Good question!

The motivating force that has helped me to step back and become more open to alternative approaches is the perception that a current approach isn’t working very well. One of my high school coaches was fond of the phrase “necessity is the mother of invention” – a real concise way of saying that recognizing and defining a need is a precursor to an ‘invention’ or to using an alternative approach to produce a desired result. In the context of using the six sigma DMAIC approach (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) it has been observed that the ‘Analyze’ step is often the most important, since that’s where the observations are made – so if the analysis is done right, the true “necessity” is identified.

Also, I make a living from helping clients find alternative approaches, so I guess you can say that getting paid is a great motivator. I also happen to like doing it!

posted September 4, 2008

I usually use participant observation (ethnographic methodology) which allows me to suspend judgement, when appropriate..I have found that this approach allows me to see 'what is' prior to specific analyses and/or intervention...DR J

posted September 4, 2008

Aristotle said:

"It is the mark of an educated mind
to be able to entertain a thought
without accepting it."

Listening to other ideas may not be easy, particularly if we have pretty much made up our mind about something, but it often is an valuable way to learn something new or to change your perspective.

I have found that the conventional wisdom or conventional way of doing something is either wrong or certainly not the optimal way.

We ought to automatically question how and why things get done a certain way. After all, human creativity and innovation are constantly re-inventing how the world works. So we need to constantly update and upgrade our ways of operating.

We should never become "wedded" to a particular idea or way of doing things. Particularly these days, with rapid technological change, we should be constantly seeking a better way. We are in a state of flux, where everything is in "beta" mode. It never gets out of "beta" mode, simply evolving to the next iteration.

So while not all new ideas or thoughts will be applicable, we should at least give them the time of day. After all, one thought which might not apply directly may lead to tangential insights that could lead to a brand-new way of doing things.

posted September 4, 2008

In my opinion, innovation that works long term is incremental and decidedly NOT sexy. See the link...

"Calling Toyota an innovative company may, at first glance, seem a bit odd. Its vehicles are more liked than loved, and it is often attacked for being better at imitation than at invention. Fortune, which typically praises the company effusively, has labelled it “stodgy and bureaucratic.” But if Toyota doesn’t look like an innovative company it’s only because our definition of innovation—cool new products and technological breakthroughs, by Steve Jobs-like visionaries—is far too narrow. Toyota’s innovations, by contrast, have focussed on process rather than on product, on the factory floor rather than on the showroom. That has made those innovations hard to see. But it hasn’t made them any less powerful."

Links:

• http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2008/05/12/080512ta_talk_surowiecki

posted September 4, 2008

Jeff,
Frank Feather's quote of Aristotle, which included - to entertain a thought without accepting it - is great.

There were a few experiences that I had at college that made me look at the possibility of not assuming to much. In physics lab we did an experimant that Galileo had wrong about the speed of a pendulum swing. After six straight A students explained away why their results of their own run of the experiment was wrong I finally had the courage to say that Galileo was wrong. He was. The professor said they wanted us to not assume and to look at our own proof rather than trust every expert who we met. Not to develope a lack of trust but to keep an open mind.
At the same time I was going a school in one part of the country where the economy was based on the auto industry and was doing real poor. Back home the economy was based on agriculture and was doing great. This taught me that the economic situation is not the same for everyone so do not assume based on someone elses real honest situation. Look at differences in your own situation of your company and see the difference why someone else is in a different situation. Dig down to the basic differences. A few years later I visited friends and relatives back in Michigan and Reaganomics had been a Godsend to them and a disaster to the midwest. Same strategy, opposite results. They thought trickle down economics worked, while we thought we were getting tinkled on.

posted September 4, 2008

Jeff;

We have all seen decision making processes where the decision is made earlier than necessary (applies to selecting people, defining project scope, or selecting technologies for NPD) - one approach Ive encountered which "keeps the options open" is called Pugh Design Matrix (Stuart Pugh), which DEMANDS multiple options (each well-designed & vetted) prior to selection.
There ALWAYS are alternative approaches - but people need to be forced to abandon their biases (their "favorite options") so you can get to the BEST option.

posted September 15, 2008

Jeff, This is a really great question. There are a couple of ways that I stay motivated, and I am not sure that they are good for everyone. The first is that I am naturally curious, which causes me to look at situations from different perspectives and ask lots of questions.

