Decision-making is challenging. Businesses can succeed or fail based on one good or poorly processed decision. There are endless “what-ifs?” and possible solutions to consider and there is never a guarantee that one option is better than another. Inevitably, decisions must be made in order for any business to evolve.

Utilizing a decision-making technique can help process ideas and solutions. One tool that we use is a paired comparison analysis (PCA), also known as Pairwise Comparison, to help take the guesswork out of decision-making. It forces individuals to blend criteria and ideas together allowing for a head-to-head comparison of all the options presented in order to collectively determine what will work best.

PCA requires each option to be paired up in order to determine which is preferred or takes precedence. In using this technique, individual judgment is reduced and more effective solutions result. Employees or coworkers often have different ideas about which criteria are most important, the PCA allows for divergent thinking where different values and knowledge are shared and considered. In this process, the goal is for team members to listen more open-mindedly, reducing bias from personal opinions.  Selecting the final list of criteria you use to pick between two good ideas is a very creative exercise, which appears at odds with the concept of evaluation and selection.  

We had a client who needed help picking between two viable options on where best to manufacture and assemble a key product in a new emerging market. The market they were entering required the product to be assembled locally to qualify for government subsidies.  We spent two days with a team of engineers and marketing experts to identify and agree on what were the best criteria we should use to do a proper paired comparison analysis. These criteria ranged from local customer needs, logistics to get the parts exported, and typical cost and feasibility factors. It took nearly a full day to diverge, discuss and make a decision on a final list of criteria. Once we had the final list of criteria, we were able to compare the two options as a group and make a good decision that everyone agreed with. This session broke an almost two-year log jam and finally got the product to market.

Within any business, when executed effectively, group-decision making can render the most invaluable process for determining innovative concepts and solutions. Whether it’s bringing a product or service to the market, transforming what exists, or evolving as a business, a Paired Comparison Analysis can be instrumental in determining the value of each decision.

Are you interested in learning beneficial decision-making techniques for your business? Visit www.basadur.com. Remember, everyone is an innovator, you just don’t know it yet.

Creativity and innovation thrive through collaboration. This can be difficult for some business owners to embrace, especially entrepreneurs, who may be hesitant to trust others not knowing their intentions. But information-sharing is instrumental in finding and solving problems, it can provide necessary facts and points of view about the market and industry. A great idea for a new product or service with no market will not become a successful business.

Ideas + Accurate Fact Finding = Innovative Growth

Many entrepreneurs avoid asking questions or volunteering information for fear of having their ideas stolen or shared publicly. This type of mindset can actually breed mistrust causing others to offer misleading or inaccurate data. The consequences of misdirected fact-finding can lead to erroneous problem definition later. People may only be telling you what you want to hear, which can be detrimental to the development of a new idea or business. 

Some industries are warranted in the secrecy of their ideas. Defense contractors, major corporations with extensive R and D labs, and biotechnology companies build intellectual property fences to shield their ideas. 

For most businesses, ensuring authenticity by honestly sharing ideas and information, and giving your trust is the most effective way of earning trust in return. This requires taking a risk and openly communicating your own thoughts even though they may not be ready. Developing a product or service based on accurate information and supported facts will almost certainly lead to further growth and opportunities.

Here are three reasons why entrepreneurs should be more open to sharing their ideas:

1. 1. New and possibly better opportunities may evolve when additional facts are gathered from collaborative sessions. For example, talking to customers can be the difference between success and failure. These conversations can lead to pivots and possible “I hadn’t thought of that” moments.
   2. Large companies already have immense resources and networks they can draw from in order to gather the facts and viewpoints they need. Many hire outside market research companies to provide a customer perspective.  Internally, great “ahas” can arise from classic water cooler conversations. 

• Individuals that guard their ideas in overprotective ways risk coming across to others as Gollum from Lord of the Rings, “My Precious!” When this happens, no one wants to help as the person comes across as untrusting and greedy.

