This chapter contains several interactive exercises to help you implement change. Section I, Exercises 1-4, helps you personally improve your innovative thinking. Section II helps an individual, group, department, or organization find their zone of creativity. Section III deals with how to implement innovations so they have the best chance of success.
SECTION I:
FINDING YOUR CREATIVE ZONE
This exercise helps groups visually see their main problem and how one problem leads to another problem or consideration. The purpose is to fully explore the problem and its interconnections. It is good to begin a creative process because it helps to lay out the parameter of a problem. A central idea is first drawn in the shape of a circle or square. New ideas are drawn in the form of spokes branching from this central idea. It is meant to visually help develop connections between ideas that might not otherwise be seen (1).
Mind mapping was created by Toney Buzan of the Learning Methods Group in England. It was based on research that showed the brain worked primarily with key concepts in an interrelated and integrated manner. To begin the process of mind mapping, write the name as a brief description of a problem in the center of a piece of paper and draw a circle around it. Now brainstorm each major component of the problem and draw lines outward from the circle. You can even draw branches from these initial roads as you brainstorm more detail. It often helps to draw each line of inquiry with a different color. You can brainstorm all the lines at once and the branches for each. Another approach is to brainstorm a complete road or line of thought before moving on to the next line of inquiry. It is not uncommon to branch out and discover related topics. Mind mapping not only helps to encourage creativity, but it is also good in helping you explore all issues and sub-issues related to a problem as well as their pros and cons
EXERCISE #2 “MANAGEMENT-BY-THE- FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION”
This exercise can be used with groups, departments, functional areas, or entire organization. It is designed to help people get on the same wavelength. Have the group begin discussions about who they are. Have them agree on a definition of what you are trying to accomplish and how you are going to go about doing it. This is an ongoing activity that helps keep people focused on the goal of the organization. The rationale for this exercise is that it is impossible to produce good improvements and innovations if you do not know what you are trying to improve. Define “Who You Are”. Management-By-the-Fundamental Question (MBFQ) is a mental exercise that is best done in a small group. It begins by asking ourselves to define “who we are.” Each step should be agreed upon and openly discussed.
Management-by-the-Fundamental Question, begins by answering these questions. First ask:
• Who are we? (definition), then decide
• Where are we going? (strategy, mission)
• What do we do? (assessment of customer satisfaction; make money)
• Why do we do it? (reflection)
• How do we do it? (activities, policies, procedures, methods)
• How are we doing? (measures income statement, market share)
• How can we improve?
• (training, and so on)
EXERCISE #3 “FORMULATING CREATIVE SOLUTIONS”
These A, B, C’s of problem solving are designed to get creative efforts focused on the right area. The first step is to ask general open-ended questions followed by more specific ones. Finally, these exercises conclude with closed questions that should help you identify the exact nature of the problem. These A’s, B’s, C’s for how to encourage productivity are shown below. There is also a D for what inhibits creativity.
A. Formulating Problem Statements:
Problem statements are means to ends, not the ends themselves. Often a problem statement will not lead directly to a good solution but rather will lead to another problem statement that will produce a breakthrough. It is impossible to tell which problem statement will lead to the best solution. First, try to generate as many statements of the problem as possible, without evaluating them. The more statements the group generates, the greater the likelihood that one of them will lead to a creative solution. The key question to continually ask is “What are you trying to solve” or “What is our purpose?” The following is a series of questioning exercises that can also help bring out creative solutions.
B. Discovering the Problem (Probing Sequence)
A probing sequence involves asking a series of questions to gain sufficient information to identify what solutions are needed. Probing questions should be used to get more details, examples, and clarification.
The probing sequence can be thought of as an ever narrowing funnel. You first ask yourself or a group a very general open question. Your objective is to encourage plenty of leeway in a response.
Your next step is to follow up the key points you discovered by asking a more specific open question. Continue asking specific open questions until you feel you have received all the information you need, or have discovered the underlying issues that need solutions.
Your final step is to ask a closed question to verify if your conclusions are accurate. If they prove to be incorrect, begin again with a general open question.
