IN THIS ISSUE:

• Letter From Sarah
• Featured Article - Busting Innovation Stereotypes
• Out of the Box
• Events and Resources
• About Sarah Caldicott

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Dear Innovator,

What are your innovation stereotypes? How might they be holding back your efforts to drive growth? In this issue of Edison's Notebook, we’ll take a look at two common innovation stereotypes, both of which were featured in a recent IBM ad campaign.

Edison’s willingness to adopt innovative ways of thinking and approaching problems allowed him to pioneer 5 industries in less than 40 years. He believed that breakthrough ideas could come from anywhere in his organizations, at any time. Edison viewed innovation as a force that needed careful nurturing to operate continually. So, he didn’t legislate specific days or times of the year to be “innovation days” – his employees were thinking like innovators every day!

By busting the innovation stereotypes in your organization, you will move faster and more effectively than you ever thought possible. Read on to see how Merck and Pixar have adopted two of Edison’s best practices to accelerate innovative thinking in their teams.

To your innovation success,

Sarah

Featured Article : Busting Innovation Stereotypes

Earlier this year, IBM ran an intriguing series of TV ads featuring two popular innovation stereotypes. In one ad, a chubby caped superhero with an "i" emblazoned on his chest zooms onto the scene to inspire Innovation Day at a large company. Moments later - after making his grand entrance - he slinks away feeling dejected and unappreciated. "Nobody understands me!" he moans.

In a second ad, IBM caricatures the role of creativity in the innovation process by showing scores of executives lying on the floor at a company retreat. One of them receives a call on her cell phone amidst the hush of a meditation session underway (complete with dimmed lights). Presumably in response to the question, "What are you doing?" she whispers to her caller: "We're ideating."

Innovation Is a Force

Wow! Both these ads point to classic innovation stereotypes! The first highlights the common misperception that organizations can legislate certain times or places for innovation to just "happen." By holding "Innovation Day," companies often believe they're walking the talk of innovation, or calling it into being by having an event with lots of fanfare, even though little ongoing support will generally be offered to sustain innovation momentum once the event is concluded.

The second ad plays up the stereotype that “creativity” is best engendered by meditation-like conditions, or that creative thinking somehow requires an altered mental state. Bust this one right now!

Edison believed innovation was a powerful force – not just a series of processes that could be stopped or started. He saw innovation as a force that could be nurtured through a combination of cultural components – such as working environment – as well as mindsets that inspired leaders and employees to connect to a big vision of "what's possible." Edison allowed his employees to engage their passions at work rather than asking them to buy into a preset collection of rules – or stereotypes.

Although meditation is a terrific way to relieve stress, Edison used whole-brain thinking to spur creativity. Whole-brain thinking techniques powerfully integrate the left and right hemispheres of the mind, dramatically broadening the solution frame. Edison’s unique approaches allowed his teams to consistently activate their higher brain centers – where today’s neuroscientists tell us we bring together facts and patterns. Imagine what you could accomplish by becoming a whole-brain thinker - without ever having to dim the lights!

Tap Into Edison's Own Powerful Patterns to Foster Innovation

In a real sense, Edison’s teams were like mini force-fields capable of driving market-moving value every single day. So before throwing on your superhero cape or rolling out the meditation mats, try these two techniques inspired by Edison’s own best practices:

1. Equip your teams with notebooks for capturing ideas that arise throughout the day. Working with a notebook strengthens left- and right-brain interactions, and signals to your employees that ideas are a raw material they can capture anytime – not just during designated hours or special conditions. Edison’s own notebooks show us the power of the words, idea fragments, and visual images he captured daily. Merck now uses notebooks as a tool to spur innovative thinking within its drug development teams.
   
   
2. Insist that ideas be expressed visually rather than just verbally at meetings, or in casual discussions. Draw your thoughts on paper! Or in your notebook! Expressing ideas visually activates the pattern-seeking behaviors of the right brain, and encourages their integration with facts generated by the left brain. Importantly, it also allows the diverse learning styles of your employees to be engaged. Today, Pixar has replaced memos with storyboards. Edison would approve!

This month, use both of these tools to help you Innovate Like Edison!

In next month's issue: Patterns of Communication That Encourage Innovation

Out of the Box

Reading science fiction is an excellent way to excite "possibility thinking," Edison style. Grab a classic from Ray Bradbury and dive in! Edison loved the fantastical worlds created by Jules Verne, a French author who pioneered the genre of science fiction when Edison was in his 20's and 30's. Inspired by Jules Verne's “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” Edison began writing about civilizations living beneath the ocean.

Set your own fantastical mind in motion by creating a wild-eyed story of your own, or jotting down the plot for a science fiction movie in your notebook. Start it today!

Events and Resources

About Sarah Caldicott

Sarah Miller Caldicott is a great grandniece of Thomas Edison, a 20-year marketing veteran, and co-author of "Innovate Like Edison: The Success System of America's Greatest Inventor." She has assembled teams of highly experienced consultants and trainers to assist her in bringing Edison's Five Competencies of Innovation™ to organizations of all sizes. Sarah and her teams are capable of addressing business challenges from a diverse array of industries, in either a business-to-consumer or business-to-business environment.

Sarah is a dynamic and award-winning speaker, whose engaging style combines substantive business content with humor. Her invaluable experience offers an ideal resource for organizations seeking innovation success in today's rapidly integrating global marketplace.

Born and raised in the Midwest, Sarah received a BA from Wellesley College, where she was named a Wellesley College Scholar. She also holds an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Sarah resides in Oak Park, Illinois, and has two teenage boys, Nicholas and Connor. For additional information on Sarah, click here.