The second is an event that happened when I had my first management position. I was the the youngest person in the group, and of course the people I was managing were older; 20+ years older. They ate me for lunch? Well, I thought I needed to fight for my respect, lay down the law, my way or the highway, I'm the boss I said so; I was a real jerk. I asked my dad for advice he reminded that they were people just looking for respect. So, I started to listen and ask for their ideas, and the more I did and the more I used their ideas (and gave them credit) the more respect I got. Of course I got more respect from treating them like the people they were. But what struck with me the most, even if I had a great idea, or someone else did and we threw it into the ring we came out with an even better one. Sorry for the long story (I thought it was poignant), but the whole situation taught me that through respect and asking and really listening and being open to what people have to say about alternative ideas or approaches you can learn more than you ever thought. The problem I have experienced with this is that it takes trust, and many organizations today don't seem to be willing to take the time to build trust.

Well just my two cents,
John

posted September 15, 2008

All those human needs working as vectors, with different directions and at different strengths. The resulting sum is never a null vector. That force will never be steady, but will change after time and after circumstances. An internal action calling for an external reaction.

There is always an alternative. I ask myself to avoid stopping the trail in the first step.

The very efficient tool for innovation is the lack of resources. We must think as we had less time, less money, less colleagues to help. Development is a team effort, while creation is a lone mission.

As a Quality Management Systems consultant, I’m continuously asked to standardize methods and tools. In fact, quality is repetition, therefore a constraint for innovation. Moreover, change means higher risk, more errors, increased waste. Thus Lean Thinking is another force against change.
All that said, also the technical myself is in a continuous fight to sponsor change and innovation in my inner processes.

I hope have adequately confused you, as answering is an effective learning process.

Regards.

Crisostomo

posted September 16, 2008

Hi Jeff,

Being an advocate to consider business processes from the perspective of assuring operational efficiency, continuity and excellence while providing from true strategic alignment, from my professional perspective as a management consultant, I have ever realized that could have alternate courses of action to improve operational efficiency and introduce true innovation as valid means of gaining business agility and competitiveness in an highly volatile and uncertain commercial context.

Being organizations integrated by different professionals working all together around a business visions and in accordance to a set of principles, values, policies and beliefs that are inherent to the corporate culture, I have always wondered the influential, and sometimes oppressive role of the corporate culture that being modeled by Senior Management exerts over most of the employees when an organization, its leaderships and a preferential style of management could conspire against any attempt of introducing innovation by considering alternative approaches.

When someone likes me has been accustomed to communicate his ideas creatively by applying lateral thinking approaches those obvious possibilities of introducing effective innovation in the corporate context, not necessarily are positively appreciated by senior management in companies having conservative cultures when the company´s "sacred cows" could feel threatened their privileges, power quotas, authority and influence.

Although operational efficiency may be measured, benchmarked and analyzed by using and applying consistently relevant KPI´s (Key Processes Indicators) to ensure operational excellence, Innovation may be perfectly developed and systematically applied not only as a way of producing and launching new and innovative products to ensure competitiveness in highly volatile markets, but as a valid approach to improve operational efficiency by streamlining cross-functional business process and reducing operational costs to ensure long term business agility and thereby, true competitiveness.

Companies that are leaders in innovation typically encourage a creative mindset that is inherent to a corporate culture where true collaboration, effective knowledge sharing and systematic practices of creativity and idea generation are fostered, supported and developed by the influential action from Senior Management who believe faithfully in the value of promoting innovation to achieve competitiveness in a business context highly volatile and uncertain.

The most innovative companies apply an aggressive policy of incentives when rewarding and recognizing those ideas with the potential of becoming in innovative products and services. Google, offers the opportunity to its engineers of using 20% of their working time to create, promote and develop personal projects of innovation. This practice of nurturing environments of useful creativity may be similarly applied in universities, societies and countries with minor modifications and additions to produce true innovations of great commercial value.

Revolving around the themes of culture, creativity and innovation that are concomitant to this interesting question, I am including links to 3 questions that I have posted in Linkedin Answers:

1.How do you reward excellence without being a conspirator against corporate culture?

2. Does Innovation happen at the intersection of market insight and technological know-how; if so, what is the missing link?

3. Why for the most part Top-Management has failed in incorporating Innovation into corporate culture?

I hope this helps you.
Octavio

Links:

• http://www.linkedin.com/answers/management/organizational-development/MGM_O...
• http://www.linkedin.com/answers/management/organizational-development/MGM_O...
• http://www.linkedin.com/answers/management/organizational-development/MGM_O...

posted September 4, 2008

Jeff, the motivating force in looking at things differently and being open to alternative approaches is very simple:

THAT'S WHERE THE ANSWERS ARE!!

If everything was a simple matter of using conventional wisdom, the 'tried and true' method, or 'the way we do things around here' everyone would be able to solve their problems and every business would be super successful.