Example of a Probing Sequence:
A. General Open Question: “What problems are we having with the process?”
B. Specific Open Question (Probe): “What was the problem with that step?”
B. Closed Question: “So did the light come on when the machine stopped?”
With a clearly defined problem it is time to seek some creative solutions. This C or last step can best be achieved by using the following mental exercises.
C. What Encourages Creativity:
• Putting yourself in their shoes
• Assuming you know nothing about what solution is needed.
• Actively trying to understand what people are saying.
• Asking dumb questions.
• Wanting to listen.
• Being open to suggestions.
• Checking out the conditions that caused the problem.
• Involving everyone in listening (everyone in the process).
• Providing quick feedback and acting on what you have heard.
C can be short circuited by high jacking the process. for the best solutions avoid doing the following.
D. What Prevents Creativity:
• Staying with your preconceived ideas.
• Assuming that you know what is best because you are the expert or have done it this way and it has always worked.
• Hearing what you want to hear.
• Assuming you ought to know the solution already.
• Taking the attitude that you will listen if you must.
• Pushing your agenda or ideas.
• Assuming you know the cause of the problem.
• Being very directive.
• Infrequent, slow, and irrelevant feedback.
This exercise is a quick approach for getting people to focus their creative efforts. It is usually given after the team or group has decided what problem needs the most creative solutions.
Don Phillips, former president of Michigan’s Hillsdale College, developed a technique known as Discussion 66. A small group of six members includes a leader and a reporter. A single problem is assigned to each group, and a solution must be reached in six minutes. After the reporter has recorded the solution, the group is given another problem to discuss. At the end, all recorded solutions are sent to decision-makers (2.) It works well for minor problems or large ones that are broken into small digestible pieces.
SECTION II
ASSESSING YOUR CREATIVITY
EXERCISE #5 “THE INNOVATIVE IQ SURVEY”
This exercise is designed to help you identify the amount of creative and innovative thinking occurring with your group or organization and compares that to demands expected from your environment. The free downloadable survey, identified as Form 1 or Figure 13.1, is located on my website dkeithdenton.com. The questions used on that survey is shown below. A sample of how to record the survey responses is seen in Figure 13.2. The full downloadable version is on the website. To request free copies of the original copyrighted version or to get more sophisticated analysis of the questionnaire, please contact me at dkeithdenton@yahoo.com. The forms are copyrighted but you can use them with our permission as long as you notify me of their use and situations. We may simply want to follow up to see what you learned but your participation is voluntary. So you can go on the website and download the complete version of Figure 13.1 or Form 1, which is known as “THE INNOVATIVE IQ SURVEY”. Go to the website, then click on the e-book tab and scroll down to the “TOOLBOX” book. You will see the full INNOVATIVE IQ SURVEY (figure 13.1), the score sheet (figure 13.2) for tallying results and the Creative Index (Figure 13.3) for analyzing the results.. So what does this questionnaire do?
What “Your Innovative IQ Survey” Does
This survey tool helps describe how well your organization seems adapted to its business environment as well as helps clarify the degree of rigidity or ability to respond to changes in your environment. It can also be used to suggest potential strengths, weaknesses, and overall competitiveness in terms of adapting to changes in your competition, customer expectation, cost, and other outside forces that affect your business environment.
• Helps identify how well your organization or parts of it seem to be well adapted to your competitive and business environment.
• Identifies the organization stability and degree of resistance to innovation.
• Examines your culture and helps you identify if it is appropriate for your current marketplace.
• Describes the degree of dynamic change existing both within the company and in your business environment to see if they are appropriate.
• Identifies the likelihood that your organization will be able to respond to changes within your business environment.
• Determines the degree of change within your business environment and compares that with your company’s profile to see if you are in tune with those changes.
• Helps determine how well you are prepared to respond to changes in your customer expectations, changes in your overhead and cost structure, technological changes, and your primary competition moves.
• Provides you with graphical pictures that give a profile of the rigidity and flexibility within you or your organization and compares it to the change occurring within your business environment.
