Managing Creativity and Innovation

Colin Andrews BSc MBA

External Engagement ChampionDepartment of Design, Manufacturing & Engineering ManagementUniversity of Strathclyde

colin.andrews@strath.ac.ukwww.strath.ac.uk/dmem

Some things I want to tell you about …

Defining

creativity

and innovation

Why problems are goldmines

Innovation as a process that can be managed

Some toys

tools

Defining creativity and innovation?

Take 5 minutes to write down your own definitions for• Creativity, and • Innovation

What other people say?

“Something new to the world”

Innovation “Coming up with a

new idea”

“A new product”

“Creativity”

“Doing something different…or better”

“A wacky idea”

Creativity ideas... not necessarily new, novel or unique ideas...

just IDEAS

Innovationmaking something useful happen from the ideas

Defining creativity and innovation?

Innovation Process Something usefulIdeas

Creative Individuals

Are some people just better at coming up with decent ideas than other people?

A knack for creativity?

MozartComposed his own work at 5 years old

• Why are some individuals more creative than others?• Can you measure creativity?• Is it a talent we are born with or is it a thinking skill to develop?

James Dyson believes in ‘painstaking and logical testing’

‘… genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration’ Edison

James Watt drew on engineering expertise

Are YOU creative?

• Are toddlers creative?• Are children creative?• Are teenagers creative?• Are students creative?• Are graduates creative?

• We ALL have a measure of creativity in us, it just gets buried as we grow up …

Time to get Creative!

What can we learn from this about drivers and barriers to creativity ?

Problems, Problems, Problems

• ‘We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems’ – Lee Iacocca

• ‘The difficult problems in life always start off being simple’ – Lao Tzu

• ‘Houston we’ve had a problem’ – Jack Swigert

• It's boiling hot outside but freezing in the air-conditioned office• My personal trainer took the week off so I have to workout alone• My wallet won't close because there's too much money in it• I bought a dishwasher and now spend longer packing and unpacking it than I did

washing up• My Brie is too hard• No semi-skimmed milk in the supermarket, just full fat• Earphones getting tangled up in your bag• Chipped nail varnish• Warm Pimms• The cleaner taking a day off• Trying to keep electricals out of the sun while sunbathing• Watch / jewellery causing unsightly tan lines• Spotting someone wearing the same outfit as you• Squeaky new shoes which hurt while breaking them in• Snagging designer clothing• Over / under brewed tea• Remote control batteries running out• A disappointing air freshener• The wind blowing your summer dress or skirt up• Stepping on something wet while wearing socks• Hair sticking to lipstick or lip balm in the slightest breeze• Updating your mobile phone and losing all your contacts• Sitting on your designer sunglasses• Getting a fish bone stuck in your throat• Two Weetabix not fitting in a round bowl properly, resulting in one becoming

soggy and the other dry

OK what about this lot …

• Having to watch movies on a phone because the tablet battery died• Wanting another car, but not having room on the driveway• Wanting to take your laptop outside but the wife doesn't reach far

enough• The living room isn't big enough for a coffee table and recliner sofas• Getting suntan lotion in your eyes while reading outdoors in the

sunshine• Getting popcorn in your teeth• Forgetting your phone charger• Cold leather car seats in the winter• Car won't play MP3s• The football match being on Sky and not terrestrial TV• The hairdresser moving house• Having to go to the Post Office to collect a parcel• Being out when a parcel gets delivered• Supermarket checkout staff scanning faster than you can pack• Sky+ recordings clashing• Having a restaurant table indoors on a sunny day• Nail polish clashing with lipstick• Batteries going in the Sky remote• The cash machine giving you a £50 note• The shop not stocking a coke bottle with your name on• Heel getting stuck in the decking of a boat/yacht• Living somewhere too posh for a cheap corner shop• Having the last edition of the iPhone• The sun glare on your iPad/phone tablet• A neighbour using the same Laura Ashley wallpaper

THANK YOU http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/first-world-problems-top-50-2212642#ixzz2wVMYz5lp

Problems are treasure

• We know they are there but they can take some finding …

• You don’t get to the real treasure without a lot of digging …

• Once you have uncovered your treasure, it can be hard to keep hold of …

Process of innovation

Generation

Assessing

Development

Implementation HARD

Critical

Technical

EXPENSIVE

Types of InnovationIdea generation

Idea selection

Idea development

Idea implementation

You Products

Processes

StructuresRelationships

Strategy

Generation

Selection

Developm

ent

Implem

entation

Drivers and barriers to innovation

Creative boundaries

Permission

Knowledge

Experience

Worldview

Enabling tools and techniques for innovation

Brainstorming

Participatory groupsFocus groups

Diversity

Challenging the unwritten assumptions

5 -3 - 5

You Products

Processes

StructuresRelationships

Strategy

Generation

Selection

Developm

ent

Implem

entation

Drivers and barriers to innovation

Competence enhancing or destroying

Strategic alignment

Type of innovation

Evaluation grid

Cost benefit analysis

Six thinking hats

You Products

Processes

StructuresRelationships

Strategy

Enabling tools and techniques for innovation

Generation

Selection

Developm

ent

Implem

entation

Drivers and barriers to innovation

Technical capabilities

Resource planning

You Products

Processes

StructuresRelationships

Strategy

Enabling tools and techniques for innovation

Prototype…….. Pilot

Experimentation

Testing/Stress testing

Generation

Selection

Developm

ent

Implem

entation

Drivers and barriers to innovation

Measures of success

Market relations Customers and suppliers

Change management

Enabling tools and techniques for innovation

You Products

Processes

StructuresRelationships

Strategy

Factors to drive or inhibit innovation

Phase Drivers Barriers Tools

Generation • Challenging the unwritten assumptions

• Diversity• Permission given• Knowledge• Experience• Differing worldviews of employees