The sad fact is that this is not the case. Despite what our Democratic nominee for president has to say about Change, the fact is that the vast majority of people HATE change; especially if it will impact them (for better or worse). This disdain for Change causes companies to hold-on-for-dear-life to methods and approaches that perhaps worked decades ago and which "new" employees are unable to question because the organization values longevity rather than fresh ideas. This drives companies to under-perform, stagnate, and eventually is the cause of their demise.

Because I want to help people/companies to be more successful, I've got to find solutions which actually work (a refreshing idea!). This made me come to grips with the cold hard facts about why companies fail and why other companies succeed. It isn't change for change-sake; but when companies find themselves in a hole, they often don't realize that the best strategy is to stop digging first!

Hope this helps Jeff.

posted September 4, 2008

One thing must be clear in our minds: What constitutes a successful project? Is the old "on time and within budget" adage enough? Not necessarily. A critical factor we must consider is the VALUE that this project produces for the organization.

In order for a project to produce value it must solve a problem and/or exploit an opportunity (increase business growth, reduce cost, improve efficiencies, and/or ensure compliance with any governing bodies as needed).

Once VALUE becomes the driving force for our decisions as project managers and leaders, the desire to seek out alternatives that maximize the value generated by the project come quite naturally.

It no longer becomes a matter of whose solution we adopt, but rather which solution provides the most value.

Omar Ordonez, MBA, PMP

posted September 4, 2008

I try and lead with the Socratic approach. Ask questions, be mindful of the goals, don't stop asking questions until a satisfactory answer is presented that best resolves the issues behind the disclaimer that we are looking for the best rationales to make such decisions. While this sort of discourse doesn't always lead to being particularly open it does lead to well thought out solutions.

posted September 4, 2008

Hi Jeff,

I have found the following approach to be helpful when starting or taking over projects involving multiple business processes. Perhaps this may be of some interest to you.

1. Stepping and viewing the project with in the context of the entire business model,
2. Identifying the interdependencies between adjacent business processes and
3. Then carefully re-examining the process interdependencies to ensure that I understand them.

Given the above, I then get a snapshot of the data sets involved into a data base and work with them until I can quantify the interdepancies.

At the end of this exercise new opportunities usually become evident and can be prioritized. I hope that this note is helpful.

Thank you,

Tom

posted September 5, 2008

When I was an insurance underwriter my manager once told me that to become successful I would not only have to evaluate risk but take a risk and look outside established guidelines. So, embracing risk and not being afraid of failure is important. The willingness and ability to listen to others will open up a world of new ideas and solutions to problems. So practice. Knowing when to say no to change and leave a process that works alone will keep you moving forward.

posted September 8, 2008

The two F's

Failure and Fun

Learning is fun, . doing it the old ways... quite often is not fun and does get the required results.

I'm lucky to have people around me that spur me to change.

I do like starting projects off.
I'm a creating addict.

Simon
Visibility Extremist

posted September 15, 2008

Being wrong so many times. And being right so many times more. And all the times still failing. Since I do not like failures, I try to avoid these same mistakes. Now I do not have opinions anymore. I do not see any right or wrong nor best practices. I see only goals, objectives and range of alternative journeys reaching them. Then I try to pick up a journey which fits the people and provides them also with the best learning. Seeing them not only reaching the goals and serving the objectives, but also gaining and growing in insight, gives me the kick and motivation to do it again.

posted September 16, 2008

Dear Jeff,

I have two very simple answers for you and so I hope you are not disappointed:

Open mind towards projects - charge higher and do lesser projects every year. You will automatically want to move off templates and customize solutions, think anew and deliver out-of-the-box yet practical results

Open mind towards people - people you deal with are individuals with individualistic perceptions / ideas / opinions / thoughts / motivators. The best way to realize it is if you are one such person then you are not alien, most others are like that. Hence, there cannot be the same stick / carrot that you utilize to deal with different individuals.

As long as you appreciate the above two, you will keep finding ways to look at things / people / projects from very many different angles.

Best,

Viraj

posted September 16, 2008

1) Understanding that each situation, no matter how much it may seem to be the same, is different. Although the challenges may be the same, the weight of each challenge, in terms of importance, varies from place to place
2) Nothing in life or in business is 'cookie-cutter.'
3) There is always a better way; even if it's just a 'tweak.'
4) And perhaps most important. I love to learn, and I love a good challenge. You can't learn by repeating the same thing time and time again. You merely become an expert at that one thing.

posted September 16, 2008

Jeff:
It's just the way I'm wired! I think these kinds of traitsto a great degree are inherent in some people...those who can look at a half glass of water...or Scotch...and see it as being half full and not half empty. I am a pretty detailed and analytical person, so looking at things from a number of perspectives is just a part of the process I use when making decisions.

posted September 17, 2008