by John Brooker | May 3, 2012 | Innovate
The Creative Gorilla #113 It is important to build the appropriate climate for your innovation needs… “Companies must have capacity for radical change to survive long term, whilst having the ability to innovate in day to day operations.” Summarised from Goran Ekvall, in Creativity and Innovation Management How good is the climate in your organisation? Imagine you are driving a right hand drive car along a busy German autobahn. There are roadworks and the road has only two narrow lanes. To your left is a low concrete barrier to protect the road workers. You cannot see it well and if you drive in the left lane you worry you will hit it. In the right lane are many huge lorries (trucks) that drive close together. Driving between two of them feels very uncomfortable. I experienced this recently, en route to Wolfsburg, Germany, for a football match with my family. It was stressful and I think it fair to say if you had asked me for a creative idea at that time, you were unlikely to get more than a grunt. We returned on the Friday and the next day I was reminded of this experience whilst facilitating a study day for MBA students, with my friend, Elvin Box. We touched on the theme of creative climate in organisations and I thought what a great metaphor the autobahn situation was for a poor creative climate. Compare that to a brisk walk along a sunny beach, having a lively discussion with a friend whilst a cool breeze fans your face; or choose your own metaphor for a creative climate. So...