To use it first have members fill out the questionnaire item (Form 1 or Figure 13.1) which addresses key innovation and creativity issues that are shown below. Record their answers on a Scoring Sheet (Figure 13.2), then take the averages of those responses and record them on the Creative Index (Figure 13.3). The plotting of those responses will show if your organization is responding in a creative manner. Compare those responses to your environment. Questions A through F assess the creativity within your organization or group. Questions G through L determine the amount of change and uncertainty existing with your environment. The greater the uncertainty within the group or organization, the greater is the need for innovative practices. If responses are generally “below the creativity zone” but your environment is one of instability and change, then consider increasing creativity and decreasing rigidity. Items on the questionnaire are designed to explore a wide range is issues within a group, team or organization.
This 12-subject questionnaire is designed to survey a wide range of attributes involving change. It can indicate a wide range of strengths and weaknesses. The questionnaire can be filled out by you, your superior, your subordinate or your entire group or department. It can then be used to compare perceptions, and so indicate areas for improvement. These areas include:
A. Divergent/Lateral Thinking
1. In this organization we are encouraged to think in different or contrary ways, challenge traditional assumptions and bring in as many different perspectives as possible.
2. In this organization we are nontraditional, if it works we do it with little regard for rules, rituals or what was considered proper behavior in the past.
3 People at the top of our organization do not act alike, they have diversified views and behaviors.
4. Our organization’s culture exposes people to other perspectives rather than just one way of getting things done.
5. People in this organization are encouraged to explore new behaviors and actions in order to resolve problems.
6. In this organization, people are moved around to different jobs so we can be exposed to different parts of the organization.
B. Information / Idea Flow
7. Our organization focuses more on improving lines of communication rather than following lines of authority.
8. Throughout this organization, we pretty much operate without a lot of clear-cut bosses; most think of themselves as part of a team rather than as subordinates.
9. It is easy to communicate horizontally (across, back and forth and among departments and functions).
10. Information about what is really going on within the organization is readily shared at all levels, either through formal or informal means.
11. In this organization, people are free to ask any question they wish. Nothing, except personal or medical information, is off-limits.
12. Feedback in this organization is given rapidly and frequently rather than just relying on quarterly or annual feedback.
13. When people find and share ideas with others, they are often praised or recognized in some way.
C. Flexibility of Control
14. Management spends most of their time clarifying who we are and where we are going rather than managing the details of how we do it.
15. Management sets the targets and leaves the details to employees.
16. In this organization, it is the situation, not the boss, that defines what needs to be done.
17. In this organization, there are very few sign-offs and review procedures before decisions are made.
18. Teams within the organization generally operate autonomously or self-directed rather than being told what to do.
19. Rather than being told what to do, in my job, I pretty much figure it out for myself.
20. We do about the same things most of the time, but we rarely do it exactly the same from one time to the next.
D. Risk-Aversion / Taking Tendencies
21. In this organization, we tend to make decisions that challenge the status quo.
22. This organization is open to risk and does not perceive new methods, procedures, and information as threatening.
23. This organization is not afraid to risk some failures in order to try new things or look for new solutions to problems.
24. Our unit spends at least 5 percent of our work week trying to improve, enhance, or develop new methods, procedures, products, or services that increase our competitiveness or profitability.
E. Responsiveness to Change
25. A formal 3- to 5-year strategic plan about where we are headed does NOT play a very large role in my work unit’s ability to make decisions or changes to deal with new or unexpected situations.
26. The organization would be more likely to accept new ventures or opportunities that required it to change the way it is set up and run, rather than to turn it down so that we don’t have to change the way we do things.
27. In this organization, decisions are generally reached quickly rather than going through a long, deliberative process.
28. This organization is very flexible about how things get done rather than following lots of standard operating procedures, rules, or regulations.
29 This organization tends to respond rapidly to new market trends, product and technological development, or service innovations.
30. In this organization, concerns of the customer are dealt with in a variety of ways, tailored to fit the situation as opposed to using standard procedures or approaches uniformly applied to all situations.
31. We try to deal with our customers’ needs by anticipating them rather than waiting for customers/clients/constituents to bring them to our attention.
