How to Increase Innovation, Adaptation, and Learning
When variety is introduced into a system, the probability that innovation, adaptation, and learning will occur increases. Here are some ways to increase variety in a system. Include people from outside the formal system. This means including customers, suppliers, citizens, patients in hospital settings, and students in educational settings. Here I advocate going beyond just interviewing them or inviting them to be part of a panel discussion and then leave. Rather, I urge you to invite them to be full partners with you as you discuss the issues and identify new courses of action. Include those who may think differently from the way you do. For example, you could include musicians, artists, and educators to discuss technical issues. Because their professional training is different from yours, they will bring a different discipline and thought process to the situation. Do not handpick all the participants. The first choice of many leaders, handpicking all the participants reduces variety. It's much more effective to use a selection process that gives equal opportunity for everyone to participate while holding to a minimum the number of people who are specifically asked to participate either because of the position they hold or the knowledge they possess. Processes that end up populated with the same cast of characters, those who are always asked to contribute, do not increase innovation, adaptation, and learning—new thinking is not being introduced into the system. Adding new people to existing groups or rotating membership in existing groups is another way of introducing variety. People with new and different ways of looking at things provide fresh insights and ideas, causing group members to take into account differing points of view. When conducting larger group sessions or meetings that require more than a few people, create discussion groups that represent the maximum mix of people present to ensure variety. On the other hand, you can use homogenous groups—people from the same level, department, point of view—when you want to understand a subject from a particular perspective or when you want to get to a level of detail that requires specific knowledge and expertise. The Axelrod Group, 723 Laurel Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091 Phone: 847.251.7361 Fax: 847.251.7370 |