Case Studies Silicon Valley

Several firms in Silicon Valley have installed a "five minute rule." The rule permits anyone to suggest an idea.  Then for the first five minutes after the idea is expressed only positive comments can be made.  By the time the idea is talked about for five minutes it has usually spun into an impromptu brainstorm session that cultivates truly great ideas and some form of the discussion is often implemented... More

Innovation-friendly Organization

Case Studies Dell Inc.

"It is really dangerous if everyone in a company starts thinking the same way", writes Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of the Dell Computer Corporation. "The danger comes when you fall into the trap of approaching problems too similarly. You can encourage your people to think about your business, your industry, your customers innovatively. Ask a different question – or word the same question in a different way. By approaching a problem, a response or an opportunity from a different perspective, you create an opportunity for new understanding and new learning. By questioning all the aspects of our business, we continuously inject improvement and innovation into our culture."... More

Inspiring Culture: 5 Elements  Download PowerPoint presentation, pdf e-book

Case Studies Hewlett-Packard Way

To create an organization that could sustain its competitive advantage regardless of marketplace whims and what their competitors were building, HP founders based their corporate culture on the integration and reinforcement of critical opposites. This became known as the Hewlett-Packard Way... More

The Jazz of Innovation: 11 Guiding Principles  Download PowerPoint presentation, pdf e-book

 

Case Studies Creativity@Work

Andrew Apter, founder of the consultancy Creativity@Work in Lake Oswego, Ore., gives employees on company retreats various characters to play while acting out a scene. One might be a spy from another company, and another might be told to speak extremely slowly. "You're getting people out of their habitual responses," he says, which encourages them to have ideas they wouldn't have otherwise had.

  Loose-Tight Leadership

 

Case Studies Toyota

Toyota’s global competitive advantage is based on a corporate philosophy known as the Toyota Production System. The system depends in part on a human resources management policy that stimulates employee creativity and loyalty but also on a highly efficient network of suppliers and components manufacturers... More

Case Studies GE

GE Work-Out: At its core, Work-Out is a very simple concept based on the premise that those closest to the work know it best. When the ideas of those people, irrespective of their functions and job titles, are solicited and turned immediately into action, an unstoppable wave of creativity, energy, and productivity is unleashed throughout the organization. At GE, Work-Out "Town Meetings" gave the corporation access to an unlimited resource of imagination and energy of its talented employees... More

Boundarylessness: In his book Jack: Straight from the Gut, Jack Welch teaches that companies must be boundaryless to unlock their potential. Insular thinking results in stale ideas and, consequently, stale organizations. By breaking down the walls and borders that separated various departmental and functional areas at GE, Welch was able to unlock the full creativity of his people, propelling the company forward with fresh, creative approaches to problems.

 

 

Case Studies BIG Project: IT-powered Brainstorming Sessions

A Brainstorming Innovation Group (BIG) project supported by the European Regional Development Fund has allowed Technology Enterprise Kent, in England, to develop a new method to support creative thinking in small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) and other groups.

They use computer software during brainstorming sessions to elicit and capture ideas in a more professional and flexible manner than traditional methods... More

   

 

Max DePree quotes

Creative people need to work with others of equal competence... More

Max
De Pree

Akio Morita advice quotes Sony

Know how to unleash people's inborn creativity.  Anybody has creative ability, but very few people know how to use it.

Akio Morita

Sony

IDEO Tom Kelley creativity innovation quotes

Encourage boyish pranks and wild play in the office – they create an atmosphere where you naturally take chances and solve problems.  >>>

Tom Kelley

IDEO