F. Adversity and Creativity
32. In this organization there are high expectations about work performance.
33. Our organization expects sudden dramatic improvements in performance as opposed to the gradual incremental changes.
34. Our organization operates to meet the standards of our pickiest customer rather than our average or typical client.
35. Rather than benchmarking against our direct competition, we benchmark against the best there is in our type of business.
G. Changes in Consumers’ Expectations
36. Our customers always seem to be expecting increasingly faster response time.
37. Our customers always seem to be expecting better quality.
38. We would lose customers if our competition improved its quality.
39 Our customers always seem to be expecting us to constantly lower our cost.
40. We would lose customers if our competition lowered their prices.
41. Our market share is likely to experience significant increases or decreases in the next few years.
42. Rather than having a mostly stable and unchanging customer base, we are constantly losing some customers and gaining others.
43. Individuals or organizations that comprise our customer base are likely to change significantly in the next few years.
44. Our customers’ needs always seem to be significantly changing.
45. In order to remain competitive in the next few years we will need to seek out new niches, products, or services.
46. Our customers are increasingly demanding customizing so that they have more options or service to choose from.
H. Changes in Competition
47. *Our primary competitor’s demand or sales have been increasing faster than ours.
48. *Our market share has not been going up or down in direct relationship to our industry’s growth rate. (Our share tends to either increase or decrease slower or faster than the industry growth rate.)
49. Our competition in the next few years is likely to increase significantly.
50. In our line of business, old competitors seem to be always falling by the wayside.
51. In our line of business, new competitors or rivals are always emerging.
52. Our competitors always seem to be changing what they do or how they do it in order to improve their competitiveness.
53. In our market, it’s winner take all. It is more like open warfare rather than live and let live.
54. We think of ourselves as competing with the best in the global marketplace rather than primarily competing with local competitors.
I. Cost Changes
55. The profits we are able to make from each product or service we provide can vary greatly.
56. We are in a constant state of trying to reduce the cost of our resources.
57 Our cost of capital always seems to be changing.
58 Our pricing and distribution costs are always changing.
59 The costs of our raw materials and supplies are subject to significant changes.
60. *There is little direct relationship between increases or decreases in our demands and corresponding increases or decreases in our profits.
61. *There is little direct relationship between our current assets and our current liability.
62. *There is little direct relationship between increases or decreases in our net income and corresponding increases or decreases in total assets.
63. *There is little direct relationship between increases or decreases in our cost of goods we sell and corresponding increases or decreases in the average amount of inventory we have.
J. Labor Changes
64. The size, cost, and availability of a competent labor pool with the skills we need greatly fluctuate from one year to the next.
65. Our workforce experiences significant turnover.
66. Our workforce experiences significant absenteeism.
K. Technological Changes
67. In our type of business, technological changes and revolutions are always occurring.
68. Technological changes, in the near future, are likely to have a strong effect on our business.
69. Our product development times or time needed to bring new services on line will need to continue to reduce.
L. Global Forces
70. Changes in the tax policies, interest rates, and money supply have a significant impact on our organization’s strategic or long-term actions.
71. Changes in tax policies, interest rates, and money supply have a significant impact on our organizational day-to-day operational activities.
72. Our organization is significantly impacted by changes in, or formation of, governmental trade agreements.
73. Fluctuations in the stock market have a significant impact on our business.
74. Our organization is significantly impacted by changes in, or formation of, government regulations.
75. Our organization is significantly impacted by the state of the economy of other countries.
*These bold numbers highlighted here and in the questionnaire on the website, unlike the others in sections G through L, are not opinions but rather are facts. They are ratios that can be calculated and, as such, are more likely to represent reality rather than opinion. The Scoring Sheet can also be downloaded from my website site dkeithdenton@yahoo.com. A sample is seen in figure 13.1
Sample Form 1 Scoring Sheet for “The Innovative IQ Survey”
This survey is designed to collect opinions about a wide range of characteristics of your organization and the environment in which it operates. It can be filled out by you, your supervisor, subordinate, team or entire organization Next, plot the results from “Innovation IQ Survey” using “Creativity Index”. A downloadable version is also available on my website dkeithdenton@yahoo.com.
