Out of context

Journal for Quality and Participation, The, Summer 2003

What's happening in the world today - from the practical to the ridiculous

Capturing and Applying Innovative and Creative Ideas is Still the Challenge

CreativityPool.com is a Web site where people can donate their ideas, listing them on a free database that anyone can use (http://www.creativitypool.com/free_ideas.php).

The Web site explains, "You are brilliant. It's a fact. It is your life that makes you brilliant. Your life is unique; it is full of obstacles, but also full of inspiration. Every situation you encounter, every problem you face, it keeps your mind going. You're human. You can't avoid it. Your brain keeps showing up with uncounted ideas and solutions-every single day.

"But what happens to those new ideas? Do you write them down, treasure them, maybe even shout them out to the world? Probably not. You might think that your ideas are not too important. So you forget about them. You trash them. Or worse-you decide to leave it all to THEM: one day, THEY will realize that there's a demand for this or that, and so one day THEY will come up with the proper creation, invention, or solution.

"What a waste! You already had the idea. To hell with THEM! Let's be honest: It might take ages until they come up with an idea like that. And then, who are THEY, anyway? Just about everybody, except you? So you're seriously talking about US as them? Well, the rest of US may be a little slow. Of course, if we were able to read your mind, it might speed up things a little bit. But we simply can't.

"We (including you) might do something else. Why not stop wasting our creativity and collect those unused ideas. Why not help create a global creativity pool? Before forgetting your ideas, donate them-as a gift to humanity, if you want. Remember, it's only the surplus of our brains. We can have new ideas if we want to.

"Giving your ideas is like donating blood. It may seem painful at first. But if you think about it, it's a wonderful experience."

Does your organization have a place like this Web site where "wild ideas" can be accumulated and shared? Where those ideas can be accessed easily and put to use without lengthy approval processes and unnecessary bureaucracy? Probably not. Idea management is a challenge for most organizations-much as suggestion systems were in the past. The Work Foundation, formerly the Industrial Society, recently reported that only 7% of organizations had viable suggestion systems.

In the March 25, 2002, issue of InformationWeek, Tony Kontzer wrote, "Not long ago, companies used the suggestion box to collect ideas from employees and, in some cases, customers. Often, after it filled up with little slips of paper, the box would be emptied and no one would see the suggestions. Rare was the company that actually followed through on the best of those ideas.

"Eventually, suggestion boxes evolved into a subject of derision -a symbol of corporate detachment-and few companies use them now. But the flow of ideas in the workplace hasn't stopped. Ideas continue to be batted around boardrooms, exchanged at water coolers, and created during long commutes, often only to fall through the cracks and remain unrealized."

New technology can aid in the collection and dissemination of creative ideas, but the decision-making systems at work in most organizations-which are based on the assumption that ideas must be justified before they are tested and/or applied-present a significant obstacle to stimulating creativity and innovation. Wouldn't it be interesting if organizations assumed all ideas had merit and made it easy for employees to validate the value of their ideas under controlled conditions? What if ideas that passed those validation tests were implemented automatically without exhaustive approval steps? What if developing and implementing new approaches was a core competency for employee success?

Clearly, there is a "rub" between the management roles of stimulating creativity and innovation and providing appropriate oversight and controls. The question of the day seems to be "Is the pendulum in the right spot in most organizations?"

Violent Music Lyrics Increase Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings

Songs with violent lyrics increase aggression-related thoughts and emotions, and this effect is related directly to the violence in the lyrics, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association (APA). The findings, appearing in the May issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, contradict popular notions of positive catharsis or venting effects of listening to angry, violent music on violent thoughts and feelings. The full text of the article is available from the APA Public Affairs Office or at http://www.apa.org/journals/psp/press_releases/may_2003/psp845960.html.

In a series of five experiments involving more than 500 college students, researchers from Iowa State University and the Texas Department of Human Services examined the effects of seven violent songs by seven artists and eight nonviolent songs by seven artists. The students listened to the songs and were given various psychological tasks to measure aggressive thoughts and feelings. One such task involved participants classifying words that can have both aggressive and nonaggressive meanings, such as rock and stick.