There are many strategies for
leading innovative projects, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. I
happen to be moving into a new position (starting this Tuesday) where I will be
taking advantage of many of these strategies. I’m joining a newly started
program on base as an AWTS (Automatic Wire Test Set) Programmer. (Eclypse International, 2014) The basic
idea, in a nutshell, is to create custom test equipment for the use of
assisting other agencies on base. What might take maintainers hours to fully
test a single wire bundle, would only take tens of seconds to fully test with
an AWTS. Figuring out what to build this tester for is where the innovation
comes in. The five strategies that I will introduce (in no particular order)
are Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, Altshuller’s innovation pyramid, Osborn
and Parnes’ creative problem-solving (CPS), Amabile’s internal and external
motivation, and finally Ries’ build-measure-learn wheel.
Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats
is a basic tool used to look at a particular problem and solution with specific
frames in mind. (Canfield, 2011) For example we may look at
various situations with:
·
White Hat: This is purely based on facts, what
we know, and what we want to know.
·
Yellow Hat: Pure optimism, every reason why
something will work.
·
Black Hat: The devil’s advocate, every reason
why something won’t work.
·
Green Hat: Alternative solutions and possibilities.
·
Red Hat: All about feelings, hunches, and
intuitions.
·
Blue Hat: Sets and defines focus, direction,
problems and questions.
This allows us to potentially reveal things that we may not
have otherwise done so. To apply this in my new position, whenever someone in
the team presents an idea on what to build next, we could go thru each of the
six hats. If it turns out to be a good idea in the end, we press on with the
project. If it turns out that building the project may not be such a smart
idea, then we cut it or refocus it. In the end Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking
Hats is great for discovering the potential and usefulness of a new idea.
A second
strategy to use would be Altshuller’s innovation pyramid. (McKeown, 2014) The innovation pyramid works by
first figuring out how an idea will work and then figuring out what
alternatives exists. Sometimes it might just be cheaper to buy the solution
than to design it from within. The way I would apply this to the AWTS program
is to propose an idea and then to figure out all other possible solutions if
this idea couldn’t be used. In the end we’re trying to figure out if this
project should be a go or a no-go.
Osborn and
Parnes’ creative problem-solving is the third strategy that could be used when
leading an innovative project. (McKeown, 2014) This strategy can be summed up
as stage one, explore the challenge, stage two generate ideas, and stage three,
prepare for action. This is your basic brainstorming activity when trying to
figure out what to do next. I would use this activity in AWTS when we’re
looking for new challenges. There is so much that this program can be molded
for, it’s finding and discovering these ideas that will help keep the program
alive. This is where CPS can best be suited.
Amabile’s
internal and external motivation is a fourth strategy to be aware of when it
comes to leading individuals in the team. (McKeown, 2014) There are two primary motivators
for people, those that are intrinsic and those that are extrinsic. People can
be motived because they love what they’re doing or they can be motived because
they love what they get. As a leader we need to be aware of what drive people
towards contributing towards a project and then to take advantage of this
drive. For example for those that are intrinsically motivated I can award with
more difficult tasks and extra responsibility whereas those that are
extrinsically motivated I can reward with public recognition. People fall
somewhere in between these two different types of motivation so it’ll be my
responsibility to figure out where in this scale they are.
The final
strategy to use would be Ries’ build-measure-learn wheel. The idea here is more
iterative in nature in that you focus on building the minimum viable product.
The purpose of this is to get quick feedback from the customer base to see what
works, what doesn’t work and what can be expected in the future. This feedback
is then taken back into the shop and improvements are made. If it turns out
that the customers hate the product or idea, then the project can be shut down
earlier saving the organization money. I would be the AWTS F-15E Avionics
representative, so to best develop a product for F-15E Avionics personnel I
would have to deliver a product that they can touch, see, and use so that I can
get feedback on future products that I can develop.
The five
strategies covered include Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, Altshuller’s
innovation pyramid, Osborn and Parnes’ creative problem-solving, Amabile’s
internal and external motivation, and finally Ries’ build-measure-learn wheel.
Each of these strategies plays a role in innovation, especially within my
future AWTS shop position. After this weeks readings, I will be better prepared
to take on the challenges I expect to face.
References
Canfield, J.
(2011). Imagine. Holland: Black Lake Press.
Eclypse International. (2014). AWTS. Retrieved 2015,
from Eclypse International: http://www.eclypse.org/index.php/portfolio/awts/
McKeown, M. (2014). The Innovation Book. London:
Pearson.
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