Seeking Innovation: Providing the Platform for Ideas to Flow

Debasis is a project management consultant in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

  Innovation  

In an earlier article, I covered the need to get the sceptics on the innovation bandwagon. Getting them on board is just the first step, and we cannot stop with that--for ideas to flow, the right atmosphere has to be created and maintained.

Arguably, we can all agree that the majority of people have innovative ideas. Granted, most of them may not lead to solutions or products that would foster new breakthroughs or product lines. However, there is merit in all ideas. Even the least innovative idea (or just an idea--not even an innovative one), can be used as a catalyst to set the right environment to allow innovative ideas to evolve, mature, bloom or emerge.

The Layers
An innovative environment, like any ecosystem, works in layers. At the lowest level are the kitchens--the places where innovative ideas are generated. This is the common workplace, and is populated by the majority of the workforce. It is the place that sees the most amount of action and, therefore, has the opportunity to have alternate (and differing) ideas on how issues can be tackled, in innovative ways.

At the level above is middle management. Innovative ideas are expected to come from this layer. People here are meant to lead, and when confronted with bottlenecks, they innovate. They have access to both the top layer and the lower layers, and are best qualified to understand the need of the …

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