Are we free to Innovate - as we Age More?

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=560007&category=OPINION&newsdate=2/4/2007&TextPage=1


Well!

When Clint Eastwood at 76 can do it, why can't we!!!

I have been asked in my Innovation seminars and workshops, by young engineers, software professionals, designers and managers, "Innovation needs an environment, we working in any commercial organization are not free to innovate". Well!...

What is the reason

Commercial organizations needed repeated, certain, and deterministic revenue and profit. Every variation adds another element of complexity and uncertainity. How can managers who have been trained on the heavy doses of reducing variation, a La "Six Sigma" Initiatiatives, can accept any variation. In fact, they are afraid of variations.

Variety adds the sparks, the chaos, the complexity the inherent feedback mechanisms that generate mutiple streams and streaks of creative sparks...

More one is immersed in multiple environments, more experience processing happen and more creative we can become... however, if we keep on perfecting a process, with same repeated process - process overpowers us and we become "Process Junkies" - the Core Competence becomes our basic hinderance to Innovation...

What Clint eastwood and others have proved... the more variety you process - more creative you will be as you understand and craft more variations.....

So get immersed in as many experiences as you can get - because variety in immersed experiences will hone your innovative skills rather than killing the innovations that Processes invariably produce....

"PROCESSS IS THE INNOVATION KILLER , LONG LIVE THE INNOVATION PROCESS ..."