Think Different
Fostering Innovation in Your Organization
Apple’s iconic “Think Different” campaign from 1997
Apple had a famous ad campaign in 1997 asking people to “think different”. How many of you think different? If you find you or your company struggles to think differently, I just reviewed a great list of 50 ways to foster innovation and here are my favorite from the ideachampions.com article:
Innovation Principles
Remember that innovation requires no fixed rules or templates — only guiding principles. Creating a more innovative culture is an organic and creative act.
Wherever you can, whenever you can, always drive fear out of the workplace. Fear is “Public Enemy #1” of an innovative culture.
Have more fun. If you’re not having fun (or at least enjoying the process) something is off.
Challenging Assumptions
Always question authority, especially the authority of your own longstanding beliefs.
Make new mistakes.
As far as the future is concerned, don’t speculate on what might happen, but imagine what you can make happen.
Creating the Right Environment
Increase the visual stimuli of your organization’s physical space. Replace gray and white walls with color. Add inspiring photos and art, especially visuals that inspire people to think differently. Reconfigure space whenever possible.
Help people broaden their perspective by creating diverse teams and rotating employees into new projects — especially ones they are fascinated by.
Ask questions about everything. After asking questions, ask different questions. After asking different questions, ask them in a different way.
Ensure a high level of personal freedom and trust. Provide more time for people to pursue new ideas and innovations.
Communication and Failure
Encourage everyone to communicate. Provide user-friendly systems to make this happen.
Embrace and celebrate failure. 50 to 70 per cent of all new product innovations fail at even the most successful companies. The main difference between companies who succeed at innovation and those who don’t isn’t their rate of success — it’s the fact that successful companies have a LOT of ideas, pilots, and product innovations in the pipeline.
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
— Apple’s “Think Different” campaign (1997)
Applying These Principles
Personal Level
Start by challenging your own assumptions. Set aside time each week for creative thinking. Engage with people outside your normal circles. Embrace small failures as learning opportunities.
Team Level
Create diverse project teams. Set aside time for brainstorming without judgment. Rotate roles occasionally. Celebrate both successes and educational failures.
Organizational Level
Redesign physical spaces to inspire creativity. Create formal and informal channels for idea sharing. Allocate resources for experimental projects. Recognize and reward innovative thinking.
Companies That Think Different
Apple
Revolutionized multiple industries by challenging conventional thinking
Famous 20% time policy allowed employees to pursue passion projects
IDEO
Design firm that pioneered human-centered design thinking approaches
Pixar
Embraces the “brain trust” approach where candid feedback improves ideas