January 2019

Series Conclusion   Wow!  Now that was one heck of an innovative journey!  As you see, everything available on Innovation and Creativity has been put into this volume of blogs.  It’s everything worth knowing on the subject. In This seriese have covered a lot of ground.  We discussed “Perspective” and how our brains can be […]

Reward Ideation   The last topic I want to discuss in this book is rewarding ideation.  B.F. Skinner was one of the most influential psychiatrist in developing the foundation for Behaviorism. Skinner proved how positive reinforcement worked by placing a hungry rat in what he called a Skinner box. The box contained a lever on

One Red Paperclip I think this is one of the most innovative individuals and stories ever.   A Canadian blogger named Kyle MacDonald, bartered his way from a single red paperclip to a house in a series of fourteen online trades over the course of a year beginning on July 14, 2005.  Here are those 14 trades.   On July

Divergent Thinking   What Can You Do With A Paperclip   This activity was first developed by J.P. Guilford in 1967.  Guilford looked at four areas of creativity;   Originality: The novelty of alternative uses for the paperclip. Fluency: The total number of uses the subject was able to innovate. Flexibility: The categories with which

Naysayers & Negaholics   Nothing will drag an innovative team down faster than naysayers and negaholics.  Just one of these personalities can kill the creativity of an innovative team in only a few minutes.  Management and legal are famous for playing these roles.  Remember, it’s their job to see what can go wrong first, analyze

Maslow’s Hierarchy   I am sure you have seen the Maslow’s Hierarchy before.  It’s real, it applies, and I wanted to remind you of this study to help you understand motivations.     “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” – Albert Einstein   Lon

What Motivates You?   In order to be creative, you need to be motivated.  There are many things that motivate different people. From my experience, engineers are motivated mostly by success.  Success in the form of “I did it!”  When I owned my software company and 30 employees, it was surprising how different each person’s

Negative Reinforcement   Negative reinforcement can drain the spirit of your Team Think the same way as it drains your creativity.  Avoid hidden pitfalls when looking for ways to offer support and guidance to your team. What results would you expect from a Team Think that is driven by a culture of negative reinforcement? Here

Team Think Is Critical   Team Think is one of the best ways to encourage employees to motivate themselves and one another to develop innovative solutions. Remember, everything we discussed in this book thus far which applied to you personally to get you into condition for creative thinking, also applies to each individual team member. 

Participative & Energetic Meeting     Here are a few tips to get you started with your next innovative team to ensure a more participative and energetic meeting.   Hold the meeting at a time (prior to break or lunch) and in an environment conducive to communication. Keep the meeting Be well prepared in advance