,
tends to make employees feel good about their firm, makes stakeholders happy
and often generates good press. That is great.
But, if it fails, the same idea can result in lost income at best and demotivated
employees and missed opportunities at worst. (Of course failed ideas need not
result in such disaster! See http://www.jpb.com/creative/nobadideas.php
)
However, a more frequent problem with highly innovative ideas is that they
are not given the opportunity to fail! I have heard many stories from people
about management committees being unwilling to authorise the implementation
of radical new ideas precisely out of concern of risk. No matter how much the
idea champions promote the idea, the financial people see only the cost of failure.
This Is Where Plan B Comes in
Whether you have to present a radical idea to a committee or simply put it
into action yourself, having a plan B is a great way to mitigate risk. Plan
B will probably be less innovative than plan A. It should be designed to minimise
financial or reputation damage that could result from a failed plan A.
For instance, if you plan to introduce a radical new product, plan B might
involve reducing production quantities of the new product if certain targets
are not met. Those production facilities could than be re-organised to manufacture
another product.
Being Creative with Plan B
Even though your plan B may be intended to be less radical than plan A, you
should use the same innovation process methods for developing plan B as you
would for plan A. This would probably involve running ideas campaigns on “In
what ways might plan A fail?” These ideas can be evaluated for likelihood
and consequences. Those ideas which are perceived as real threats can be combined
into categories and form the basis for one or more ideas campaigns designed
to identify plan B options.
However, when evaluating plan B ideas, you should give high marks to low risk
ideas, even if they are not very exciting. Remember, the point of plan B is
to have a safe alternative if plan A does not work.
Two Outcomes
If you are creative with your plan B development, one of two things may happen.
At the very least, you can present your plan B as an escape route to be implemented
should plan A not work. This can demonstrate that in spite of the potential
risk of plan A, you have allowed for failure and can implement an alternative
plan that will minimise financial loss. Of course, if you are a decision maker
yourself, you can feel more confident about launching a highly innovative new
concept, knowing that you have a fallback in the event things do not work to
expectation.
On the other hand, you may find that in looking for a plan B, you actually
develop a concept that is even better than your plan A! In this case, you may
decide to drop plan A and run with plan B instead.
Not every idea needs a plan B. But if you are implementing a highly innovative
idea whose failure could have substantial unpleasant consequences for your firm,
you really should have a plan B. And perhaps even a plan C!
SOUTH AFRICA'S SECOND INNOVATION SUMMIT
South Africa’s Second National Innovation Summit is taking place on 18-19
August in the Maropeng Conference Centre in the stunning Cradle of Humankind
World Heritage Site, Gauteng. Following last year's highly successful summit,
this year's event, entitled “Innovation by Design” focuses on South
Africa's need to grow a culture of innovative futures thinking amongst private,
public and academic sectors by contextualising ‘What, So What, Now What’.
Speakers represent the country's top names in Innovation, including my friend
(and South African representative for Jenni innovation process management software),
Itha Taljaard and many others.
The Key note Speaker is Ms Naledi Pandor, the Honourable Minister of Science
and Technology. The Master of Ceremonies for the two day event is Ruda Landman,
a well known television presenter in South Africa.
More information about the Second Innovation Summit, including registration,
is at http://www.innovationsummit.co.za/
.
INNOVATION IN YOUR LANGUAGE
We are delighted to announce that Jenni
innovation process management web application now is now available with
a multilingual interface. This means that Jenni can now communicate to your
employees in any language on Earth. And, thanks to our streamlined localisation
tool, we can deliver Jenni in your language, or choice of languages, very quickly.
As a result, if your firm is a multinational one and you want an innovation
process management application that everyone can use irrespective of their language
skills, Jenni is your best choice – if not your only choice!
About Jenni
Jenni is a service that provides your firm with an innovation process
and a web based platform for managing it. Jenni comprises an application your
employees access over the web and a human innovation coach you can access by
telephone or e-mail.
The result is a turn-key innovation
process management (IPM) system that you can have operating in your firm
in no time and for a low, predictable monthly subscription fee. And the more
you use Jenni, the more you profit through the implementation of innovative
product, service and process ideas that increase income, reduce costs and make
your clients happier.
Global in Scope
Our clients include financial institutes, chemical manufacturers, food manufacturers,
utilities and media companies in the USA, Europe, Australia, Brazil and Africa.
They have used Jenni to develop new products, repackage existing products and
reduce operational costs through improved efficiency. The result is cost savings
far in excess of the cost of Jenni.
Our Guarantee
We are so sure that Jenni can enable your firm to generate new income opportunities
and cost savings through innovation that we offer a unique guarantee: if Jenni
does not pay for itself several times over in your firm, you can cancel your
contract at any time and without penalty!
Want to Know More?
If you would like to know more about Jenni, its multilingual options and how
it can help streamline your innovation process, visit http://www.jpb.com/jenni/index.php
to learn more and fill in the contact form to arrange an initial discussion
with me.
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 (or +32 2 305 65 91 or Skype Eurojeffrey) 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 your, your client and jpb.com!
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!
ARCHIVES
You can find this and every issue of Report 103 ever written at our archives
on http://www.jpb.com/report103/archives.php
Happy thinking!
Jeffrey Baumgartner
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Report 103 is a complimentary twice monthly eJournal from Bwiti bvba of Belgium
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