“The man with a new idea is a crank until the idea

succeeds.”Mark Twain

DAV E JA R M A N E N T E R P R I S E S K I L L S & E D U C AT I O N M A N A G E R

Ideas & Innovations

Creativity exercises #1 & #2

Individual exercise 1 minute to identify as many

different ways of using the object as you can

Theory of CategoriesGroup exercise

2 minutes to identify as many different ways of using the object as you can

Theory of Variety

The barriers to creativity

Habit – tried & trustedLack of stimulationThe ‘intelligence trap’Not asking the right question:

“what is a shoebox for?” “what could you use a shoebox for?” “how many uses can you think of for a shoebox?” “can you think of 100 uses for a shoebox?”

The fear of being wrong

“It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be

wrong, than to always be right by having no ideas at

all.”Edward De Bono

Different approaches

Convergent thinking Good for evaluating ideas Rubbish for generating ideas Focusing tool

Divergent thinking Good for generating ideas Rubbish for evaluating ideas Scanning tool

Principles of creativity

Suspend judgement Only converge after diverging! Quantity not Quality

Feed your brain something different – varietyHave the confidence to make ‘mistakes’‘As if’ – free your mind

If I was Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, the Queen... If we had £1,000,000... If we had double/half the resources If it had to be.... Fun?

Tools for Divergent thinking

Re-expression: With alternative words Using different senses i.e. Illustration or Role-play From another’s perspective ‘as if ...’

Related worlds Has anyone tackled a similar problem in another company/industry?

Revolution Identify ‘The Rules’ and then identify ways of breaking them

Random links

Innovation

Innovation is applied creativityInnovation is about improving existing activities with new ideas:

New products New processes New market positions New business models

Improving how? More effective, Faster, Cheaper, Less Wasteful, Prettier...

Innovations are: Evolutionary – incremental developments Or Revolutionary – really alternative developments

The drivers of innovationNeed

The identification of problems or hurdles encourages people to solve them

Possibility Another breakthrough

provides a ‘stepping-stone’ (the ‘adjacent possible’)

Someone asks ‘what if?’

Connections – often between disparate ideas

Time and space to exploreA willingness and ability to

move beyond ‘comfortable’ frames of reference

Networks“Engineered Serendipity”

“Chance favours the connected mind.”

Steven Johnson (2010)

Innovation ExerciseIn groupsThink about one product or

service you’ve used today: Can you create a better

product/service? Can you develop a better

process to access the product/service?

Can you sell that product/service to a different market?

Can you find a different way to make money from the product/service?

Tactics for a more creative life…

Do the things you don’t normally do Different activities in… …Different places with… …Different people

Take an alternative routeWrite your ideas downShare even the silly ideas with othersHave more holidays (or at least days away)‘As if’Put a different sock on first in the morning…

Beermat Idea Challenge

Bristol.beermatchallenge.co.uk

Brilliant idea?In 140 characters?Submit and vote onlineOr grab a Beermat and stick

in the box in Senate HouseThe best ideas win prizes!

Good books

‘Sticky Wisdom’ - ?Whatif!‘The Art of Innovation’ – Tom Kelley‘Edward De Bono’s Thinking Course’ – Edward De Bono

“Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created

them.” Albert Einstein