Sparking Originality

Firms today are exploring mechanisms, with a framework based in organizational psychology, to employ employee participation to solve enterprise-wide issues and concerns, as the saying goes, “ We are all in it, together.” Firms wants to engage employees to unleash originality as the author mentions, and the author refers to a series of steps for leaders to stimulate originality. It creates an atmosphere where employees can question their managers or peers and build a culture that welcomes dissent.1 It is interesting that these ideas and somewhat modified solutions are used to engage parents and teachers to help their children succeed in school: be creative. Do these strategies or steps succeed? The author believes that these create a culture where they can help a firm succeed. These steps can be used either by a leader, an expert, an employee. One of the strengths of this book is that the author provides a checklist to help someone unleash their originality. These are not hard to implement ideas, and are intuitive. For example, Individual Actions A. Generating and Recognizing Original Ideas 1. Question the default and status quo 2. Triple the number of ideas you generate 3. Immerse yourself in a new domain 4. Procrastinate strategically 5. Seek more feedback from peers B. Voicing and Championing Original Ideas 1. Balance your risk portfolio 2. Highlight the reasons not to support your idea 3. Make your ideas more familiar 4. Speak to a different audience 5. Be a tempered radical C. Managing Emotions 1. Motivate yourself differently when committed vs. uncertain 2. Don’t try to calm down 3. Focus on the victim, not the perpetrator 4. Realize you’re not alone 5. Remember that if you don’t take the initiative, the status quo will persist. 2 Leader Actions to Build a Culture of Originality 1. Hire not on cultural fit, but on cultural contribution 2. Shift from exit interviews to entry interviews 3. As for problems, not solutions 4. Stop assigning devils advocates and start unearthing them 5. Welcome criticism. 3 Suffice it to say, the author fills this book with rich treasures of originality since he wants the person to be a source of this creativity, that is, do not rely on others to help solve the problem and not “sit on your laurels” as the saying goes. It is the effective leader who asks the employee for suggestions. These are the whats. The lingering question becomes the why. Why should a company further an innovation summit? Are not the leaders responsible for driving success, developing and laying out the strategy for enterprise success? Are not leaders responsible for solving the firm issues and concerns?

In what instances, should this powerful strategy for innovation tournaments be used by enterprises? Perhaps this is left for a future update by the author. 1 Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, Adam Grant, page 245.

2 Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, Adam Grant, page 248.

3 Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, Adam Grant, page 252.