Involvement and Creativity in the Process of ITS
Seven or eight years have passed since I became a master trainer for ITS; a method for realizing innovation. Not only have I conducted lectures, I have given short presentations at ASTD (now ATD) and other international conferences. What I often think at these times is that the theme of innovation is a universal one, and there is no end in the search to realize it.
There are many ways of seeing innovation, but it seems to me that if there is an approach that has never been taken before, that is innovation. It may have to do with a product or business process revolution that sways a whole industry or the smallest of local improvements. Put another way, the accumulation of a large number of successful experiences having to do with small innovations leads to large innovations and gives one the courage to consider even more innovations.
The important thing to consider, as an individual, is to take a number of varied approaches. If there is even the slightest difference in the way of thinking or process in certain methods, enjoy the fun of trying out each of those different approaches.
The first step toward exhibiting creativity that leads to innovation is expanding your way of looking at things. A more expansive vision helps to speed up the process of innovation within any type of organization. The goal is to take the approach of saying “All right, let’s try this approach on this task. Everyone, share your ideas!” Doing so involves everyone, motivating them to contribute to the mobility of an organization.
Carrying out a plan on the individual level depends on that person’s desire to do it and their abilities. When carrying out a plan involves all or part of an organization, you move things forward by reeling in all the people who will be involved. This helps to keep the plan moving forward.
This is easy to say, but then it becomes necessary to take care of elements like vested interests, the power structure, and sensitivity to emotional aspects. Even if there is no objection to your idea in logical terms, there are no few cases where someone’s emotional sense of “just not liking it” can hinder execution. In Japan there is the term “nemawashi,” which means “behind the scenes consensus-building.” If you don’t do this well, even the best idea won’t see the light of day.
In terms of approaches to innovation, various academics and practitioners declare their own theories. These are all splendid, and some of them have been made into books. There are more than a few that have become like bibles for those who desire a great deal of innovation. If you divide these ideas into phases along a grand scale, most would agree that these three are essential.
- Observing the situation within one’s own company and the environmental situation (including searching out needs).
- Coming up with ideas (and this means many ideas).
- Selecting the best of those ideas, creating a specific plan for their execution, and carrying out those plans.
The reason that ITS has been implemented in various countries is because people see that it packages together techniques that give consideration to the above phases. In other words, ITS is valued for being a mechanism that can process the wisdom, knowledge and information of individuals in a creative way, and increase the ability to link this processing to innovative ideas. ITS includes processes that avoid the ill effect of group-thinking, produce ideas that are not merely an extension of current trends, and take the intelligence of individuals, draw it all together, and sublimate it towards realization as group intelligence.
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