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To Invent or Re-Invent the Wheel - That Is the Question

By Jenifer

Not much has changed since Fred and Barney ran their feet into the ground causing the stone spheres to roll across the roads of Bedrock.  After all, the wheel hasn't broken, so why should we fix it?

That is until the latest business buzzwords landed on the scene, "innovation" and "creativity," and with them the expectations and measurements for success.  In order to obtain that next promotion or plum job we are expected to think out of the box, generate big ideas, change the way we - and  others - think.

On the contrary, when we delve deeper into what this new jargon means we find that the proverbial "they" in corporate America has sent out a notice in search of regular folks who bring to the table new perspective and fresh ideas and the ability to bring those ideas to life.

But are the people in decision making positions really amenable to this new concept?  After all, aren't many of them of the mindset that believe the wheel needn't change?

So, when conventional wisdom professes keeping things in the comfortable state of status quo, how do we get the Geico Caveman and his cohorts to accept new ideas in business?

After several years hiatus from serving on the Board of Directors of a national business women's organization, I decided to re-join.  First, however, I decided to sleuth around to find out if the organization had shed some of its former tendencies, the ones that drove me from the organization in the first place.  I found out, unfortunately, that the organization hadn't changed much at all.  It was driven by a handful of events that only reached a fraction of the membership and it lacked vision to reach a younger audience.  In addition, it had no strategic mission or direction that would drive membership or inspire constituents to join.  In short, it hadn't re-invented itself from its original iteration and it was at risk of becoming stodgy and stagnant to many people who didn't know it from the outside.

As a result of my reconnaissance mission, I found that several board members felt the same as I, that the organization needed a freshening up but not a complete overhaul.  So, I decided to re-join the Board but realized I couldn't just fling a bunch of radical ideas out and expect immediate results.  I had to approach the situation strategically; otherwise, I'd risk getting tossed out on my butt for being too, well, creative.  The basic four-step approach went something like this ...

1.  Obtain Buy-In From Others

First I picked out a couple of key players in the group that I knew I could trust and with whom I could engage in a positive dialog on the issues.  Rather than sneak around the established leadership, I approached this as a fact-finding mission.  In phone conversations and via e-mail, we communicated about what our organization needed to evolve and how we could achieve our goals.  I didn't just speak with the people that supported my position, either.  I approached others who didn't think we needed to change, or didn't know how we could change.  I was specific on the topics and listened intently to my colleague's points-of-view.  Ultimately, an exchange of ideas led to mutually agreeable positions.

2.  Change the Feel - Not the Function of the Wheel

I never proposed wholesale changes in the organization.  Instead, I stressed freshening things that would appeal to new members without alienating the old guard.  Several other people joined in as well, looking for ways to give new life to their departments or areas of responsibility.  As a result, the organization has adopted new programs and projects while ensuring the organization's integrity along the way.

3.  Build the Case

With buy-in and assurance that I wasn't suggesting a complete overhaul of changes, a group of fellow, supportive board members and I approached the entire Board over the course of several meetings.  Together we presented ideas that included facts that upheld our collective positions.  We made comparisons to other like organizations and presented information from members that supported the case.  It was not hard to see the writing on the wall.

4.  Plan the Work and Work the Plan

The problem with many creative thinkers is that they throw out great ideas and then run away from delivering the goods.  By developing a plan and then educating the Board about how we could easily and cost-effectively deliver, we avoided the naysayers who might quash the idea because it added more work to their plate.

During the past several years, the organization has made tremendous strides toward evolving its image.  We're now driven by a vision statement that inspires our members and gives direction and purpose to our organization.  We have developed programs for younger members and found ways to reach senior executives who can assist us in moving our organization to another level.  We're still the same but we deliver our message with new perspective.

Today's wheels have seen many modifications over time and yet the basic function has stayed the same since the Jurassic Era.  You think Fred and Barney would recognize a chrome alloy rim on a rubber tire as the grand descendant of their old stone wheel?