Generating New Ideas

Many of the best ideas come from “happy accidents’. Often, individuals or small groups are simply “freelancing”, working on ideas on their own. Many good ideas die short of development and miles from commercial success. In most companies, the “practice” of innovation is infrequent, ineffective, and unsystematic. To create successful innovative ideas, the following steps to be followed: * Involve everyone in the quest for ideas * Involve customers in your process of generating ideas * Involve customers in new ways. * Focus on needs that customers don’t express. Focus groups provide feedback only on existing ideas. * Seek ideas from new customer groups. Organizational networks are a major factor to successful innovation. Rycroft and Kasha argue that the management of such networks differs, depending on the kind of innovation being pursued. In times when incremental innovations are the norm, managers should allow self-organization to occur; this is the process by which networks re-order themselves and their knowledge into more appropriate structures without the guidance of management. When major technological changes are on the horizon, however, the role of management changes. Managers need to guide organizational adaptations that are essential to acquiring and creating the knowledge needed to innovate successfully. Tata Steel does this with employees-‘Manthan ab Shopfloor se’!

Celebrations

The poorest among mankind celebrate the gift of life and the bounty of Nature. In early January, the whole village celebrates Pongal in Tamil Nadu, South India and similar festivals all over the world depending on the harvest time. It stretches over four days, which become an island of joy, even if life is a stormy business. All old things are burnt in a huge bonfire. New clothes are worn. Overflowing joy and good fortune are celebrated by the Pongal pot of plenty which boils over with the rice and jaggery that will be eaten at the celebration. The house is newly painted and decorated. There is a whole day devoted to cows. Their horns are painted and bodies decorated, and they enjoy a rest and good food. The last day is devoted to going out and seeing friends and relatives, watching movies and generally celebrating life. The saying is that when Thai (following the mid January Harvest festival) is born, a way will be found to solve all problems. These celebrations lift you out of the trough of despondency. They fill you with the energy to make a new beginning with the help of God and the family.

Customer’s Focus On Innovation

Incorporating the customer’s voice into a product is one of the most important methods of ensuring market led innovation. Often the companies assume they know what customers want. But fashions change and so do customer tastes. Nestle, found in the 80’s that their market share for chocolates was plummeting. They conducted a TCC or Tapping Customer Creativity, that is when customers (school children) and officials of the company, learned tools of innovation in a non-threatening atmosphere and explored the field. It was found that modern children did not like chocolates which were too sweet. They also wanted some health benefits from the chocolate. The result of incorporating these suggestions is history – Nestle made a dazzling comeback with chocolates that were less sweet and were garnished with biscuits and nuts.

Affirmations for Personal Wellbeing

You are a powerhouse of potential. The great Michelangelo was once asked how he created great statues. Old and half blind, Michelangelo stood before a block of marble, scarred and muddy from the quarries of Carrara. He said quietly, ‘I have never created a statue. I just stand before a block of marble and study it with reverence. For I know that within every block of marble, there lies a statue, waiting to be liberated by the touch of the Master’s hand.’ Within each of us lies hidden a masterpiece waiting to be liberated by the magic touch of attention. Only you can do it. Be your own ‘expert’. Do not build negative ideas about yourself through the comments of others. Your self-talk should be calm, happy and elevating. Choose to see and hear what is beautiful and encouraging. When you are wounded, learn to soothe yourself by using these affirmations. (Sit with eyes closed and silently affirm) By nature I am kind, gentle and loving. Any mistake committed is unintentional and I forgive myself and others for it. God’s grace has created a magic circle of love, a safe haven for me and my loved ones. I am capable of achieving my goals with hard work and dedication. I look around me for help and knowledge to reach my goals. I seek companions who encourage and help me.

Analysis – the Gateway to Solutions

In the creative thinking process, incubation is followed by ‘Analysis.’ During the process of analysis, apply left-brain thinking – logical, statistical and mathematical. Solutions have to be carefully discussed and the optimum one chosen. The solutions are analyzed against the parameters chosen by the problem owner. Some prevalent parameters are: a) Time b) Budget c) Convenience d) Human resources e) Goodwill and impact on staff motivation levels f) Aesthetics g) Saving lives h) Political capital Different parameters find different levels of priority depending on the situation at hand. Let us consider the example of the budget as a parameter and its priority level in different cases. For a company where liquidity is low, cash flow would be the most important concern. For a company facing a crisis, time may be of the essence and big budgets would be tolerated in view of the emergency situation. While identifying solutions, ensure that there are a wide variety of options to choose from. There is then a greater possibility that the final option chosen ensures optimal results. This systematic process ensures that the option chosen produces the best results. Analysis is the stage just prior to implementation. Therefore, detailed analysis forms the root to strong implementation. Action: Let all groups meet for a couple of hours to study all generated ideas observe them and discus them.

