This refers to R Gopalakrishnan's column "Contradicting the bosses" (InnoColumn, September 6). While companies use creativity extensively to accelerate the progress at the beginning and survive during their decline stage, a prolonged dependence on status quo during the maturity stage might prove to be fatal as Xerox Corporation discovered when it lost its market leadership in the sixties. At an individual level, suggestion schemes are launched to gather innovative solutions. But the success of such schemes depends on the perceived fairness of the associated rewards, their appeal to the employees and their timeliness.
Creativity is generally a team effort and Japan has shown how small group activities add to the profitability of the organisation. Also, effective use of communication meetings with the section or departmental employees requires a listening and open-minded boss. The objective should be to seek dissent with the boss' view to promote more ideas such as Alfred P Sloan Jr, president of General Motors did. In one meeting, he found all the board members agreeing readily to his proposal to solve a problem. He adjourned the meeting and asked the members to come up with different solutions or he would have a different board. An organisational culture that tolerates, encourages, and even rewards creative failures is imperative. And those engaged in innovative activities should remember what Isaac Asimov said, "the most exciting phrase that heralds new discovery is not Eureka, but 'That's funny'…".
Y G Chouksey Pune
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