subject: How You Can Be More Innovative [print this page] Creative thinking and innovation are closely linked. To be innovative you need ideas - ideas that are different from the rest of the people. This requires high level of imagination with a purpose. It is possible for all of us to be imaginative, but we need to be imaginative with a purpose. The whole process of imagination should be purpose driven.
To become more innovative we should get start with our way of thinking. Traditions, organizational culture and standard operating procedures limit our ability to step aside from the well established norms and beliefs. As an employee we quickly learn to remain within the well marked circle, to avoid any problem and to be accepted as part of the team. The strong preference to be just like others invariably prevents us from becoming and being creative in our thinking.
We can be more innovative, when we learn to accept the fact that organizations and people do not like changes and innovating process, product and people's behavior is about change. We should be able to convince people that the change is worth the time and effort.
One need to master the art of stepping out of the boundary without being seen as the trouble maker. You should always make it a point to highlight how your way of seeing things from a different level, is going to benefit the person and the team. Remember the often used - W.I.I.F.M. - What's In It For Me when addressing the concerns of the people. When the power of the team is too strong it would be necessary to move out of W.I.I.F.M. to What's In It For My Team. Learning to manage the concerns and anxieties of the team is critical to sustain your commitment to think creatively. Otherwise the team will find ways to 'bring you back into their norms'. In other words, if we are serious about becoming more innovative, we have to create and sustain the favorable work environment that will enable us to ask questions that challenges the status quo.
Learn to harness the power,experience and expertise of team members, while recognizing the reality subject matter experts are people who prefer tested and established solutions to problems. Incorporating various creativity tools and methods is another way to seek and build innovative solutions.
Traditionally organizations looked at their internal teams for innovative ideas and solutions. Involving customers and other key stakeholders in the process of becoming more innovative should be considered. With the Web 2.0 technology, Facebook and Twitter are powerful tools we can use to garner the creativity and innovation of people outside the organization.
Read books and journal articles on a regular basis to challenge the mind. This will prevent us from becoming too loyal to our norms and system.