Drought

Drought is firmly established in 2015. Every inhabited continent faces extremely high water stress. This is caused by lower rainfall and chronically increasing over use of water resources by farmers, businesses, residents and consumers. The strong, warm, EL Nino current is firmly established this year; with low nutrients, causing lower rainfall and reduced agricultural production. This in turn affects commodity prices, increasing inflation and resulting in social unrest. In Europe drought has affected large areas. The Czech Republic’s hop harvest has dropped 34%; Asia is striken by drought laying its skeletal hand on India, Mongolia and Eastern Russia. Some parts of India are too dry to plough. One thousand three hundred farmers committed suicide in the last three months because of drought. Ninety lakh farmers have been hit by a severe drought in the Western Indian state of Maharashtra. Rains have been scanty over the last three years. Drought is a creeping phenomenon that occurs when there is long period with lowered rainfall. This insidious problem causes drastic fall in agricultural yield. It said that Indian agriculture is a gamble in the monsoons. Here there have been three failed monsoons. What we need to do is store water when there is good rainfall and always uses water carefully. The east coast of India, especially Telangana is similarly affected. Drought in Africa is entrenched in the equatorial northern regions. Tanzanian farmers have changed their crop and food pattern from maize to sweet potatoes which are drought resistant. Uganda and Kenya are being forced to follow suit. Across the United States, 7 million acres have been burnt by wild fires. Alaska and California have been worst affected. Brazil is reeling from water shortage. Chilean grape farmers are looking for drought resistant vines. Australia is becoming dustier and 24 people died in Papua New Guinea as a result of poisoned water and hunger. The impact of drought can be catastrophic: Economic Impact Farmers are the worst affected. Money may be borrowed merely to irrigate the crops and in digging new wells. Expenditure on food and water will increase for cattle and sheep farmers. Supporting industries like makers of pump sets, tractors and food for livestock will suffer losses. Wild fires thrive in drought prone areas destroying life and property. Lakes dry up and the fishing industry is affected. Hydro-electric power generation suffers and energy costs go up. Food prices shoot up. Environmental Impact: Wild animals languish due to lack of food and water. Plants and trees are badly affected. The quality of soil becomes degraded and erosion sets in. Wet lands dry up as do the plants that grow there. The water table goes down – lakes, ponds and reservoirs dry up and the water table sinks, in the wild, fires blaze uncontrolled. Less food means, pregnant mothers are affected as are their unborn babies suffer developmental defects that are lifelong. Social Impact: Suicides of farmers in the single state of Maharashtra, is the most shocking and obvious social impact. Anxiety and depression affect large parts of the population. The threat of life and health constantly stalk the population. Migration from villages to over crowded cities is an immediate result. What can we do? • Conserve water and learn to store water • Be aware if a drought is impending, study the patterns of the past and be in touch with the latest information. • Always Practice and propagate rain water harvesting. • Find out where your water comes from and test the quality of water. • Make sure your wells are environment friendly and not so deep as to cause degradation of the ground water table. • Make sure some of your activities do not cause water pollution, especially of ground water • Be sure to call attention and take action against water pollution. www.mindspower.com

celebrate water

“And Darkness was upon the face of the Deep….” Says the Bible as it describes the beginning of a watery world. The ancient Indian text, the Rig Veda speaks of the beginning as a world of bottomless, uninterrupted, and limitless water’. Water nourishes washes, cleans, and clears. No wonder many ancient cultures worship water as the foremost of the elements. This blog seeks to focus attention on various aspects of water and ways to preserve it. Over 2/3 of the human body is made of water. Imagine, the brain is 75% water, blood is 83% water, bones 22%, muscles 75% water and lungs 90%! A decrease of 2% in our body’s water content can cause serious health problems. Over 6000 children die every day due to polluted water. These are easily preventable deaths. It is said that the next Great War will be fought over water, as we overuse, pollute and waste water. So let us take personal responsibility to save water. The Rotary Convention in Sao Paulo drew attention to the second largest river in the world – the Amazon. We had an exciting series of journeys across the river recently. Over 6280 kms long, it is formed in the North Peru Andes. It flows across North Brazil before entering the Atlantic Ocean near Belem. This majestic river stretches across over 15 kms in Manaos. It covers and waters over 4,75,000 sq.kms of South America, North Brazil, Bolivia, Pem, Ecuador, Columbia and Venezuela. It has an average depth of 150 ft. Its water and rich fertile silt has created the largest rain forest in the world, with the most diverse collection of animals, birds and insect life in the world. The tropical climate is tempered by heavy rainfall and the abundant life it engenders. Trees full of chattering monkeys leaping and clinging to lush green trees with their tails, vivid clouds of butterflies, carnivorous, piranhas, the mysterious giant anaconda strangulating its prey on the jungle floor, are all parts of its creation. During July -August the frail speed boat takes you through carpets of flowers, as thick hanging creepers and lianas, hang from ancient trees and float around you to brush your shoulders as you pass. The river is the life giving element of the lush rain forest. Polluting the river with human and industrial wastes threatens the life of millions of inhabitants of this land of which Man is the most rapacious. The destruction of the rain forest threatens not only the many life forms it supports but also contributes to an increase in atmospheric carbon di-oxide. Global warming is the immediate consequence. Those of us who live beside water bodies have a special duty to prevent such pollution. Deforestation disrupts the lives of inhabitant people whose livelihood depends on the produce of the jungle. What can you do? • Remember the river is not a garbage dump, it is a source of drinking water for millions. Start or join a citizens group that works to keep the river clean. • You can help keep the river clean by being part of a patrolling body on the river banks. • Attend river festivals and work with groups that prevent littering. • Identify and talk to industries which discharge effluents into the river. • Network with Government bodies which are working to clean up the river. • Encourage any philosophy that develops reverence for the river, religious or otherwise. • Prevent the building of toilets close to the river and work to prevent open defecation by the river