• Not challenging the unwritten assumptions

• Lack of diversity• Permission not given• Lack of knowledge• Lack of experience• Similar worldviews of employees

• Brainstorming• Participatory groups• Focus groups

Selection • Strategic alignment• Competence enhancing or destroying • Type of innovation

• No strategic alignment• Competence enhancing or destroying • Type of innovation

• Six thinking hats• Evaluation grid• Cost benefit analysis

Development • Access to technical capabilities• Capabilities in resource planning• Skills and resources for

experimentation

• No access to technical capabilities• No capabilities is resource planning• No skills and resources for

experimentation

• Prototype…….. Pilot• Testing/Stress testing

Implementation • Good relationship with customers and suppliers

• Good market relations• Measures of success

• Poor relationship with customers and suppliers

• Poor market relations• Measures of success

• Change management• Project management

SOME TOYS TOOLS!

5-3-5 Method

5 people / 3 concepts each / every 5 minutes• Work as individuals but generate group

output• Non-conversational• Time constrained• Drawing/sketching output

Idea 1 Idea 2 Idea 3

5-3-5 Method - Step 1

Step 1 – Every group member sketches 3 concepts

Idea 1 Idea 2 Idea 3

2

34

51

a

b

c

d

e

5-3-5 Method - Step 2Step 2 – Pass the sheet onto

the next person

Idea 1 Idea 2 Idea 3

1

23

45

a

b

c

d

e

5-3-5 Method - Step 2

Step 2 – Pass the sheet onto the next person

Idea 1 Idea 2 Idea 3

Again, each member creates 3 new drawings either…

• Adapting existing ideas

• Do something completely new

• Combining previous ideas

Continue until the grid is finished

Idea 1 Idea 2 Idea 3Go on it might be fun …• 25 minutes• 125 ideas• No arguing• Even the silent people input

Idea Selection and Development

De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats

Questions

Emotions

Bad points judgement

Good points judgement

Creativity

Thinking

The White Hat calls for information known or needed.

The Red Hat signifies feelings, hunches and intuition.

The Black Hat is judgment -- the devil's advocate or why something may not work.

The Yellow Hat symbolizes brightness and optimism.

The Green Hat focuses on creativity: the possibilities, alternatives and new ideas.

The Blue Hat is used to manage the thinking process.

Selection and DevelopmentDe Bono’s thinking grid

• Option 1 – As a group go through each of the questions

• Option 2 – As an individual go through each of the questions

• Option 3 – As a group, assign hat roles, and have a discussion on each of the questions in your selected hat mode

Generation

Selection

Developm

ent

Implem

entation

Drivers and barriers to innovation

Innovation tools

Corporate strategy Organisational structure

Organisational

culture

Employees

Management style and leadership

Technology

Knowledge management

Resources

Management of the innovation process

Reward and recognition

Performance measures

Electric car range is too short - so the cars aren't acceptable

• Why is the range too short?• batteries are expensive so we get the minimum amount

acceptable• Batteries are heavy so there is a maximum amount

• How short is too short?• How do we use cars – really?• Is there anything good about electric cars?

• You can get home with it nearly empty. But every morning it’s full• They are really simple• They are really quiet

50% of food production is wasted - and people haven't enough to eat• IMechE Food report• Major supermarkets, in meeting consumer expectations,

will often reject entire crops of perfectly edible fruit and vegetables at the farm because they do not meet exacting marketing standards

• Up to 30% of the UK’s vegetable crop is never harvested as a result of such practices

• Globally, retailers generate 1.6 million tonnes of food waste annually in this way

City roads are congested - and cars are under occupied

The Eddington Transport Study• Transport networks support the productivity and success of urban areas and their catchments, by

getting people to work, supporting deep and productive labour markets and allowing businesses within the area to reap the benefits of agglomeration. 55 per cent of commuter journeys are to large urban areas. 69 per cent of business trips are less than 15 miles in length. 89 per cent of the delay caused by congestion is in urban areas, and agglomeration effects add up to 50 per cent to the benefits of some transport schemes in London.

• … the rising cost of congestion will waste an extra £22 billion worth of time in England alone by 2025.

Car occupancy in Scotland • The driver was the sole occupant of the vehicle for over 70 per cent of car journeys starting before

9.30 a.m., compared with 61 per cent overall. The driver was unaccompanied in 65 per cent of car drivers' journeys during the week, and 49 per cent at weekends.

• Average car occupancy decreased from 1.63 in 2000 to 1.57 in 2010. This is probably due to the increase in car availability over this period.