Management tips in turbulent times:

How to generate new ideas in business

Dr. K. Kuhathasan-CEO Cenlead

Creative entrepreneurs can meet the current global economic crisis better than traditional businesses. Many opportunities will emerge as a result of the current global economic slowdown but companies need to move quickly and decisively to realise these opportunities.

Every company, big or small, will be eager to come up with innovations that can capture the public imagination; which in turn can strengthen its image and brand name.

To face today's complex challenges, you need to incorporate a wide range of styles, skills and perspectives, where people carrying out different functions and working in different divisions have to get together to resolve mutual problems and come up with solutions that are universally acceptable.

When everyone in an organisation falls into the trap of approaching problems similarly, there can be little or no creativity. Encourage people to think innovatively about your business, your industry and your customers.

Encourage them to ask questions, different questions, or even ask them to word the same question in a different way. By approaching a problem, the response or a prospect from a different perspective, creates an opportunity for new understanding and new learning.

Everybody has a different agenda. Customers want quality products and services, employees want better compensation, recognition or career opportunities while companies want greater profits and better market share. Learn to recognise and develop your team to meet these challenges boldly.

Brain storming

Make brainstorming a religion, practise it everyday and weave it into the cultural fabric of your organisation. Crossfunctional collaboration, exchange of ideas, concept creation and sharing of knowledge virtually at every level of the organisation are needed to manage and fully harness the potential of inspiration and creativity.

Tips for you

Here are some tips that will help you break out of the routine thought process and generate breaking through ideas.

* Exercise your mind: Your mind needs exercise like your body and it can get it through challenges and problem-solving. A good way to feed your mind is to read a lot and study the success stories of other businesses and entrepreneurs.

Read a lot of case studies related to your industry and biographies of successful people. This will not only simulate your grey cells, but will also inspire you.

* Capture your thoughts: When the brilliant idea spells do come, make sure you capture them. Do not rely on mental notes; you will forget them.

* Have a notepad, or voice recorder at all times. You may suddenly strike gold at 2 a.m. Once you've recorded your idea, use it as soon as you can as ideas are best when they're fresh.

* Sleep with an idea Always sleep with an idea. You will wake up with a creative idea.

* Change your setting: Your mind reacts to its surroundings and has a strange ability to generate new ideas when the physical setting changes.

You may be thinking in a very linear and academic way while you are at your workstation. Take your laptop and sit by the office garden or cafeteria and you may see some fresh perspectives.

Take a walk or hit the gym. For all you know, a change of setting may bring you the inspiration you need.

* Go out of your way to help others: Step out of your job description once in a while and help others with their tasks. Do this without having to be asked.

Saying, "Need a hand there" has a twofold effect.

First, you encourage others to give of themselves, creating a more positive workplace.

Second, you buy yourself a future favour, since kindness always comes back. The people you have helped will become sounding boards for your ideas.

* Know your organisation's and customers' needs: You must know what you have to offer. Find out the direction in which your company is heading and the areas in which it needs maximum improvement.

This will ensure that your ideas have a business impact and act as a catalyst in your growth within the organisation.

Tailor your ideas to meet the organisational objectives and you will be in a position to add maximum benefit to your organisation.

* Understand your work environment. In today's team-oriented work environments, no man is an island. You are always a part of the bigger picture.

* Expose yourself to different realities

If you are a marketing person, spend some time with the finance team or the product management team and ask them questions about their nature of work.

* The best ideas sometimes come from looking outside the familiar and that is what "thinking outside the box" means.

* Keep your eyes and ears open and indulge in some idea generation activities.

Certain companies excel in certain kinds of innovation and struggle with others. They might be good at product innovation but not so good at process innovation.

We have also seen how some companies are born out of a great idea but find it hard to repeat it, while others continue with small every day innovations that add up to continued success. As the world we work becomes more chaotic and competitive, we need every kind of innovation, in every part of the organisation.

Competition

Competition is getting tougher every day. Someone, somewhere is tempting your clients with a better deal, a lower price, a quicker service and alternative product, a new way, a faster way or a different way. If organisations are to stay in business, they have to look at every part of what they do and find new and innovative ways of operating.

They need to innovate everywhere. They need innovative products, innovative ways of delivering those products, innovative ways of positioning those products, innovative ways of gaining new markets and protecting the existing ones and innovative ways of operating internally and keeping track of everything. They need procedural, people, process and product innovation. And they need ideas of all sizes.

Innovation requires people to think in different ways. It needs people who are good at analysis and problem solving. It needs people who are good at implementing ideas and getting things done. For an organisation to become innovative, everyone has to be involved. For everyone to be involved, innovation must be a part of every day life. Policies, procedures, systems and rewards need to be in place so that everyone can naturally use their heads and be innovative. Let your organisation flourish with new ideas and new hope of success. Let your organisation have creative people with an optimistic outlook. May your organisation be gifted with innovative people with a dynamic approach. Innovation will fail if it is left to the 'creative few'.