Innovation: something that is worth considering.
______________________
Great Optimism,
Dutch Driver
Abilene, TX
Hm. Telephone: 915.698.7217
mailto:
ddriver@cs1.mcm.edu
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 4 Oct 1997 20:32:13 -0700 (PDT)
From: "joyce@thinksmart.com" <
jwycoff@rain.org>
Reply-To:
owner-wake-up@thinksmart.com
To: Good Morning Thinkers! <
wake-up@thinksmart.com>
Subject: Good Morning Thinkers, October 6, 1997 (feel free to forward)
Wake-up, Brain ... it's Monday again!
(Brought to you by the Innovation Network
http://www.thinksmart.com)
What's Your Organization's IQ (Innovation Quotient)?
by Joyce Wycoff, adapted from "Transformation Thinking" by
Joyce Wycoff and Tim Richardson (for more info on this book,
go to
http://www.thinksmart.com and click on Products)
Lots of companies are talking about innovation and the word is
showing up on mission statements and advertising ... but how
"innovation ready" are they?
Here's a short quiz to help you determine your organization's
innovation quotient ... you might want to share it with others
in your organization and then use the results as a way to
stimulate conversation about what innovation might mean in your
organization.
Please rate these 10 questions as candidly as possible. Ratings:
5 (always/defnitely!)
4 (usually/probably)
3 (generally/maybe)
2 (sometimes/possibly)
I (never/probably not)
____ 1. Does at least 25% of your revenue come from products and services
developed in the past 5 years?
____ 2. Do you consistently outperform your competition in things like
customer service, quality, time to market, ROI, and profitability?
____ 3. Do you routinely solicit, listen to, and act on suggestions from
people from every level and function of your organization?
____ 4. Do you encourage and stimulate interaction between departments and
promote cross-functional projects?
____ 5. Have all of your improvement processes (TQM, reengineering,
excellence, etc.) been as effective as you hoped?
____ 6. Do you regularly train people at all levels and in every function
how to think and work together more effectively?
____ 7. Do people in your organization regularly have time available to
think through situations, look at the big picture, bounce ideas off of
peers, and experiment with possibilities?
____ 8. Is information freely and readily available to everyone in your
organization rather than on a need-to-know-basis?
____ 9. Does your organization regularly review and update its
assumptions, mission and goals and encourage everyone in the organization
to do so also?
____ 10. Is ownership, rewards and risks, distributed widely through your
organization through stock ownership plans, or profit sharing plans?
_____Total. Compare your scores with those below to see how your
organization rates.
45 - 50 -- Congratulations! You are a rare organization with much to
share with the rest of us. As someone who's reached this
level, however, you know that maintaining an innovative
environment is almost as difficult as launching it. We
would love to hear how you sustain innovation.
35 - 44 -- You're doing a lot right! Give yourself some well deserved
credit but don't get complacent ... it's all too easy to
back slide. For some great ideas about how to build on
your success, visit the IN website:
www.thinksmart.com.
25 - 34 -- You're on the right track but you may need help to get over
the hump. Look at one some of the leaders in innovation
and then see how you can apply the principles of innovation
in your particular situation. If you're looking for a
consultant to help you, the Innovation Network can help
refer you to leaders in the field ... 805-965-8477.
15 - 24 -- Your organization has a shaky grasp of innovation and you
need a major transformation. If you're serious about making
progress in this arena, call us and we'll be happy to find
someone to help you ... 805-965-8477.
Below 15 -- Don't even think about innovation, yet. You've got major
culture issues that need to be addressed quickly before
they turn into financial disasters ... or have they
already?
Joyce Wycoff is the Founder and Executive Director of the Innovation
Network and can be reached at 805-965-8477 or
joyce@thinksmart.com or
visit the Innovation Network website:
http://www.thinksmart.com.
*******************************************************************
Innovation Network -- Convergence 98: Implementing Innovation
2/23 - 2/26, 1998 - Santa Barbara, CA
** For your free, weekly brain wake-up message,
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Phone: 805-965-8477; FAX: 805-963-8220