Idea Smelting - Devil or Savior?

I started reading The 10 Faces of Innovation. Only a little ways into the volume so far, but already have run across a very interesting point. The author’s, from IDEO, take the position that playing the “Devil’s Advocate” during creative or innovation sessions is damaging. The language they use is very strong, they are passionate about this. They actually ponder situations where they might tell such a role player to “Go to Hell.” This is obliviously just a play on the devil theme, but I find it telling nonetheless.

Let me take a different slant on this. I hold that when played intelligently, honestly, and with care this role is extremely important and helpful. The key skill needed to play this role is an ability to “ask the hard” questions. This is about seeing pitfalls, dangers, gaps, or unnecessary risks. Without this skill/role failure can loom. Over the past 15 years I have seen many ideas pushed through to execution without any rigorous challenge.

Similar to the way metal can be purified from raw ore via smelting, so too can a cleaner more effective initiative be birthed by taking an unchallenged idea and putting it through the “fire” of a devils scrutiny.

This “idea smelting” needs to be done at the right time and in the right way. There is no doubt that this book holds some great insights, I have already found the redefined roles a stimulating concept. However, I think devil needs to get his due.

Here are some golden rules I would propose to make playing this role effective:

1) Do it at the right time. If done while ideas and concepts are in early stages, creativity and innovation could be squashed. Reserve comments in these stages to only critical flaws in thinking.

2) Offer alternatives. Don’t simply shoot holes, ask “what if we do x instead of a”. Assuming the ideation is going in a good direction generally, this is about steering and less about quashing.

3) Look for gaps. Ideas have a better chance to come to fruition if the gaps are noticed and addressed by the team before they are socialized more broadly. A more complete idea is better than one with holes, right?

4) Don’t just play one role. I agree with the authors that changing hats is a positive, needed skill. By playing other roles and thinking from those POVs, the devil can come across as less of a “naysayer”. Perception is half the battle.

5) Don’t get married to your positions. Just like all input to a collaborative process. Devils need to be flexible and prepared to go with the energy and flow of the group.

6) Pay attention to the room. If there are less mature, emotional, or insecure players on the team, perhaps the devil needs to play his role offline or in a separate session with more senior team members only.

J

Gap Analysis - Continuing Ed

I have been thinking about continuing education. I am working on getting my real estate license. I invest in real estate and just want the knowledge. Anyway, part of the deal with a real estate license is a continuing educational requirement. I think this is good, although I am not sure it is the exact model we need in marketing.

However, I do think that there seems to be a lack of "educational" opportunity in our field. It seems that there are a few options: read, take college classes, OJT, seminars etc. But where could I go if I wanted to get "certified" on the latest CRM techniques? I think that there is a great opportunity for someone to step up with some good on-line courses that sit in-between college classes and webinars. How cool would it be to sign-up for a series of CRM classes on-line, say 4 levels from basics to advanced, and to get a certification afterwards. If this was done by a college or a Forrester or similar firm, I think it would carry some weight.

If you know of some things that exist in this vein, please share.

J

My New Home

I am happy to report that I have jumped back into the fray. I am now with THINK Interactive here in Atlanta...


Drop me a line:

THINK Interactive, Inc. | 1350 Spring Street, Suite 300 | Atlanta, Georgia 30309 | 404.962.8976 | www.thinkinc.com

Primal Change

Went away to the mountains for the weekend and took Primal Branding, good to scan that again. One note towards the end caught me eye, “All belief systems need to be reenergized lest they grow stale and risk public refusal.” I buy it.

I thought about why brands that I have worked with do refreshes. More often than not it has been for reasons that are not about re-energizing because it’s just time and the brand is due. Emergence from bankruptcy, lagging sales, fierce new competition, new chiefs, these are the reasons that have been the impetus for the branding work I have done. Maybe now is a good time to think about more frequent pulse-taking for your brand? Do consumers say you need to refresh?

On a personal level here is my list (it is Monday) of things I need to refresh for my “personal brand”:

1) Endurance

· Once on a path, if its good and right, stick to it

2) Extra Mile

· Everyday, try to do a little extra, for the family, faith, and the agency

3) Focus

· Research seems to be indicating we are all overdoing the multitasking thing, and it is hurting productivity

4) Simplify

· People get way too much data these days, boil communication down. Power point slides? No more than 3 points per slide and keep them clean

5) Fear Not

· At the end of the day, you can only control what you can control. Do the homework; give it your all, and what will be will be

Is it time for you to re-energize?

J

Other Sites - Marketing Profs

Have been enjoying the posts at their collaborative blog, Daily Fix.


J

Democratic vs. Social

Reading in Google Reader earlier today and ran across a reference to blogs as “social” media. Interesting. For me they are not so much social as they are democratic. I think that this is an important nuance in our dialog concerning the evolution of digital marketing.

Democracy can be defined as:

“the doctrine that the numerical majority of an organized group can make decisions binding on the whole group”

reference

Thus, democratic media or marketing would be concerned with control of media, pricing, marketing, etc, being in the hands of the masses more so than in the hands of executives or corporations. I believe this is indeed part of the impact of the blogosphere (and digital media/access generally).

So for me, blogs are more democratized-media than they are social-media.

Social can be defined as:

“living together or enjoying life in communities or organized groups...”

reference

So social media or marketing would relate more to places where community happens, where people aggregate to enjoy and share common interests. Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn all come to mind.

Perhaps at a macro level a set of blogs on the same subject with lots of linked and shared topics may be a social phenomenon.

A little analytical? Sorry. But being very clear on this distinction could be useful as you try to determine whether or not you are leveraging both forces to your advantage.

J

5 Digital Musts

Here are Five things that you need to be testing or doing now:

1) Loosen Your Grip

Find some area of your business, products, or brand that you can loosen your grip on. The most powerful force in business today is democratization. By ceding some control to your customers you will gain far more insight, buzz, and loyalty more that you will risk. Connect with your customers via dialog and collaboration. Let them create your next commercial. Look to Amazon's user reviews and Apple's iMix for inspiration.

2) Be Social

It is no accident or teenage fad, social is a force. LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace and others are for real. Can you allow customers and prospects to share, discuss, explore, and contribute to your brand? Can you leverage what is happening already in those spaces? See the Microsoft Student Group on Facebook.

3) Speed Up

While still developing, real time or instant marketing is coming on fast. Email is slow by today's standard. I have to notice and open an email. IM, mobile, micro blogging, and other touch points are compressing time. If it's hot, get it out there right away. Check out Dell on Twitter.

4) Get off the Page

User experiences based on clicking from one HTML page to another are going away. Broadband is here in a big way, already in 48% of homes. Your website and digital marketing experiences need to be rich. Customers should be in an experience that moves smoothly and that transitions and updates seamlessly. Check out Kayak's great shopping interface.

5) Do It

Get yourself and staff involved in this stuff. You need collaborative workspaces for your teams. Thought leaders need to have blogs. Play around with Twitter, start a social network of your own with Ning. Only by living with these things will you be able to understand their value, challenges, and be able to implement them to your advantage.

J