In the latest issue of 'The Economic Times Corporate Dossier', I came across some very relevant and interconnected thoughts across a couple of separate articles. As these are directly pertinent to the "CorporateTheatre" experience and learning, I felt the need to share these insights with my readers:
1. In her article, 'Change Game', Priyanka Sangani quotes from Rita McGrath's book, The End of Competitive Advantage: How to Keep your Strategy Moving as Fast as your Business. "Transient competitive advantages are those which may be powerful while they last but which do not last into perpetuity. Firms must, therefore, think in terms of continually refreshing their advantages by creating a pipeline of new advantages to replace those that have gone into erosion."
In order to achieve this, Priyanka summarises Rita's recommendation, saying, "The most crucial thing to do is to make innovation a systematic process. Leaders must learn to embrace intelligent failures, learning and experimentation, as sometimes the process of finding the path forward needs to be discovered, rather than planned."
Relevant "CorporateTheatre" learning (as experienced through the workshop):
Innovation results from non-possessive Creativity, where, while offering my idea without self-consciousness and without fear of rejection or ridicule, I am willing to accept another idea which may be better for the task at hand.
Non-possessive Creativity is expressed through non-possessive Communication.
Communication is not about how good people are with their voice, vocabulary, power-point, accent, or multi-media. It comes from unconditional TRUST in each other's clarity and commitment to our common goal and collective success.
Failure is always a possibility in the process of Innovation. Fear of Failure cannot be removed and need not be removed. Instead, what needs to be removed is the Fear of being unfairly blamed for Failure. And this again arises from complete TRUST in the other's clarity and commitment.
Creativity, Innovation, Communication, Trust, are not techniques or independent attitudinal traits. They are interconnected and interdependent attitudinal dynamics that empower the 'Natural' Team environment. Without any one of these ingredients none of these is possible.
2. The second article, 'THE DILBERT GUY', is also by Priyanka Sangani, and is about Scott Adams, the creator of the very popular corporate cartoon character, Dilbert. She quotes Adams, "Goals are fine when your objective is simple and not very far - say trying to shoot a target at a shooting range. In the real world there is a lot of complexity and it's impossible to predict economic forces, technological changes and even life changes."
Priyanka then goes on to explain, "The risk then in focusing on a goal is that you may end up overlooking opportunities that may be better for you than the goal you've set yourself."
This is applicable to the individual as well as the team or the organization.
Relevant "CorporateTheatre" learning (as experienced through the workshop):
Define the destination clearly, as well as the parameters for reaching there successfully, and the rewards on reaching there within those parameters. But do not define the journey too rigidly. This will enable you to tap the unplanned opportunities that the journey offers as we go along. And in case, on the journey you realise that a different destination would be far more rewarding for all concerned, you have the freedom to change track.
'Response' is far more creative and powerful than 'Reaction'. Reaction comes out of past baggage and rigid expectations and curtails creativity. Response comes from a platform of clarity, alertness, competence, and total availability in the here-and-now, and is far more powerful and incorporates the ability to change track if required for the common good, and collective success.