Tapping Organizational Creativity w. Jim Weber

Host Justin McMenamy and guest Jim Weber continue their multi-episode discussion around the many ingredients which comprise a successful culture of innovation.

On the topic of brainstorming both Justin and Jim agree that scheduled brainstorming sessions with idea voting and ranking are mostly unproductive. Jim argues effective brainstorming consists of informal, rapid idea vetting with colleagues who try to break ideas and improve them over time. He then emphasizes the need to ask everyone, from executives to technicians, “what would you do?” to learn technical and organizational constraints, even at the risk of embarrassment.

Justin highlights the need to reduce hierarchy, otherwise creativity is often outsourced to an “innovation manager,” as well as the need to separate idea collection events from idea selection so contributors stay encouraged while a smaller group prioritizes. They discuss creativity as an underused organizational asset, and debate when simulation-first approaches are essential versus an “Edisonian” fast iteration methodology enabled by low-cost prototyping.