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A lot of companies want a creative culture,
but not all of them want to do what it takes to have one. Naturally they
don't lead the world when it comes to inventing successful,
new-to-the-world products. So when they absolutely have to
have new ideas, they panic. And often call in creative experts for a shot of temporary
creativity.
Of course, when they do this, they don't want anyone to know that they used outside help.
They want their competitors to think that their new ideas are their own ideas.
Now there's nothing wrong with adding creative power to any creative effort. And when
companies with creative cultures do call for help, they have no problem admitting it.
One of the things that make innovative companies innovative winners is their ability to
accept ideas wherever they happen to find them.
In its own words, "NASA encourages the submission of unsolicited proposals to receive unique and innovative research aligned with the
agency's mission."
Thomas Edison once advised his colleagues to, "keep on the
lookout for novel and interesting ideas that others have used successfully."
Was Edison advising his people to be imitators?
Of course not. Creative problem solvers know that great flashes of creativity can come
from just about anywhere. One of the best examples is the
invention of velcro. As the
story goes, the inventor was inspired by the burrs stuck to his socks after a walk in the woods.
Someone said, you can get a lot done if you don't worry about who gets
the credit. This is much easier to do when you admit that all great ideas
are mutations of similar ideas anyway. Which makes it easier to accept and
evolve ideas from anywhere.
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