Lighten Up - review of book "Set Weird! 101 Innovative Ways to Make Your Company a Great Place to Work" - Brief Article - Review

Automotive Manufacturing & Production, August, 2001 by Gary S. Vasilash

One thing became clear during the ADEP-frog design leap:frog creativity workshop: while there are individuals within organizations who exhibit creativity and who have an understanding of the importance of innovation organizations as a whole tend to be in need of some sort of spark [at the very least] so that they can get beyond the boundaries of what they know and how they work.

One useful guide to ignition is Set Weird!: 101 Innovative Ways to Make Your Company a Great Place to Work by John Putzier [AMACOM; $17.95]. As Putzier points out, "I have seen too many companies that want the benefits of seeming to be different, without the risks that come with actually being different." Pretending doesn't get you very far.

How many times have you heard someone say that in a world of commodities, differentiation is key, and then seen that person behave the same way as he or she did yesterday and the day before and the day before that and...?

How many people do you know who are really willing to do what it takes to be different, not in the sense of being a jackass, but in the sense of getting outside the ruts that habit has worn?

Putzier is not suggesting in Get Weird! that anyone become a blithering stumblebum, but is pointing out that too often, status quo behavior just doesn't get the job that needs doing done: "Any time you try to solve a problem or improve a process without attacking the root cause, you are wasting time and money. If you have a morale problem at work, a company picnic isn't going to fix it." [It won't hurt, but it is like treating the symptoms, not causing a cure.]

Even if you are able to make use of a small percentage of the 101 tips in your organization, you'll be ahead of your less-maginative competition. While some of the activities are fun, this is not about goofing off, but about, well, serious fun. And as you can well imagine, there are some sourpusses in your organization that will be actively resistant, so keep a smile on your face.