July 2003
...ideas for
thriving on collaborative innovation
=========================================
Where ideas
are being born, people are having fun. The more fun, the more creativityÑthis seems
to be an unalterable axiom. Humor paves the way for the flow of ideas; it
greases the skids for an unselfconscious ride on the delightful track of
creative thinking.
And the
negative axiom also seems inexorable: the absence of fun will kill ideas. Yet,
too many organizations seem incorrigibly determined to become deadly serious.
When people take themselves too seriously, they suppress the soul and kill
creative thinking; they isolate people from one another with departmental silos
and hierarchical barriers. Stiff hierarchies suppress the festivity. People can
hardly relax when they risk judgment from the almighty boss.
Organizations
invested in prestige, pride, power or position will reap the artificial rewards
of affected self-importance.
But the soul
does not beget self-importance; rather, it engenders humility, appreciation for
others and inclusive humor. Although the work of the organization may be
vitally serious, the people doing the work can be lighthearted.
The work of
running a major airline is serious business--people could be killed if
employees don't take their responsibilities seriously. Yet Southwest Airlines,
the organization that cultivates a culture of love rather than fear, thrives on
humor and lighthearted play. People take their jobs seriously...but not
themselves.
The
fishmongers of Seattle that converted the boring work of selling fish into
perpetual fun and play transformed a little known operation into one that has
become virtually world famous. People come to watch their antics as a form of
lunchtime entertainment. Fun has
not adversely impacted their business. As these retailers of fish will freely
tell you, while they are having the time of their lives, they are also selling a
lot of fish.
IDEO, now one
of the most prominent industrial design firms in the world, still creates
offices where people feel free to have fun; to hang their bicycles on systems
of pulleys from the trusses over their unorthodox work spaces; to play
practical jokes on anyone and everyone in the company; to collaborate irrepressibly and
spontaneously in generating some of the most inventive product designs in the
history of the industrialized world.
The groups
that are really enjoying themselves frequently have a blow out good time; they
celebrate together often. Humor, fun, a sense of equality, valuing people for
their contribution not their title--these are the attributes of an organization
having fun.
If you want to
know whether the soul has been brought to life in an organization, look at people's
faces. Are they smiling? Are they enjoying themselves? A simple measure of the degree to which
the soul has been brought to life is simply this: Are people having fun?
(This is the
7th in a series of articles on "Bringing the Soul to Life." We do not mail an August letter...we
will be off having fun. Please
look for the next Innovation Tip in September.)
________________________________________
INNOVATION
TIPS is a monthly letter provided by PARTNERS for INNOVATION.
To subscribe,
please register at our web site: www.greatwing.com.
To
unsubscribe, please reply with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject
box.
We can be
reached by e-mail at: partners@greatwing.com or by phone at 1.419.872.7140
Copyright (c)
2002, Partners for Innovation.
Permission is granted to reproduce, copy or distribute INNOVATION TIPS
provided that this copyright notice and full
information
about contacting the authors are attached.