A old internet colleague of mine from a long defunct creativity list, wrote me recently asking for help -- why don't seemingly good ideas work?
I’ve said many times in my Idea Lab sessions wth clients, that idea generation is the easy part. Far harder is the implementation and the transition stage getting from here to your novel idea "endpoint"
Many companies will spend time, money and other resources on the front end- the idea generation stage, but not nearly enough is committed to the next stage --into putting the priority ideas in place, and evaluating how easily ideas can be implemented, so they often die on the vine or the followup and lessons learned stage is forgotten or ignored.
My friend wrote:..
I really want to help rural communities in the US-region rethink their strategies. The following story will articulate my concerns.
I was once involved in a year long program studying and recommending changes to our community (in Texas.) Recommendations were arrived through insight seminars, study groups, ideation, discussions and communal participation. They were then presented to various organizations and groups. Copies of the documents were given to many people. Nothing much happened. After 10 years or so (looking back), the social and commercial changes were much along the lines we predicted…[....] the community seems to have taken a few steps backwards! That always worried me.
David Pollard in his blog today covers why many ideas and issues don’t get off the ground or fade over time and talks about the need to make a better world easier
With Al Gore in Toronto yesterday talking about climate change, it's a good time to review why some issues take off and others revert into the dim background. David explores "the loss of issue or idea momentum" attributing it to two paradoxes that George Monbiot calls The Rebound Effect and the Khazzoom-Brookes Postulate. Taken together, these paradoxes describe human behaviour that abhors change and seeks equilibrium, speculates David. He concludes: The lesson is clear. ..[..]...We do what we must (what's urgent), then we do what's easy, and then we do what's fun. Even when there is a sense of urgency, the rebound effect, or ignorance over what to do, or lack of political or social will, will usually preclude any sustainable change in results. And if there's a sense of importance but not urgency, we'll be content to talk about it but not act. If we really want to bring about sustainable change, we need to make it (i) easy and (ii) either inexpensive or perceived to be important.
David includes this helpful decision tree:
What are your thoughts on the subject?
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