Innovation

The game board itself had been used as a delivery system for moral or practical lessons to players. But creator Elizabeth Magie thought the board could be used for more revolutionary purposes.

Creativity is stifled in a risk-averse environment, usually in companies that cannot get past memories of failed efforts and apparently, in their view, unacceptable costs. What is needed is a different thought process and the space to encourage it.

Spotting innovators early on and identifying what makes them true originals is difficult. We tend to look for certain markers that someone is poised for success. And those markers can be misleading.

Even if a leader advocates for employees to be creative and pursue new ideas, organizations rarely allocate time and resources. Enter the “organizational charrette,” a new management practice in which the entire company closes shop for one week so every employee can focus on innovation and future planning.