Do not limit yourself because you are scared or unwilling to open up and share ideas. Ideas are a dime a dozen if they don’t ever get implemented.  For a new idea to develop into a new innovation, you must follow a process. Doing good fact-finding is crucial so that no stone is left unturned and overlooked. In fact, reaching out to your customers, an angel network, or other businesses to get their feedback and be ready to answer more questions is vital. Keeping your idea to yourself and jumping straight into implementation is a recipe for failure.  

Successful entrepreneurs trust their instincts and those close to them.  They are willing to take risks, understand their market, and follow a process that helps them successfully advance and implement their ideas.  Most importantly, they know that collaboration is the key ingredient. 

To learn more about how to share ideas so innovation can thrive, visit www.basadur.com. Remember, everyone is an innovator, you just don’t know it yet.

Listen, Be Open-Minded, Avoid Judgment

Business ideas are often shot down due to a perceived notion that there’s a lack of imagination. Just as it takes an open mind to develop new ideas, it takes an open mind to effectively evaluate the objectives and opportunities that could evolve. Instead of limiting possibilities, utilize a process that is logical and non-judgmental to uncover a solution that is tailored to your business needs.

Evaluating ideas can be easy or relatively complex, depending on the task and final goal. It is essential to understand the problem first in order to find the right solution. For example, when buying a new car you typically don’t just think about what color you want. There are many criteria to consider such as size, make, model, and features needed versus wanted. Taking the time to acknowledge all options allows a greater possibility for creative, yet calculated decision-making.

Once idea generation is complete, there are five factors that can be used to filter in the first part of the evaluation process. Here are just 5 criteria that can be used to evaluate one idea from another:

1. Impact on loyalty
2. Feasibility
3. Speed of implementation
4. Competitive advantage/can’t be replicated easily
5. Financial impact (Cost of resources and quarterly reporting)

What is creativity and what makes it a vital part of the change-making process?

Depending on who is talking, the definition of creativity can change. Some say creativity is independence, the ability to do things you’d like to do. Others believe that creativity is a unique state of mind, the ability to see things differently than others.

Creativity can also be viewed as an individual with a chameleon-like ability to change in a changing environment. Another perspective is that creativity can be likened to the secret of a cockroach’s staying power over millions of years; being adaptive and being able to endure over time.

There are some people who believe that nothing is new, creativity is therefore the ability to rearrange existing variables into new combinations. Others believe the complete opposite, that creativity is in fact creating or making something that has never existed before. It can also be seen as something that is inexplicable, like a bolt of lightning that seemingly comes out of nowhere.

Yet others believe that creativity is merely a result of painstakingly hard work, like the trial and error endured by the Wright Brothers in creating the first airplane. As Thomas Edison once said, “Creativity is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration.”

However you choose to define creativity, the good news is that all of us are creative.

Defining creativity

Creativity is an inborn human characteristic that can be nourished, cultivated, and raised to extraordinary outcomes in almost anything that is attempted. Though it cannot be seen, creativity is as much a part of anyone as any other part of the body. What matters the most, is not how it is defined but rather how it is used.

Check your assumptions at the innovation door

Over the centuries, an adage has developed that there are two things in life that are permanent: death and taxes.

Many years ago, Sophocles (400 B.C.) suggested a third: change.

Today, almost everyone agrees with him. In the book “Future Shock,” Alvin Toffler points out that we are living in an age not just of change, but of rapid change. The acceleration is now so great, that many people are unable to cope with it and, as the title suggests, are in shock. Humans prefer to function in a more stable world. Instability and uncertainty do not resonate well as we try to control and predict our everyday lives.

No matter how hard we try or how much we think we have it all figured out, we don’t. It then becomes a matter of those who are willing to embrace, adapt, and innovate or get left behind. 

Produced in 1972, the documentary based on the book “Future Shock” demonstrates how change is only accelerating. 

The right people with the right knowledge should achieve innovative results

Picture this scenario: you’re the Team Leader for a group of employees within your organization.  You have observed endlessly the frustration and lack of motivation within your team and want to initiate change.  You get approval from the CEO to implement a new program intended to re-energize your group and increase productivity…but it doesn’t.  You’re left wondering what went wrong and your team is left even more unhappy because now they have something new they are expected to execute.

