New Ideas about New Ideas: Insights on Creativity from the World’s Leading Innovators

Citation

Di Benedetto, C.A. (2003), "New Ideas about New Ideas: Insights on Creativity from the World’s Leading Innovators", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 20 No. 6, pp. 595-597. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363760310499183

Now more than ever, firms see innovative new product development as a key part of their ongoing success. Some firms just seem to do it right most of the time – check some of the recent winners of the Product Development & Management Association’s Outstanding Corporate Innovator Award (BMW, Merck, Hewlett‐Packard, for example). Others, however, struggle with creativity. In an illustrative (but probably apocryphal) anecdote, a business manager once said, “Our letterhead says we are ‘the ideas company’, but we haven’t had a new idea in twenty years!”

What should firms do to foster creativity, so that they do come up with more, and better, innovations? And what should those that have the creative spark do to make sure they keep “doing it right?” Can they nurture a stimulating work environment such that their best and brightest don’t leave? In this thoughtful, idea‐packed book, Shira White, president of SPWI Group, a New York‐based consultancy in innovation management and new product development, provides novel insights on creativity in innovation drawn from a wide range of business and non‐business creative pursuits: truly “new ideas about new ideas.”

White, a successful artist in her own right, understands that the creative process knows no bounds: the most highly creative architects, musicians, scientists, and corporate leaders seem to have a way of doing things. She conducted dozens of interviews with individuals such as Frank Gehry (architect of the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum), Joshua Bell (violin prodigy), performance artist Laurie Anderson, and many well‐known business executives such as John Seely Brown of Xerox, to tap into their creative instincts and develop insights and though‐provoking recommendations. White coins a name for these leading firms and individuals on the innovative edge: H³, or “hot, hip, and happening.” This is not just another book on how to run brainstorming sessions! Rather, White lays out a roadmap for new approaches to idea development, how to bring these new ideas to life, what to do within the organization (and within one’s own life) to make it happen. White clearly states her objective in the preface:

We showcase new ideas from an eclectic collection of leading‐edge organizations and individuals, with flashes of insight and compelling stories that will inspire you … You won’t like every idea … [some ideas] still may contain some value to you if you modify them to suit your needs (p. 21).

White begins with the innovative process. For many firms, the breakthrough happens when they begin asking the right questions. Corning, for example, has transitioned from a glassmaker to a maker of silicone, LCD screens, and optical fiber. Rather than continuing to work in the light bulb business, Corning has continued to find solutions, then has moved on to stimulating new problems:

The company is at the very center of the convergence of telecommunications, computer, and television technologies. This old company doesn’t stay old. It continues to grow at incredible rates like a healthy, precocious upstart … (p. 31).

It is the H³s, be they businesses, artists, musicians, or whatever, that are always willing to take on these new emerging problems.

Once the right questions are being asked, then what? Firms often get it wrong when they assume the innovative answers are going to come from R&D, from marketing, or from any one particular place within the company. Also, traditional creativity tools like brainstorming all too often result in the same old people bringing up the same old ideas. The H³s make sure they get exposure to ideas from all over. White’s consulting firm brings in people who take clients to museums, boutiques, and international food markets, for example, to stimulate more ideas and challenge the status quo. “The best ideas are the ideas out on the edges of our perceptions, the thoughts that contradict what we ‘know’.” (p. 91)

White notes that many firms look for perfection and certainty, perhaps out of a fear of what might happen. She believes that firms should develop a vision, follow it, and not be so concerned about getting all the details right. This is what White says characterizes the H*s when they “take the plunge.” The old ways of valuating and measuring are no longer sufficient. To quote White:

Valuation … needs to be a more holistic endeavor … Views of worth need to deepen and widen. Many innovators consider the evaluation process to be a learning process. Evaluation … is about building, adding to the knowledge base, finding ways to make more out of less – to add value (p. 129).

H³s often use techniques such as rapid ideation to generate quantities of ideas, screen the bad from the good, and identify the less obvious but promising ones. Rapid prototyping and parallel processing allow firms the opportunity to try many experiments, make mistakes and improvements, and tease out the best product forms. In fact, H³s view innovation strategy itself as a prototype: it is constantly being designed and redesigned, such that marketing strategy, development strategy, and portfolio management strategy are, to some extent, “left open”.

An important mechanism of innovation is the “integrated circuitry”, or the flow of ideas within the firm and between the firm and the marketplace. This resonates with new product development professionals, who are actively finding ways to better incorporate the voice of the customer (or VOC) into the company. With the advent of the Internet, the process of researching the VOC and tailoring products to customer specifications is greatly simplified. Capital One exemplifies the inflow of information from customer to company with their inbound telemarketing efforts (selling products to existing customers who call in regarding their credit cards, based on customer profiles and predictions of what else each customer is likely to buy).

H³s think seriously about organizational culture and its effect on creativity. Peter Lewis, chairman of Progressive Insurance Corporation, believes that artists are “seers of our society”, and art plays a key role in his firm’s innovation. Progressive has a collection of thousands of pieces of art, displayed in its offices around the country and on its Website. Tod Machover at MIT Media Lab says much the same thing about music and its effects on his organization. Lend Lease Corporation, a Sydney, Australia service provider, is known for bringing in top architects, urban planners, and anthropologists early in its real estate development projects.

Finally, H³ individuals adopt a view of the environment beyond the workplace, reaching into their local and global communities. In the last chapter, “Making an apple pie: beyond the organization”, White notes that the creativity of H³s extends far beyond the workplace. Everything can become a creative platform, from making breakfast to engaging in philanthropic activities. Many firms run out of ideas and get “stuck”, and know that they need to bring in new ideas. What they may not realize, however, is that what they really need are new ideas about new ideas. White notes that we, as individuals, can become innovations, can be the new ideas:

Skill is not enough. Intelligence is not enough. Without imagination and talent, we are merely running in place – and possibly even slipping behind. The H³s we see are not only compelled by creative priority and centered on talent, they are driven by a creative passion (p. 295).

In this book, Shira White draws insights and inspiration from art, music, architecture, and many other creative endeavors too often ignored by managers. New Ideas about New Ideas is just the book for managers who are looking to boost their firm’s creativity but do not know how to go about it well. Containing highlights from White’s many interviews with creative leaders, as well as numerous thought‐provoking shorter quotes, the book provides a fresh and interesting perspective on innovativeness.