Going out of the box for next year's plan

Going out of the box for next year's plan

By Sarun Chantapalaboon

Will the business environment next year be the same as, or similar to the one this year? Are most of us thinking about the global economy's recession, fluctuating oil prices, the effects of the hamburger crisis, changes in policy from a new leader in the United States or the uncertainty of Thai political turbulence?
If some of these factors are on our minds, it seems that the answer to the question above would be "No, next year definitely will be vastly different from this one!" Thus, next year's business environment will most be likely out-of-the-box.
Imagine organising an out-of-the-box "action plan 2009" workshop among the teams from every division or department or business; sales and marketing teams, operation-related divisions or even finance and administrative units. Started by helping them find their own thinking boxes that limit their thinking and get rid of them. Exercise "Divergent Thinking" with the right brain to get lots of new creative ideas followed by "Convergent Thinking" with the left brain to get practical ideas logically.

Then, apply creative thinking to your creative process. Case studies from other companies. Keep the focus on your own real situation in the future. Base your efforts on the creative process, starting from Objective finding - Divergently fill out the sentence of "It would be great if …" to get lots of out-of-the-box objectives.

Then, converge them by screening those wild objectives with 3I's - Influence, Imagine and Important.
Then, move into Fact Finding, by doing Force-Field analysis to discover the real problem behind learning - "How to increase some of the driving forces, or how to decrease some of the restraining forces"
Then, let spend lots of time with the "Idea Finding" step by using more creative thinking techniques, such as the techniques of C.R.E.A.T.I.V.I.T.Y, which are C: Compare & Combine; R: Risk taking; E: Expand & shrink; A: Ask what, why, what if, what else; T: Transform viewpoints; I: In another sequence; V: Visit other places; I: Incubation; T: Trigger ideas; Y: Youth advantages.
These techniques will help you to come up with lots of new ideas. It can be a messy but productive process. This is essentially how "convergent thinking", use of the left brain will take place. Techniques, such as idea clustering and idea screening with logical criteria, will help making your new ideas manageable.

Then, use Pluses, Potentials, Opportunities and Concerns to develop those dreamy ideas into the practical ones. As a result, your out-of-the-box business action plan for next year will be drafted for the current out-of-the-box business environment. Isn't it a logical and reasonable match?

PS: Let me confess that the above concept is not my own conceptual initiation but came from one of my clients who briefed us to practically do the above …. and it works!

Sarun Chantapalaboon is chief learning officer at 37.5 Degree Celsius.

E-mail him at Sarun@375c.coma.Sarun@375c.com or call him on (089) 500 9289.

You can also visit the company website at http://www.375c.com/.

ref : http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/read.php?newsid=30086612

Conquer fear; usher in creative thought

Conquer fear; usher in creative thought

By Sarun ChantapalaboonPublished on September 24, 2008

On Wednesday September 17, about 50 protesters, wearing green, pink, purple and blue headbands, marched along a footpath carrying banners with messages that were unusual requests. "Get out … thinking frame", "Go away … same old ideas", "Welcome creative thinking". The protest lasted just about 10 minutes and went off without any violence.
What had happened a few days earlier?
Our training team tried to come up with experiential training activity that could help the client's trainees understand the impact of creative thinking. The course was "Be Creative @ Work". The prerequisite was that the activity must reinforce the training content, of which one tenet was to get rid of the "box mindset" that limits creative thinking. Among the many boxes, fear seemed to be the one affecting Thais the most.
"Let's protest" was one of the ideas being thought out loud.
Dear readers of The Nation, what do you think about this idea?
At first, many objections come to mind but we must kept them aside and do the PPCO - one of the creative-thinking processes. PPCO stands for:
P: Pluses: What is good about the idea? Is it memorable, helps us get rid of fear, covers all three styles of learners (auditory, visual, kinesthetic) blah blah blah …
P: Potential: What is good about it, keeping the future in mind? It will remind the trainees of this training session and will act as an anchor and link up with the training content. It might even be applicable to other training sessions.
C: Concerns: What are the worries? We may get arrested.
O: Opportunities: How do we overcome the worries? After consulting a legal expert, we found it is legal to demonstrate as long as we stay on the footpath.
What happened that day?
While thinking about phrases to write on the banner, the trainees had a chance to internalise and reflect on the content delivered earlier. Not surprisingly, most of them expressed different fears. Thus, we had a chance to review the steps for getting rid of fear, which we had trained on earlier, and got to apply them to a real-life situation. Finally, we did it
What happened afterward?
The trainees felt good. They experienced that "fear is fake". That emotion was not as big as the perception of it before we took action. This in turn led to opening up doors for the creative-thinking process and the techniques taught through that day.
What did we learn?
"No fear … No same old ideas!"