What happened here?

Innovation isn’t just about solving a problem and implementing a solution; it starts with ownership and ensuring you have the right people involved using a common process to collectively solve it together.  In the above situation, there was a manager willing to take ownership but because the problem wasn’t properly defined, including the people it affected most, it failed.  Engaging the right people in the problem-finding process provides an opportunity for a greater understanding of what’s actually going on.  New facts can be unearthed, and true problem definition will help propagate a breakthrough in the innovative process.

Problems are infinite within organizations 

Often businesses are reactive, scrambling to find solutions and losing not only profit but their share of being competitive within the market.  In this post-pandemic economy, staying ahead of trends and maintaining fluency at the same time is a major challenge. Problem finding must be an intentional process identifying Generators for proactive measures and then finding balance within the team, including the other styles and those directly impacted or involved.

Finding employees who are aware of the world around them and eager to find new problems is invaluable; Generators, are proactive and deliberate in seeking out problems needing to be solved.  With the internet making our world smaller and the ability for companies to reach a global market more directly, it is imperative for businesses to deliberately look for problems. The consequence of failing to meet this new economic landscape will result in a lack of evolution with consumer demand and decreased profitability.  

Finding the right people to innovate

“But I don’t know who to include?!”  That’s ok.  There is an eight-step process to help you.  When finding the right people is a problem, do a problem-solving session.  The beauty of the eight-step wheel is that it can be used at any moment when you are stuck or unsure of where to go next.  Stop and restart the wheel to work out the new problem.  

What are the problem-solving steps in the wheel?

Use the innovation process and be patient, don’t jump ahead, and don’t abandon it because it’s hard or you think it’ll take too long.  Include everyone involved in the process, and ask who can solve this problem? Who does this affect?  Getting the right people involved must be intentional, even if you must go outside of your organization.  Remember that executives or managers aren’t necessarily the ones who should be included.

When creating a team to problem find, be sure to consider their thinking style: Generator, Conceptualizer, Optimizer, Implementer.  If possible, all of them should be represented; heavy on the Generators if problem finding is the intention.  Ultimately, the problem will dictate the people and the problem’s owner needs to ensure the right balance of styles are involved.  

Thanks to virtual meeting spaces such as Zoom or Google Meet, you can select individuals based on their thinking styles and not impact where they physically reside or work. So remember not to make assumptions on anyone’s behalf, representation of all expertise is important so your team finds and solves the right problem.

Innovation stalls with the wrong team

What happens if you’ve created a team and, after engaging in problem-finding, discover that you have selected the wrong individuals?  Simple; start all over again.  If you realize this, that’s actually problem finding, which is great, but you must start again as soon as you can.  Don’t try to force the process to work without the missing people.  Remember, you are in control.  It is good to trust the process but don’t let it drive you, it is simply a tool to help you navigate.  

How will you know if you’ve created the right team?  

KNOWLEDGE + INNOVATIVE PROCESS+SKILLS (diverging and converging skills) + TOOLS (ex. brainstorming) + STYLES = INNOVATIVE RESULTS

When the owner of a problem involves the right people in problem finding they can energize each other and come up with ideas that may never have surfaced otherwise.  Innovative people don’t wait for problems to find them, they seek problems to solve and often find problems that others have ignored.

Finding new problems is innovation, and people will be happy because they got results.  When the right people are involved in an established process, they are provided the opportunity to create endless possibilities by interacting with one another and going beyond what is expected. 

Efficiency can be achieved by almost anyone, innovation requires the organization to go beyond the immediate to revolutionize its future.  By empowering the right people to innovate, they will find new ways to contribute to the company helping it evolve with a competitive edge. In-person or virtual, it doesn’t matter how the team is connected just that the right people are involved.

Ownership, the right people with the right knowledge and a process leader using a common innovation process will always achieve “out-of-the-box” results!

At Basadur, we can help you learn more about involving the right people in the innovation process.