Practical Innovations Take the Right Mix of Nuts and Bolts
Released on: July 25, 2008, 11:16 am
Press Release Author: By Chad Shekarchi
Industry: Management
Press Release Summary: Most people know what innovation means, but few are ever taught how to do the radical and incremental changes in thinking, effectively.
Stephen M. Thompson, Ph.D., CIO and Sr. Vice President of Patent Development Corporation of America Inc., an advocacy firm for entrepreneurs in Cleveland, TN, devotes much time steering his IT clients and business associates, through the ropes of effective innovations. He is also a successful author, \"Land of Opportunity Forever: energizing AMERICA\".
We recently spoke with Dr. Thompson about fostering creative thinking for entrepreneurs and how to channel creative energy in a productive way. Edited excerpts of that conversation follow.
Press Release Body: Q: Why are creative thinking and brainstorming technique more important for Entrepreneurs and Startups companies? Dr. Thompson: We found that most companies, and certainly some of our clients, tend to be very tactically driven. So what makes one attractive or stand apart is the instinct of creativeness, however most don\'t feel they have.
Q: Does this affect your client evaluation practice? Dr. Thompson: Yes. It\'s very important everyone understands that innovation is a key component for a continuous business success and that they\'ll be provoked by us to think forward. Some do naturally weave themselves out, while many others do embrace it.
Q: How do you encourage using creativity in a productive way? Dr. Thompson: We put together our own little guide on creative thinking and in every phase of the business planning stage we have some kind of house rules emphasizing innovation. Basically we make sure one can\'t walk around ignoring creative thinking and how not to squelch other people\'s ideas. Next thing you know you have 100 ideas. One thing we constantly do is talk to agitators (somebody you know is going to come in with a different perspective).
Q: How do you typically determine which ones have wings and suit for a particular client or process? Dr. Thompson: You have to apply a little bit of science. Before you start the conclusion progression, we got to establish criteria for how to rate the ideas or suggestions. What are the top five things that are most important in how you\'re going to rate these ideas? Maybe, for instance, it\'s an idea that has to be able to be implemented in two months or less. So we got to rate the ideas on that criteria.
Q: How important is it that your client actually executes the ideas encouraged by you? Dr. Thompson: A surefire way not to kill an innovative process is to go through the processes and then give full credit to the sponsor or decision maker. Also you need to show that you\'re trying to persuade something based on their input.
Write to Stephen Thompson at stephenthompson@pdcaholdigs.com
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