Sarun Chantapalaboon is the chief learning officer at 37.5 Degree Celsius.
E-mail him at A.Sarun@375c.com or call him on (089) 5009289.
You can also visit the company website at http://www.375c.com/.

ref: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/read.php?newsid=30084275

Alienate creativity at your own cost

Alienate creativity at your own cost

By The NationPublished on September 10, 2008

Two case studies illustrate how an idea nurtured well can make all the difference

Dear friends,
the question of how creativity can help a business during political and social turbulence maybe cropping up in our minds of late.
This question reminds me of the two business case - one that resulted in success while the other did not. So, which one shall we start with? The unsuccessful one? Sure.
During the economic downturn, a company in the entertainment business could not get any new subscribers. Why? Because there was a perception that customers might lose their jobs making them wary of any unnecessary expenses and drove them to save up … just in case.
One employee of that company came up with a creative idea of offering a "job-lose guarantee", that is, if the customer loses their job after subscribing to the service, the service fee would be refunded. This was to serve the objective of reducing perceived risk.
We can all imagine what reaction the boss had to that creative idea. "It's impossible. We won't find a single insurance company which will offer such a guarantee."
The idea met an early death.
You would wonder what happened then. The company kept losing its subscriber base.
What happened afterward? An insurer launched a new policy that would insure one against job loss.
What if the boss had helped explore the creative idea further? The company could have utilised its marketing budget and furthered an alliance with that insurance company and offered a new promotional package to its potential customers.
Now, let's talk about the case that met with success.
In a similar situation, a creative idea was floated that entailed a hotel offering a 100-per-cent satisfaction guarantee. If the customers were not fully satisfied with the service, they would not be expected to pay. What a weird crazy idea!
Let's see what feedback the boss gave. "Let's explore how we can ensure that our service will not result in dissatisfaction."
They came up with an idea of a pot of money that would be shared among all staff equally, irrespective of position or division, at the end of the promotional period. However, during that period, if customers were not satisfied, hence were not required to pay up, that money would be paid to the hotel instead. And a creative idea was successfully nurtured.
What happened then? The hotel tested that concept in a small, limited market. It drew in guests, empowered employees - from the president down to the housekeeper - to refund a guest's money if he or she was not completely satisfied with the service.
What was the result? Some customers did not pay but the profit from the incremental guests exceeded the incremental cost from the dissatisfied ones.
So, what did we find? The results of the study suggest that the service guarantee could reduce consumer's perceived risks and increase positive word-of-mouth publicity and loyalty. The hotel created a whole new segment in the lodging industry and has reached the 1,000-property mark in record time by establishing and maintaining high standards that they attribute to excellent franchisee relations. They are launching more than 100 hotel openings a year on an average - more properties than the total size of most hotel chains.
The payback from this programme has been enormous. Compared to the more than US$6 million (Bt207.52 million) in free rooms they have given away over the past decade due to the guarantee, they have been able garner more than $41 million in repeat business, about seven times the perceived loss. But more than just dollars and cents, they have converted unhappy customers into satisfied guests who are now loyal to the hotel's brand.
Although above cases are both about guarantees, that itself is not the point. It is about the difference between how raw creative ideas are either killed or nurtured. I hope we all choose the second option.

