The practice of innovation is a science studied from the time the Greeks coined the word “Heuristics”.(hyu ′ris·tiks) which means the study of the mental processes involved in problem solving. IBM and GE have a 2 year course on innovation for all their graduate engineers. The Anna University at Chennai has introduced a 40 week …
Company wide innovation is not about nurturing solitary genius in sterile laboratories but requires the bubbling enthusiasm of innovation spirals. To internalize innovation tools, use them. Teach them to others. The new IT is Innovation Tools, install them in your mind’s computer. Present the tools with examples from your company. Encourage questions. Teach the tools …
Nonsense can sometimes make sense too!The importance of nonsense can hardly be overstated. The more clearly we experience something as ‘nonsense’, the more clearly we are experiencing the boundaries of our own self-imposed cognitive structures. ‘Nonsense’ is that which does not fit into the pre arranged patterns we have superimposed on reality. Nonsense is nonsense …
Women have moved into the workforce in an unmistakable wave. In modern societies today, many of them bear the dual burden of managing a home and career. The infrastructure necessary to help them: crèches, dependable childcare, help from husbands, gadgets to make housework easier, is not yet in place. This generation of transitional women is …
Ideas imported from other fields can totally transform your company. In a Creativity Lab conducted for an internationally acclaimed company dealing in printing of tea bags, the problem was maintenance of delicate machines. The expensive machines were often handled clumsily, resulting in damage, breakdowns and loss. To counteract this, the ‘Metaphor’ tool was used. Metaphors …
Meetings can waste a lot of time or they can provide an effective way to harvest ideas and ensure buy-in, thus empowering the group to achieve greater levels of productivity. The effectiveness of the meeting can be enhanced by: Having a clear goal for the meetingCirculating the agenda in advance to ensure preparation.Having a system …
In India, the pressure on companies for immediate commercial returns is high. Management is bottom – line driven. They are extremely result driven in the short term and lose faith in concepts very fast. Innovation is a concept that requires long – term buy – in and takes time to be fully ingrained in the …
Elevate everyday experiences to the level of sacredness.I first met Reg when he was in his late seventies in Pondicherry. He was running the ‘Good GuestHouse’. Hidden behind high walls, it is a lovely guest house surrounded by a green garden.It is astonishing to step in from the dusty, noisy street, behind high walls, through …
Love and Reverence in Enhancing the Positive Field Read More »
When faced with the problem of rats biting cables and causing major short circuits, Deepak K Chabria, MD Finolex, recalls the company’s response. “Instead of protecting the cables at a high cost, they coated the cables with very bitter chemicals, which the rats hated! Somewhat like what we do for a child sucking his thumb.” …
Loneliness is when you feel isolated and empty because of inadequate social relationships. A recently divorced doctor was found dead, when neighbours noticed a peculiar smell enveloping the house after several days. Obviously nobody knew or cared. Today loneliness has become an epidemic Uprooted from their place of birth people travel across countries to work. …
