A recent article in the Boston Globe (April 18, 2010) titled "Is Innovation Over-rated?" caught my eye. According to the author, it may be time to appreciate the "power of the copycat."

It is of course very true that innovators have made modern life what it is today, with dramatic changes in disease control, transportation, technology, and other fields. And is it also true that politicians and business gurus continue to sing the praises of innovation as the lifeblood of the economy.

Yet, the author suggests that our relentless focus on innovation may obscure "the value of its much maligned relative, imitation." According to Professor Oded Shenkar at Ohio State's Fisher College of Business, imitation -- if done right -- can be just as important as innovation for companies that "really want to grow efficiently."

For those leaders who prefer to build on what has been done before (using their Navigator talents), rather than striving to come up with the breakthrough idea, this is a refreshing perspective. The world's bias toward innovation too often obscures the contribution that comes from improving on the work of others.

Of course, it's important to recognize that imitation, like innovation, needs to be done right. The advice from experts includes: Be sure to keep an open mind while at the same time paying close attention to the details of execution. Look closely, says Shenkar, to make sure you "understand why something was successful, and whether its success applies" to your situation. If it does, he argues, "rip it off as quickly as you can!"

How would you like to take the Breakthrough Creativity Profile online? Think about the time that would save! For those of you who are using the BCP in your work, you know that it takes roughly 20-30 minutes to answer and score the Profile, time that cuts into any learning session.

The great news is that I have recently embarked on a new project with publisher HRDQ that will update the current hard copy BCP in two ways. First, we will be putting the BCP online to make it easier to administer and get results. Secondly, we are adding new creative problem solving material that will facilitate the application of the BCP's results in an organization.

The "bad" news is that the new online facility will not be available until early next year. However, stay tuned for announcements about how you might be able to help in this exciting project!

Have you ever thought of using the Breakthrough Creativity Profile on your team? To see if there are any dominant talents that might impact the performance of the team and its abilities to creatively solve problems? My preliminary research has found, for example, that if a majority of team members prefer the Harmonizer or Poet talent as one of their two favorite talents, the team tends to be less comfortable with the conflict that is inevitable in the development of creative ideas.

Or when the majority of team members have dominant talents that are extraverted (Explorer, Adventurer, Pilot or Harmonizer), the team tends to be less adept at listening to each other, and not a lot of reflection happens. And teams with predominately Navigator talents tend to be overly focused on details and may fail to take a whole systems view of the problem.

Would you like to find out what the dominant talents of your team are and how they impact the ability to creatively solve problems? And just as importantly, what you can do to optimize the team's creative performance!

Another exciting project I am working on with HRDQ for delivery early next year is to develop an online team report which will aggregate the individual profiles of team members and describe the strengths and challenges of particular patterns of the team's profile as they relate to creativity and creative problem solving.

Studies of innovation teams in several Dutch companies revealed that "frequency of communication was found to be a significant factor in creative output." This is probably no real surprise. However, what was quite interesting was the finding that when communication exceeds a certain threshold, it can actually become a negative and cause the teams to perform less well.

Why? Because too much communication "can lead to a group-think mentality that stifles originality." As team members build stronger relationships through communications, they may start to evaluate assumptions less rigorously. Others may coast on the group's ideas and expend less of their own effort on the project.

Of course, too little communication can be just as harmful. Finding the right balance, as with so much else around creativity and innovation, is very critical!

From "Intelligence," MIT Sloan Management Review (Summer 2005)

For those readers interested in innovation, here's a brief summary of the 2009 Innovation Summit in Cologne Germany, where the focus was on measuring innovation.

The discussion at the Summit revolved around our conviction that measurement is the missing link in getting innovation right. Why is that? Our research finds that there are at least four reasons why metrics help leaders get results from their innovation efforts.

1. First, metrics help leaders maintain focus and attention, a central problem in managing innovation. By sending the right signals, providing discipline, and assigning specific accountability, metrics keep the organization headed in the right direction.

2. Metrics provide concrete targets that employees can readily understand. For example, with an innovation strategy that revolved around patient care, leaders turned a vague concept into something employees could impact by measuring customer satisfaction, cycle times of clinical and administrative processes, and numbers of referrals.

3. Besides making a concept real, metrics also provide feedback and learning. They allow leaders to see if a strategy is working or whether a mid-course correction is needed.

4. Finally, since innovation projects are usually long-term projects, shorter-term milestones and measurable deliverables provide the small wins so necessary to keep teams motivated.

At the Summit, we also discussed the ten best practices for measuring innovation.

Have you ever thought of using the Eight Creative Talents to promote entrepreneurship in your organization?

While I was in Australia last year, I worked with members of the Malleefowl Preservation Group's (MPG) Management Committee to develop a SWOT analysis. I recently received an email from Susanne Dennings, project coordinator for the group, who writes that the MPG appears to be on a turnaround.

To encourage broader participation, the MPG is moving its headquarters from the small farming community of Ongerup to Albany, a much larger town southwest of Ongerup. According to Susanne, "The re-energized group of volunteers has recognised MPG's current strengths and is now working on addressing the gaps. The SWOT analysis you did with us is so valuable there. Thank you again for that support!"

Susanne goes on to say that the Malleefowl has received "heaps of recent publicity" on Australian national television and that the Malleefowl Centre in Ongerup has just hatched 4 malleefowl chicks. Finally, she adds that the economic downturn has actually provided new opportunities for the MPG. Because of Australian government guidelines, groups requesting federal grants must demonstrate links with local community based organizations, like the MPG. Thus many new possibilities of collaboration are appearing on the horizon!

Congratulations to long-time client Gentle Giant Moving Company, who received another award this year. In 2007, Gentle Giant was listed by the Wall Street Journal as one of the 25 best managed small companies in the United States, because of its strong work environment and company culture. This year, Gentle Giant was recognized as Independent Mover of the Year by the American Moving and Storage Association, a national trade organization that each year recognizes one moving company for its outstanding performance and significant contributions to the moving industry.