Competitive breakthroughs, as singular isolated events, are unlikely to have lasting benefit. The elixir for successful organizations is not to look for one good idea, but several ideas, hundreds of ideas
In this age of organizational renaissance and innovation companies are increasingly identifying their primary sets as knowledge-based capital. In support of this view, I personally feel we have graduated from the “information age” to the “knowledge age”. More specifically, the “applied knowledge age”. The way we put knowledge to use, whether it is for generating a new concept or problem solving, is very different (and must be different) from the way we did it five years ago. Or for that matter even six months ago.
Most executives today look for a magic breakthrough, hoping that one good idea, the idea, will improve their bottom line and speed them ahead of competition. This is absolutely incorrect! Competitive breakthroughs, as singular isolated events, are unlikely to have lasting benefit. These breakthroughs are mortal in a company life cycle. What is required, or rather demanded, is continuous breakthroughs for company life extension.
To succeed in a business marathon, a company must not look for one breakthrough, but continuous breakthroughs. The elixir for successful organizations is not to look for one good idea, but several ideas, hundreds of ideas, and yes, thousands of ideas. This is because individuals or teams do not usually produce breakthrough ideas at first pass. These ideas are born from the generation of many ideas. We now understand why Thomas Edison had said, “In order to have a good idea, we must have lots of ideas”.
A different way of thinking is needed for such idea generation. A kind of thinking that raises new questions..... so one does not get old answers. To foster this, management needs to develop a compelling momentum for innovation throughout the organization, and not just in Research and Development, Marketing or Planning. In brief, company-wide-creativity needs to be in place and sustained.
Of recent origin, but of significant success, are the Seven Creativity Tools, developed by Bob King, GOAL/QPC. Companies that have started to using the Seven Creativity Tools include Kodak, Bosch, Ford, Chevron and Black & Decker. To illustrate, individual teams at Black & Decker were each able to produce an average of 40 new ideas for new products, in less than 20 minutes, going beyond brainstorming and using only two of the Seven Creativity Tools!
World-class models are currently accenting creativity and innovation in their 2001 criteria. Closer home, we have popular models, such as, the IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award and International Quality Maturity Model. Both these models prepare aspirant organizations to successfully leap-frog into the competitive WTO driven global arena.
CREDITS: Suresh Lulla, Founder and Mentor, Qimpro Consultants Pvt. Ltd.