Ideas Factory
Last week I was invited to do a guest blog by Penelope Gibbs of Transform Justice. It is a national charity working for a fair, humane, open and effective justice system. Between 2012 and 2015 I was head of police custody for the Isle of Man, and in that time took the unit forward on a number of levels. But I’d always looked at it - as I tend to do with everything - as unfinished business. What else could be done? How could we make it better still? is the service we are providing today, however excellent, really going to be fit for purpose in five years time. Here’s a link to what I wrote.
I’ve been surprised at the positivity of the responses, and just how many people see the principles contained as a potentially good plan. I’m a disciple of George Bernard Shaw’s statement that ‘Progress depends on the unreasonable man’, and that disruptive and progressive thinking has to take place if the world is to go forward. But sometimes, just getting the conversations going can be the hardest part. To use another great quote from Churchill, ‘Now is a time for men of force and vision’ We live in the most unprecedented of times. This can work both in favour, and against change. On one hand, the collapse of some markets has simply resulted in people trying to claw back to that position, whereas in other cases the bare wasteland of the post apocalypse has seen creativity and innovation reign.
I used to be very vocal with my thinking in my former career, no matter how radical the proposal might have been. There were a very small number of similarly creative colleagues, who you could safely have the most deep ranging and thoroughly energising conversations with. On the flipside, there was the general conservatism of public service, where thinking was almost actively discouraged. I remember a particular instance during the 2008 crash, where we were all tasked with ‘saving money’. It was quite difficult in my own sector, where approaching 90% of our budget was wages, but there were certainly wins elsewhere. I’d done a fag packet calculation that emailing Government wage slips, instead of posting them, would save something like £38,000 a year. Now that is a lot of money today, as it was back then. Excitedly, I phoned someone at Treasury; “Hey, with a simple bit of organisation, we can save all this money!” The reply;
“We’ve not been tasked to look at that.”
Just read that again. “We’ve not been tasked to look at that.” To this day, I still cannot reconcile that response. And to this day, wage slips are still posted out. So that is nearly half a million quid of public money that has been unnecessarily spent since then. What else could that have been used for? The civil service is allowed to operate like this for some reason - after all, it’s not ‘real money’, is it? But in business, if you run with a culture which stifles creativity, then you might be lucky to survive. so what can we do to help?
Set the Scene
Regular buzz groups, where the floor is open for nothing other than improvement ideas. The best of these can be easily identified, and shouldn’t be confined to ‘saving money’. How can we make the working environment better, or the working day that bit more bearable. Try and find a ‘star facilitator’ who is really good at running these sessions, and motivating people to take ownership and create success.
A voice for the quiet ones
Introverts have great ideas too! But how can they have their voice heard? they might not even be comfortable with leading on a killer initiative either. Take time to have one to one’s with them, and where a great idea is bubbling, can you pair them up with someone who might me keener to take the lead?
Unconditional Positive Regard
There is nothing that stifles ideas more than them being flippantly dismissed, or ridiculed. People create on wildly different canvases, and what might look right on theirs, may not on yours at that stage. Some people put the colours on first, others the lines and it is important to understand that. If some thing really wild is suggested in an open session, inviting the contributor to perhaps do a little more development to bring it back to the group later, whilst valuing the effort they’ve made, can ensure they don’t feel unloved. Following up with a quick one to one, to coach the stuff in their head into a more audience friendly format is also time well spent. With some ideas, they are simply ahead of their time, and helping the creator to hold on to it for now means that it can be resurrected by them or you at a later date, making sure they are credited with the initiative.
Rewards
Money is tight in most organisations right now, but cold hard cash is still a great motivator! If someone makes a really good contribution, that perhaps saves money, isn’t it right they are rewarded with a piece of the action? Recognition in any form is a huge plus. It makes people feel included and valued, and when others see it being done, it can help to encourage them too.
So remember to keep the ideas pot topped up. Your people are your greatest asset, and are effectively a paid resource! Make the most of them.
Derek Flint Cert.Ed., MCIPR