photo credit: How many times has one of your nonprofit Board members started a sentence, “I had this idea….”
In the innovative nonprofit organization, one trick is how you respond to half-baked ideas. Another trick altogether is how you know which one is worth putting back in the oven.
The May 16th New Yorker has an enormously interesting article by Malcolm Gladwell (a guy who seldom misses…) under the title “Annals of Business”. It’s called “Creation Myth” and subtitled “Xeox PARC, Apple and the truth about innovation.”
Key quote from Gladwell’s article:
…in the real, messy world of creativity, giving away the thing you don’t really understand for the thing you do is an inevitable tradeoff…
Are you able to talk with your staff and board in your nonprofit about what you understand, and ask good questions about what you don’t yet understand fully? It’s a worthwhile tool to develop if you’re interested in fueling creativity.
What lessons have you learned in your organization about fueling creativity in your organization? What tools do you use to engage in meaningful inquiry with your staff or Board? Please leave your comments in the box below.
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