Key Points in the Development and Action Phases

of the Directed-Creativity Cycle

• Now is the time to pay attention to details, move on to action, and

begin progressively applying critical judgment.
• You do not have to implement all of your creative ideas. Select a
few that you think will be successful innovations and save the rest
for later. It is better to successfully implement a few ideas than to
attempt many changes and fail.
• Each idea selected needs an idea champion. This can be either a
group, individual, or combination of both.
• Select idea champions with care; you need warriors.
• Each idea selected needs purposeful enhancement. Enhancement
further strengthens the strong points of the idea and shores up its
weak points.
• Each idea selected must be evaluated to get a definite rejection (at
least for now) or definite commitment to implement.
• Evaluation of innovative ideas is inherently an intuitive process.
While we will strive for objectivity, the numbers can be misleading.
We must implement the idea in order to truly know what will
happen.
• Prototyping contributes significantly to the evaluation of
innovative ideas by giving decision-makers a concrete experience
upon which to base judgment.
• Do not expect to be right all the time in your evaluation.
Remember the experience of highly innovative companies:
"Productive mistakes are not merely tolerable in a culture of
innovation. they are essential to creating it" (Nowlin 1994).
• Use your judgment and your organization's internal policies and
infrastructure in deciding how exactly to proceed in developing,
evaluating, and implementing ideas. Whatever has worked for you
in chartering and supporting quality teams will probably work tor
innovation.
• Deadlines can contribute positively to the goal of innovation by
giving you healthy pressure to push on to implementation. But, do
not use deadlines as a way to run over people. Change is hard and
scary. especially when the change is a true innovation with no past
history of success. Involvement is helpful, but be persistent about
the need to reach implementation.
• Begin continuous improvement now. Also start immediately
preparing for the next cycle of directed creativity. There is no need
to let the advantage of the innovator slip away to others.
• Never throwaway an idea. The mental valley it has formed may be
useful in the future.
Eight Steps to Transforming Your Organization
1. Establishing a Sense of Urgency
Examining market and competitive realities
Identifying and discussing crises, potential crises, or major
opportunities
2. Forming a Powerful Guiding Coalition
Assembling a group with enough power to lead the change effort
Encouraging the group to work together as a team
3. Creating a Vision
Creating a vision to help direct the change effort
Developing strategies for achieving that vision
4. Communicating the Vision
Using every vehicle possible to communicate the new vision and
strategies
Teaching new behaviors by the example of the guiding coalition
5. Empowering Others to Act on the Vision
Getting rid of obstacles to change
Changing systems or structures that seriously undermine the vision
Encouraging risk taking and nontraditional ideas, activities, and
actions
6. Planning for and Creating Short-Term Wins
Planning tor visible performance improvements
Creating those improvements
Recognizing and rewarding employees involved in those
improvements
7. Consolidating Improvements, Producing Still More Change
Using credibility to change systems, structures, and policies that
don't fit vision
Hiring, promoting, and developing employees who can implement
the vision
Reinvigorating the process with new projects, themes, and change
agents
8. Institutionalizing New Approaches
Articulating connections between the new behaviors and corporate
success
Developing the means to ensure leadership development and
succession