To get our blog group going I wanted to let you know about a great idea I picked up from John Findlay of Zing last night. He told a story of his daughter, who is not an over-eager student. She is a big fan of some band and designed a 40 page website in their honor over a weekend. She then submitted it to a group that publishes good sites to see if she could qualify to get in. They told her that her site needed more work and what she needed to work on to make it better. She made the fixes and resubmitted - and made it in to the publishing group. I thought this was an amazingly efficient and encouraging way to teach, grade, give feedback and improve.
Now I am thinking about how to take this metaphor and use it to accelerate innovation projects at work. Possibly a project could have a board of advisors that serve as the publishing group and help decide if the quality of planning/research/development merits moving forward. If not they could give expert feedback on what would make the work stronger. Then people would learn rapidly, course correct, and have a stronger effort toward the end goal of commercialization.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Gunter Pauli's morning presentation made me feel like an industrialized westerner who sees new products in natural resources and has little eye for the opportunity in waste and industrial synergy. I am sitting on a wooden bench next to the waterfall. The traditional view is that I must cut down the tree that provides my shade in order to make this bench. A more progressive view would be that there are discarded wooden pallets in the dump behind the resort. These can make the same bench. But what is the next step in synergy? How do I make this bench and in the process spinoff yet a 3rd product or benefit by creating food or energy? I fear I am just too industrialized to see that opportunity.
(Pardon spelling - using Blackberry)
Roger
Innovators have to innovate, even in an organization that abohors innovation. If they stay inside the org they will make changes within the bounds of their control. They will steal and hide resources to make it happen. In the best case this innovation will be discovered and valued later. It will probably not lead to promotion up the official career chain. But it will give the innovator the opportunity to move into new positions when the org changes. If innovation is undeniable in the external market, then it will force the org to change. This will create the next job for the innovator.
If you risk your career you will be rewarded. The market is looking for you.
Post a Comment