“Creativity Index” for graphing the Survey
Categories A through F are designed to assess the creative climate at your work. The more people are encouraged to use literal and divergent thinking (A); the better the flow of ideas and information (B); the more flexible the control process (C); the more risk taking (D); and more responsive to change (E); the more creativity potential exists. Category F is based on the belief that high standards create stress that ultimately leads to innovative approaches.
These categories should then be compared to categories G through L, which essentially assess the degree of stability and lack of change that exist in your marketplace. Scores below four (4) implies you work in a stable environment where there is less need for creativity and more emphasis on reputation and predictability.
SECTION III:
IMPLEMENTING INNOVATIONS
EXERCISE #6 “DOS AND DON’TS OF CHANGE”
This exercise can be used by groups, departments, or organizations to walk them through the change process. Specifically, it is designed to get everyone thinking about how best to implement innovations. In particular, it forces people to assess both their good and bad experiences with implementing change and then encourages them to draw up an action plan to follow.
Instructions: Have people follow steps A through G and follow the appropriate instructions. The goal should be to get everyone thinking about how to effectively implement changes and innovations.
A. Individually, “Think of a situation in which you responded negatively to a change at work that was suggested or implemented by someone else.” List those factors of the situation that made you respond negatively. Focus on how the change was suggested or carried out rather than the change itself.
(10 minutes)
B. “Now think of a situation where you responded positively to a change at work that was suggested or implemented by someone else.” Then list factors that made you respond favorably.
(5 minutes)
C. As a subgroup share the information each of you has listed. Select a recorder to summarize and record your team’s responses (will report to entire group).
(10 minutes)
D. Discuss, summarize, and record (as an entire group).
(15 minutes)
E. Develop guidelines for suggesting and implementing change in a way that creates a positive response to change and then record on an inventory for all to see.
(10-15 minutes)
F. As a reassembled subgroup, create an action plan so your subgroup can implement a specific plan. Select a recorder and record and present plan.
(15 minutes)
G. Reconvene the full group—each group presents entire action plans.
(15 minutes)
EXERCISE #7 “HOW TO INTRODUCE CHANGE”-A SEVEN-STEP PROCESS
The first parts in this exercise are designed to get people thinking about how to successfully change. This is a more directive approach that recommends a specific sequence of activities. A more compressed form for fleshing out this sequence is also provided.
Instructions: The following exercise will enhance your ability to successfully implement change. It is a seven-step process.
Step 1. Define the status quo and its background. Anytime you want to make an innovation, you can begin by defining the current state-of-affairs. Note the relevant background surrounding the present situation. State relevant facts and activities that help identify a problem. Review previous actions or thoughts that have already been considered, but primarily focus on defining the results by using the following process.
Step 2. Establish a “problem statement.” To formulate a concise action statement, it is critical to begin with the words how to. Include an action verb (for example, something that shows movement) that describes what is to be done, what outcome is expected, and when. These statements should answer the question how much and how soon.
Step 3. Brainstorm. By opening up the problem-solving process by seeking the thoughts, wishes, suggestions, and recommendations on how to solve the problem you have defined.
Step 4. Select ideas. Select an idea or ideas by prioritizing those that hold the greatest potential for improvement.
Step 5. Analyze each idea’s benefits/concerns. Analyzing potential benefits and concerns about the most promising ideas is the next step. Try to develop at least three benefits first, then and only then list any concerns that might prevent success. Concerns should be framed in the form of how to statements. This sequence helps prevent potentially good ideas from being killed prematurely.
Step 6. Overcoming concerns. Minimize concerns mentioned in step 5 by stating them as potential problems. Concerns should be started as “how to” or “I wish” statements. The reason for this procedure is so these concerns can be recycled through the sequence of steps as a new problem that can be overcome. You can use the form below to improve the process.
Step 7. Create an Action Plan. The last step involves deciding who will do what as well as decided when it will be done. It will be important to identify a way to know when it has been accomplished.
Again this form can be downloaded from my website at no cost. It is identified as figure 13.3 under the Toolbox book section of the e-book tab on the website.
