Would any automobile company try to build a new car without an assembly line? Just dump the parts on the factory floor and say “go to it” to the workers? Of course not. We all know that the assembly line is a necessary part of building a car that actually works.
Are you in an organization in which the leaders understand problem-solving and implementing, but are a bit fuzzy about problem generation and conceptualization? It can be frustrating when you know that the secret of organizational effectiveness requires both efficiency AND adaptability – or in other words, all four of these capabilities. Simply put, many organizations favor efficiency at the expense of adaptability. They become blind to other possibilities.
“Dear Min –Tonight I shared a presentation on your process and a question came up about a team with a dominating personality. How might I encourage the rest of the group and keep the dominator from scaring off the others?” Thanks, Alice
Mayor Dave writes:
Dear Min:
Greetings! Hope you are well and enjoying our spring / summer. We are busy in Pelham — just opened the Isaac Riehl Skatepark, for example.
But, I do have a question that came up at Niagara Region.
We always do “How Might we..?” Can we do “Where might we…?”
For example, it doesn’t make sense to say, “How might we find a location for a new Provincial Offences Courtroom facility?” when we are really interested in “Where might we locate a new Provincial Offences Courtroom facility?”
Do you have any insights on this you can share with me?
Thanks!
Have you ever had an “aha” moment, when everything suddenly seemed so crystal clear?
It happened to me in 1975 in a course at the University of Cincinnati. I suddenly realized how to explain to others what I already believed: that creativity is an essential part of organizational life and not just a “once in a while” extra activity.
Imagine asking a panel of CEOs from top American companies: How do you take the lead in the 21st century?
