IS THIS INNOVATION?Note to our readers: This issue was emailed out by accident on May 9, 2010 under a different title - we apologize for any inconvenience that this might have caused. Thank you very much for your understanding.Innovation is one of those buzz words that are in vogue today - like the word change was 10 - 15 years ago. As a result, in the current management literature there are all kinds of so-called techniques to boost innovation. For example, I read not so long ago an article suggesting that - in order to increase the informal interactions that occur among your employees while they are at work (and spark innovation in this fashion) - you have to bulldoze the cubicles of your office space. However - if you did so, the quality of these interactions could potentially be very diverse - all the way from being non-sense from the perspective of your organization's mission, to being 100 per cent aligned with it, and everything in between. What if the communication environment of your organization is closed? What if candor, frankness and in-your-face honesty is not part of your employees' everyday behaviors? Will bulldozing your cubicles will change your organizational culture? I definitely don’t think so. Instead of having walls, you will end up with an ensemble of employees acting as if they were real busy – with their heads nailed to their desks. Bulldozing cubicles will be most beneficial as long as your employees have a crystal clear picture about how their individual contributions are linked to your organization's strategic vision, as long as there is a true sense of accountability among your workforce, as long as your employees' performance is clearly linked to your company's rewards and recognition system, as long as candor is an integral part of your culture, etc. Bulldozing cubicles has the potential to be beneficial in order to increase your organization's capacity to innovate - as long as it is done right: But in and on itself, it doesn't guarantee you anything. Be aware of management fads - always. They come and go, and innovation is one of them today. Questions? Ideas? Feedback? I'd love to here from you - just reply to this e-zine and tell me what you would like future e-zines to be about - I'm listening. Feel free to re-send this E-zine to your boss, to your employees, to your colleagues, etc. QUICK LINKS: Last 12 E-zine issues: To see our entire E-zine archive please click here. See you next month! Jose Luis Romero - Publisher www.Skills2Lead.com April 6, 2010. Copyright: All rights reserved Skills2Lead Ezine is published on the first Tuesday of every month |
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