Raising The Bar, Constraints and Creativity

The late Eli Goldratt, founder of the Theory of Constraints, proposed that in order to find innovate ideas to improve a situation, you should raise the targets or objectives significantly.  As an example, if you were the manager of a company and needed to increase sales, what kind of responses do you think you would you get when asking the following questions to your team:

1. How do we increase sales by 10%?
2. How do we increase sales by 100%?

To answer the second question, a totally different mindset, probably a paradigm shift, is required.  Complemented with positive reinforcement measurements, the approach should be effective.

Tina Seelig, of Stanford University's Technology Ventures, offers an alternative approach to get the creative juices flowing:   change the constraints.  Although Tina is using the word constraint in a way similar to linear optimization, the idea is to impose less flexible rules, which usually means limiting the amount of resources available, so that there is no other choice than two think in alternative (and possibly counter intuitive) ways of solving problems.

Her approach reminds me of the situation Toyota had after the second world war, and when the company was in a disastrous financial position.    Under severe cash limitations, the company had to figure out how to make quality cars, at a low cost, and had them available when the customer needed them.    The rest, as they say, is history.

So, in what ways are you motivating your team to find creative solutions?   Are you raising the bar, limiting the available resources, or both?

Not Metrosexual, Datasexual?

When you think about the current  interconnectedness of the world, and after seeing the overwhelming infographic about social media, Dominic from BigThink describes a new emerging type of individual, also known as the Datasexual:

Taken from the article:

"....he same cultural zeitgeist that gave us the metrosexual - the urban male obsessive about grooming and personal appearance - is also creating its digital equivalent: the datasexual. The datasexual looks a lot like you and me, but what’s different is their preoccupation with personal data. They are relentlessly digital, they obsessively record everything about their personal lives, and they think that data is sexy. In fact, the bigger the data, the sexier it becomes. Their lives - from a data perspective, at least - are perfectly groomed"

I don't know how else to react, except to invoke Garfield:   Auntie Em!  Auntie Em!

The Overwhelming World of Social Media

For all of you that think that you are not connected enough, or that don't have that latest app on your smartphone, let me give you some bad news:  it will never be enough.

Recently shared on LinkedIn, check out this amazing Infographic showing all the social media services that exist today, and how complex the online world has become.

Makes you wonder were the days of Altavista, ICQ and Hotmail went to, part of the small number of services that existed less than a decade ago.

The bubble has to burst at some point.   Maybe the recent trouble with Facebook is a sign of this trend.   Humans have less time than ever, and we know that multitasking is a myth.

But being connected is now an essential isn't it? How many days can you spend without checking your email?

The Laws of Subtraction Videos

Matt May, former advisor of Toyota and creative thinking expert, is currently writing his fourth book, The Laws of Subtraction, covering subjects related to Creativity, Innovation and Design Strategy.

Matt recently spoke in a venue in California, and shared his 6 basic laws of subtraction.   Each video is less than 5 minutes, and the whole series covers topics from the David Chase's famous ending of the Sopranos, the Mona Lisa, creativity and resource constraints, among others.

Law #1  - What isn't there can often trump what is.  
Law #2  - The simplest rules create the most effective experience.

Law #3 - Limiting information engages the imagination.

Law #4 - Creativity thrives under intelligent constraints.

Law #5 - Break" is an important part of any breakthrough.
Law #6 - Doing something isn't always better than doing nothing. 

The challenge is to always think how to solve problems in a simple and effective way.   As Einstein used to say:

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."

The Effect Of Abstract And Specific On Change

Part of being an effective manager is having the capability to motivate and persuade the people you lead in a desired direction.  For someone to change, both the why change and the how to change are necessary.   Many other elements are important in a change process, but for the moment lets ask:  when should managers discloses the Why and when the How?

Bob Sutton recently shared the results of a study that show how vague versus specific messages affect credibility.  Using presidential candidates, the study showed that if elections were several months away, candidates that spoke in vague terms where the most liked by potential voters.   But if elections were very close, candidates that spoke in specific terms were the most liked.   For the brain context is essential, something my colleague Jack Vinson constantly reminds me of.

The study got me thinking about when you should speak in vague versus concrete terms.  Perhaps when in the initial steps of a change initiative, it is better to speak in broader terms, as this might help you create a shared Urgency of Change, as Kotter's work suggests.   In later phases, when a shared vision is in place, specific terms might work best.

How do you convey the Why and How in your organization?  Do you always share them with the people you lead?

The Legal Rebel Videos - PointOneLaw Venue

For all of us who like Matt Hoffman's, also known as The Legal Rebel, the PointOneLaw videos have been published for everyone to view.

PointOneLaw is an interesting venue created by Matt, where lawyers from different origins and backgrounds present new ideas that are relevant to the legal profession.   For this year, 12 lawyers spoke from topics ranging from Social Networks and the Legal Business, Flash Mob Law and How to Reinvent Customer Services.  Each speaker has a limit of 6 minutes and 20 slides, so presentations are on point.

In a world were lawsuits are common, and are significantly hindering the ability of many organizations such as health, education, and others to provide quality services at a low cost, the ideas from these venue are refreshing.   Matt and his colleagues think out of the box, looking for real win-win between all parties involved.

Although PointOneLaw is mainly for the the legal profession, there are many useful nuggets for business managers

Stand Up Gamblers

Last week I blogged about how to run meetings more effectively, including the famous "stand up meeting", where people have to stand up during the whole meetings because chairs have been removed.  The lack of chairs causes attendees to quickly focus on the topics on hand and make decisions as quick as possible.   In short, the environment has been set up to improve effectiveness.

Behavioral economists have shown that people make mistakes in their decision making, specially when deciding on complex issues, where feedback is slow or lacking.   In these cases, it makes sense to "nudge" people in the right direction, so both the person and society gain from improved decision making.

A recent Freakonomics article talked about how an organization in Australia is thinking about tackling the problem of gambling, using an adequate environment and nudges.   Basically, their suggestion is to remove chairs in casinos, so gamblers have no choice than to go and rest in a different area, other than the black jack table, when getting tired.    How would this change in the environment impact a gambler's behavior?

Are you considering your company's environment?   Is it adequate for your company's purposes?