Searching just looking for ideas

The above quote appeared a couple of days ago on the front page of Bizcommunity. Exploring the idea that ideas have to be looked for and sought after often comes as a surprise to most business people.

A person that has worked in one industry all their lives and has set choices when it comes to movies, books and hobbies is not likely to come up with something radically innovative.

Innovative people are continually searching for catalysts, triggers and different perspectives. Any business will tell you that new ideas are critical but most don't understand how to go about generating these new ideas.

Sometimes the real innovators are those outside the bandwidth where a company normally does it's recruiting. Sometimes innovators are freelancers brought on board for specific projects or timeframes.

The very idea about new ideas is sometimes as simple as looking at the same problem from a different perspective. I have watched the tea lady unearth some interesting innovations at a certain company.

Then I have also seen an accountant that had been labelled non-creative all his life set about solving a tricky dilemma that had the creatives bamboozled.

The creative, out-of-the-box and innovative way of thinking is not something that is governed by a scientific formula. It is a process that has to be nurtured and encouraged.

After all just think of the conflicting eye witness accounts of a car accident or a crime. New ideas in business are generated by different perspectives.

Some ideas are linear and others can be downright outrageous. Everybody I've ever spoken to about ideas has an anecdote about the crazy idea somebody else thought up and made money from.

Those people are often labeled 'lucky' but what if they are just more receptive to ideas and always ready to try something new until it proves wrong. The good innovators are also ruthless in ditching ideas that are not working.

Not all ideas work but if you're not trying any you're not going to hit on some big ones.

Knowledge Management(KM) is a buzz phrase that has done the rounds for years. Some people still believe that it is all down to the technology.

However KM is all about knowing what knowledge and expertise exists within your company. Some employees have creativity that lies dormant for years because they are categorised as part of the non-creative team.

Organising brainstorms in a coffee shop instead of the office, combining people from different departments into a project team or simply encouraging an employee for some creative input when they've never had the chance before could wreak some positive havoc.

It really is all about looking at the same problems from a different angle or perspective and then considering some crazy solutions that may just work.

Being a creative company has nothing to do with any specific industry. It means being dynamic in solving problems and looking for improvements in the way that ideas are generated.