EXERCISE #8 “PLAYING CARDS FOR CHANGE”
This exercise is as open-ended as the exercise is rigid. It asks participants to deal out playing cards that you create. The purpose is to encourage discussions of how best to implement change in their situation. Participants are asked to decide the best sequence of events and fill in blank areas that are not on the cards. It is a fun and useful way to get group discussion when members’ experience with change is fairly limited. It also makes a good icebreaker for many groups and helps everyone start thinking in the same sequence.
Cut out playing-sized cards with descriptions relevant to what you are discussing. You can use figure 13.4 on the website for items to glue to your playing, or use a copier to enlarge them to the desired size and print them on heavy card stock. You can also cards or make up your own. Make a copy of the graphic, then copy and enlarge the images so they can be pasted to a deck of playing cards. A special note, make sure numbers on the cards are not included. You do not want participants to know the right or suggested sequence. The real value of the exercise is to have them to figure it out. If you use the cards on the website also cut out a couple of blank cards so they can add their own steps. Ask the group to arrange the cards in the correct sequence. For example you can have them arranged around three concepts (Decide, Do, and Review) shown in Figure 13.5 on the website. Have the group reach agreement on what should come first, second, and so on, and then report the result to a larger group.
The exact sequence or specific steps are not as important as the consensus-building discussion that revolves around the activity. Having a couple of blank cards allows the group to explore unique constraints or conditions within their area. The activity should take at least 30 minutes and a follow-up presentation can take another 20 to 30 minutes.
Create a large chart and give it to each member who can then use it as a guide-line for future meetings and activities.
This is another visual tool for helping groups, departments, or whole organizations focus on the key steps to successful implementation. The participants can draw their own storyboard.
This requires you to free up your more playful self. Think like a child. Children love to visualize the future in their pictures and painting. Some children were concerned about polluting automobiles so their pictures show cars driven by wind-power, muscle-power instead of petrol or ingenious magnetic systems that automatically take cars to their destination. Children readily give free rein to their creativity, without worrying about practical matters. They don’t ask—”Will it really work?” “Is it technically possible?” or “Is it affordable?” This is how new ideas come into being. That is the purpose of storyboards. The idea is to use cartoons to express creative concepts or resolve problems in an original way.
With yourself or a group, identify a situation that needs innovative or creative approaches. Some potential situations to be Storyboarded might be things like:
• Not continually keeping up with the competition.
• Team members not helping out and working together.
• A few people left to do all the work.
• Someone not doing their part or not being dependable.
• Personality clashes.
• The team not performing well.
• The team’s “drifting” without direction.
• Meetings that don’t seem to accomplish anything.
• There is little or no effective communication.
• No planning or not enough of it.
These of course are only suggestions, many others are possible. Next, assume you are to create a 30- to 60-second videotape where you will do four things. These steps include:
1. Define the change you want to implement (10 minutes).
2. Describe as detailed as you can the exact situation or event that is critical to this change. Visualize a moment of truth at some point in the future where a conflict will arise over the change. Using this conflict or situation as a central theme, create your storyboard about how you would respond with the new innovation you have implemented. Some ideas you might storyboard are attached.
3. First, break the event down into major scenes and work out what might be said and how it will be handled. Next, after you have worked out the actions, either sketch, or use paste-up decals that are provided to you to visually show what is occurring. Do this last step only after you have worked out the details about an event and how it will be handled!
4. If you are working in a group, then bring your storyboard back to the entire group, have someone act as a facilitator to describe or act out the scenes of your storyboard so we can all envision how you would react in this future conflict.
You basically want to describe the change you want, describing the exact situation or thing you want to change by finding a “moment of truth” where conflict will arise over this change.
Using this moment, create your storyboard. This is done by breaking down the major scenes and using either sketches or graphics to create a visual picture of the sequence of events. Storyboarding helps you visualize success and helps you think through the key steps essential to your success. It can be used by one person, but works best with two people or a very small group. Use your own drawing skills (stick figures are nice) or use some of the graphics that are attached to create a novel or original approach to your problem. So try it out, here is how you start.
