Dr Wilfred Isak April
CONTINUING with the focus on innovation and creativity, there are two things one has to take into consideration: First the creative process is anything, but orderly, although it is by no means disorganised. It is spontaneous as it just seems to happen. Second, creativity has no respect for time. As entrepreneurs you are at times faced with fixed deadlines and you need creative ideas fast.
Todays’ discussion will focus on three key aspects for creativity to take place in your organization. The size of the team is really important. It is sometimes very hard to be creative in groups of hundred or even ten people. How many people invented the airplane or the light bulb? One, two or three at most. Why is this so? Look at this scenario: Think about the current project running in your company that only needs one person. How many channels of communication do you need for such a project? Well essentially only one. If you choose to add one more person to that project you will have two channels of communication. If your organization continues to add the third person, you will end up with six channels of communication. Can you imagine what could possibly happen to your business – as you arithmetically add people, you geometrically increase your channels of communication. In the end this could have time and cost implications.
The next scenario looks at a big computer company in the United States of America, which has one basic rule. If there are ten people on a software development project and they run behind schedule? What would you suggest should happen under normal circumstances? Most of us will add more people to the project. Now this computer company does it the other way around. Each time the project runs behind schedule they lay off two people each time, until they get the best three that can get the project done on time and on budget. Namibians, I have to warn you at this point in time that I am not implying that people have to work in isolation. It is just that I am trying to encourage all entrepreneurs to find a group of core people in their organizations who are able to take full responsibility, authority and decision making connected to a larger resource base they can draw from.
Moving on think about where you can possibly come up with the most creative ideas? Is it perhaps when you are driving or when you are falling asleep. The point is most of us put ourselves in just absolutely hopeless environments for being creative. We simply do not allow the time and thought of creativity that needs to occur, because we are simply too busy. My point is that you have to find and make the time for reflection.
Another critical point about creativity is that it is something that you cannot see very well. This refers to “passion” for what you do and genuine respect for others’ ideas and abilities. If the workers in your organization do not like and respect each other, can you imagine the tension in the air. This tension can really make it or break it for your business. Get all issues out in the open and remind each one that they have got strengths and weaknesses. It is the strengths on which all of us should focus on to break down barriers. Passion can overcome expertise any day. Find a reason to have passion for your business.
An atmosphere of fear can kill any hope of creativity. We cannot force creativity and energy from our employees. They have to want to give it, and you as an entrepreneur have to have it in order to win. If you have an atmosphere of fear, try and fix it. Next week we will look at the traits of creative people.
• Dr Wilfred Isak April is a Unam graduate and holds a PhD Entrepreneurship (New Zealand). He lectures in Leadership, Organizational Behaviour and Entrepreneurship at the University of Namibia.