Creative/Innovative Thinking  2001 AlexanderHancock Associates

Do You Value Creativity? In the music industry, the recording medium for songs didn’t progress from vinyl LPs to better vinyl LPs. Creativity lead to the innovations of 8-track technology, cassette tapes, and, today, CDs. What will tomorrow bring?

Don’t Become a Dinosaur! n Are you still manufacturing 8-track tapes when the rest of the world uses CDs? n Are you still using Swiss-movement watches, when the world has moved to quartz? n Do you still think that the Internet is a passing fad?

Costs of Not Embracing Creativity If you’re not using creative processes, you’re missing out on opportunities in... –Strategy –Marketing –Product Development –Employee Retention

Thinking Creatively n Companies with highly standardized operations, procedures, and policies can still foster creativity. n Once companies realize how creativity works, they can take specific, practical actions that will dramatically improve their creative performance.

Embracing Creativity n Embracing creativity means… –Employees aren’t afraid to ask “dumb” questions. Charles Land was asked by his four-year-old daughter why she couldn’t immediately see pictures she had just taken with her camera. Result: The Polaroid Land camera.

n Embracing creativity means… –Employees are rewarded for creative thinking, e.g., recognition programs, cash incentives –Employees are encouraged to think “out of the box” Embracing Creativity

n Embracing creativity means… –Innovative thinking becomes a standard management tool such as determining the marketing mix and plotting long-term strategy Embracing Creativity

Thinking Creatively n When employees are given practical tools to think creatively… –they can eliminate entire work processes –they can create new ways of doing things –they feel valued, which translates into low absenteeism and high retention –they are happier, more productive employees

Are You Using Creativity? It’s the reverse of... “I’ll believe it when I see it.” It’s... “I’ll see it when I believe it.”

How To Foster Creativity You cannot manage your employees’ creativity. You simply teach employees the tools to think creatively, then reward the resulting innovations.

Famous Last Words “There is no reason for an individual to have a computer in their home.” “There is no reason for an individual to have a computer in their home.” – Ken Olson, President of Digital Equipment (1977)

Why AlexanderHancock? Clients choose AlexanderHancock Associates because of our... –proven success in enabling clients to capture their employees’ creativity and translate that into bottom line results; –creative program designs; –25 years’ experience in performance improvement.