You are to create a 30- to 60-second “videotape”. In it you will:
Directions: Identify 9 to 12 important or major scenes.
Description: A storyboard should show a rough sketch or picture of some key activity (can use some materials we supply). Each picture or scene should contain a caption that:
• describes the scene
• identifies what is going on
• briefly highlights the actions and communication that is occurring in the scene.
EXERCISE #10 “INTRODUCING INNOVATIONS USING PROJECT TEAMS”
This is advice comes directly from someone who has successfully implemented change through project teams. It includes steps for building a good team. David DeVowe, was the manufacturing technology manager at Tool Product Company in Minneapolis. He said that you never introduce a new concept to the whole organization, rather you should pilot test everything. All of their pilot projects consist only of volunteers. The idea is to build as much success as possible for the new innovation. Tool Products also found it beneficial to erect invisible barriers between their old (traditional) system and their pilot teams so there was no direct reporting relationships and no interference.
DeVowe also mentions that the company found it useful to create a core group of action takers and visionaries that kept their team development process fast paced and moving forward. Finding this group of go-getters would be essential to creating early success and gaining experience with streamlining decisions. Along the same lines, the company also found it was more effective to create their own internal leaders rather than an outside guru (even though they did make use of some outside help).
Pilot Test Everything
Tool Products found it effective when the project team generated their own numbers. It was not so much a matter of what was being measured as it was having the group create their own numbers so they had a sense of ownership about those numbers. Feedback on performance, as well as measurement, was important. David DeVowe said visual communication boards were extremely effective communication tools.
Finally, Tool Products found that innovations can only occur with good educa-tion. They, like other companies, found it necessary to use education as a means to nurture the innovation. In particular, they applied education in parallel with the change just in time to shore up any exposed weakness. Exercises in this section are designed to help your group develop the sense of ownership essential to successful innovation.
Many companies that have experience with change use an exercise to get across key points. The exercise involves paper planes. In order to teach team members of the importance of communication, GE sets up assembly lines for making paper airplanes. Each person makes a fold and passes it on. The only rule is people can’t talk to each other. At the end, the planes are flight tested. As you can imagine, many don’t fly. After emphasizing the need to share information, the group does the airplane exercise again. This time they can talk to each other. Guess what—the planes fly! The point is: Teamwork is important whether you’re making quality paper airplanes, quality refrigerators, or anything else. Innovations are most likely to work if information about the process is actively exchanged and conflicts resolved among those affected by the change. The seven-step process for introducing innovation (see Exercise #7) can often be used with this exercise.
Building a Good Team
Frequently, project teams do not go as smoothly. Reasons can stem from a lack of understanding of the importance of each member. One way of developing this appre-ciation is to go through the following exercise with your group (1).
Step 1. Each member chooses the same job or task within your group and spends about 30 minutes preparing a brief statement of:
1. What does this task involve?
2. How does it affect others in the group?
3. How does it contribute to the group’s performance?
Each person then prepares similar statements about their own role and responsibilities as well as how their work affects and is affected by others. (A less time-consuming alternative to focusing on one function at a time is to have each person just do this last step of focusing on their role. However, recognize that if the idea is to create a better working relationship then choosing common functions to discuss is a good idea.)
Step 2. Statements prepared in step 1 should be verbally discussed within the group to make sure each person has a clear understanding of what everyone does and its implications to the whole team.
Step 3. Next make two lists. The first is called expectations and the other is called commitments. Both are statements of actions needed to improve the efficiency of the team. In the case of expectations, it is a list of actions you need from others. Commitments would be what you would be willing to do to improve the process.
Step 4. Now, verbally exchange these expectations and commitments with the rest of the group. This is the point where a great deal of discussion should occur. The purpose is to clarify and understand what is needed to improve your chances of success. Finally, this discussion should be followed by written agreements made by each person stating what they will do for the group. Each person should also receive a copy of the agreement. Follow-up meetings should be scheduled to check on progress and to focus on implementing the innovations.
1. We Are a Team. 1988. Ford Motor Company Booklet, 16.