Creativity and Innovation Management - Turning Ideas into Action

The phrase "turning ideas into action" is a Russian doll.

Managing the ideas to implementation process is important for at least two reasons:

a) To make effective use of resources ? investing in one idea uses resources that could be applied to another idea. Yet all ideas do not have the same likelihood of success.

b) To prevent re-engineering. There is often not enough time to properly develop and commercialise a product but there always seems to be time to go back and fix it. It has been estimated that the cost of re-engineering ranges from the low to high billions every year.

Effective idea to implementation involves a number of disciplines:

a) Effective idea selection ? the first stage of innovation. Innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation (as opposed to creativity, which can be defined as problem identification and idea generation).

b) Effective idea development ? which involves a second tier of competencies. Where effective idea selection may be management, sales and end-user focused, idea development also requires technicians, designers and the like.

c) Effective idea commercialisation ? which involves yet a third tier of competencies.

Each of the above can further be drilled to improve effectiveness. For example, idea selection can involve:

a) Selecting ideas according to type. Some idea types have a higher probability of success than others.

b) Selecting ideas according to strategic, competency and technical fit.

c) Selecting ideas according to practical impediments.

d) Selecting ideas at various stages of the idea funnel.

e) Selecting ideas according to end-user benefit.

There is much more to this ...

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop MBA, is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com.

---

The New Five Truths of Employee Motivation

Motivation is a term that is so widely used, yet... Read More

Five Ways to Influence Change in Others

Because of my work as a consultant, trainer and coach... Read More

One Crazy Cookie

In order to survive, you have to be happier than... Read More

Quality Hiring: Are You Doing It Right?

Quality hiring is more than running ads, screening, interviewing and... Read More

What is Knowledge Management Anyway?

When you think of all the things companies have, you... Read More

What To Do When Your IT Project Is Late, Over Budget, and Looks Like It?s Never Going To Work

Here's a scary statistic. According to four prominent research firms,... Read More

Business & Family Safety and Health Rating

For good reason, practically every endeavor in life is rated.... Read More

CEOs Are Great, Top CEOs Are Greater

People in leading positions are often in a dilemma: on... Read More

Treat Employees Fairly, Car Wash Entrepreneur sets Industry Standards

I believe that whether corporations expense their stock options is... Read More

The High Cost of Employee Turnover Among Project Managers

Imagine for a moment this scenario from a frustrated Senior... Read More

Project Management - Are You Done Yet

What happens when a Project Manager asks one of his... Read More

Unveiling the Value of Your Expertise

All of us have knowledge, expertise, and experience that others... Read More

The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - Communication Breakdown

An ongoing series of articles exploring the seven critical areas... Read More

How to Enhance Quality in Your Business

Every business must strive to provide quality products and services... Read More

People Are Our Most Important Asset!

How many times have you heard or uttered this phrase... Read More

The Most Important Thing Youll Ever Do

The wellspring of confidence is belief. When you believe in... Read More

Poly Bags and Pallet Shrouds - Just Get it Right

For many companies, procuring the right packaging, such as Poly... Read More

Proven Secrets to Keeping Your People and Increasing Your Profits

Why are people changing jobs so quickly these days?Here are... Read More

4 Tips on How to Avoid Communication Lines Breakdown

For example, in a small, two-person company, there is often... Read More

Middle Managers Behaving Badly ? How To Stop This Damaging Your Results

More and more I hear and read about a looming... Read More

Having Your Phil

February 2nd, at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time on Gobbler's... Read More

Project Management - The Traveling Product Manager

Various studies ? and common sense ? indicate that involving... Read More

Punctuality in Business: What it Says About You

"Nothing inspires confidence in a business man sooner than punctuality,... Read More

The Truth About Performance Reviews

Now that it is January, many of you are putting... Read More

The Death Spiral

Sometimes things just happen. Maybe we lose focus and take... Read More

Juggling Demands in an Organization

JUGGLING DEMANDS: All leaders constantly juggle a multifarious array of... Read More

How To Learn Great Management from Our Kids

Learning comes from many places. And one of the most... Read More

Outsourcing NOT Just for Big Business

Outsourcing has become a controversial issue and a hot topic... Read More

Communicating When A Crisis Strikes

How would you handle communication if your business or practice... Read More

What Personal Assistants Really Want

What would happen if the personal assistants in your organisation... Read More

Six Sigma Training 101 ? Better Management Basics

What is Six Sigma?Six Sigma is a quality management program... Read More

ISO 9001 and Total Quality Management

Total Quality ManagementTotal Quality Management, or TQM, has become one... Read More

Interviewing Candidates: 3 Ways to Avoid Snap Judgments

Have you ever hired the wrong person? If so, perhaps... Read More