Sarun Chantapalaboon is the chief learning officer at 37.5 Degree Celsius. E-mail him at A.Sarun@375c.com or call him on (089) 5009289. You can also visit the company website at http://www.375c.com

Tales of a hotel, a UFO and a cow in discomfort
Would you like some anecdotes from the hotel case study?
"Guests have invoked the guarantee for a variety of reasons ranging from a UFO encounter to rough toilet paper, over the past 10 years.
In the UFO incident, the front-desk clerk was alerted that a guest had been awakened in the middle of the night by a series of flashing lights outside his window. The guest alleged the lights had come from a UFO. Though no other guests had complained of the incident, the hotel reimbursed the unhappy traveller. "Though we receive some strange invocations of the guarantee, we find very little abuse of it," a hotel official said. Guest inconveniences caused by occasional power outages or breakdowns in equipment are the most common reasons cited.
A case in point of employee empowerment is the story of a noisy cow left in its trailer in the parking lot of the hotel. When news of a constant "mooing" reached an employee, he became determined to fix the problem. The employee discovered the cow's owner had posted a "Do not disturb" sign on his room door. The employee, who had been raised on a farm, checked further and found that the cow had not been milked (a likely cause of discomfort for the cow). The employee took the initiative to milk the cow himself and in the end, helped all guests that evening (including the cow) get peaceful rest.



ref:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/read.php?newsid=30083030

A unique marketing weapon

A unique marketing weapon

By Sarun ChantapalaboonPublished on August 27, 2008
Sarun Chantapalaboon is the chief learning officer at 37.5 Degree Celsius.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/read.php?newsid=30081613

Dear friends, I am responding to your requests for some examples of creativity applied to real-world scenarios.
I visited one company that has applied creativity differently. They tried to think of a better way of building brand loyalty. They wanted to go beyond offering great service. They came up with the idea of creative solutions beyond the obvious ones.
Traditionally, such a perception was crafted among customers through marketing communications. But this company wanted to encourage staff to think creatively. We worked on matching customer perception of the service with the experience sales and service staff provide. Can you imagine what would happen when everything fell in place?
A customer walks in the showroom because she has the perception that this place offers creative solutions. She tells the staff what she wants. The staff offer solutions to her problem as well as some creative options. The staff may use one of the creative techniques, the 3-Q, by asking, "what?", "why?" and "what else?". Or the staff may use the SCAMPER technique (S: substitute, C: combine, A: adjust, M: modify, P: put to other uses, E: eliminate and R: rearrange) to conceive more options for the customer. Alternatively, staff may apply other creative tools.
Then, the staff will use PPCO techniques to tweak those options to be more practical and realistic. Staff and customer will discuss the "Pluses" and "Potentials" of those options.
Then, openly identify "Concerns" and explore "Opportunities" to resolve concerns found earlier.
The customer now has more practical options. And, the more choices, the better solution.
From the customer's point of view, we need to ask: is she impressed with the service? Will she talk to her friends about it? Will she be back to use it again?
From your point of view, ask: what do you think about this application of creativity? Do you think this company would be able differentiate itself from its competitors? Do you think it will surge ahead in its field? Would you try their services?

Formulating a flight plan for creativity

Ref:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/worldhotnews/read.php?newsid=30080733

Formulating a flight plan for creativity
By Sarun ChantapalaboonPublished on August 15, 2008
Sarun Chantapalaboon is the chief learning officer at 37.5 Degree Celsius.
Just as we use a "road map" for strategic development, why not use a "flight plan" for creative development? Creativity can help organisations defy gravity and soar higher than ever before.
"Do you have your boarding pass to fly to new heights?"
Do you want creativity to be included as part of your organisational-development segment? Have you integrated creativity within your organisational goals, vision or mission statements, values or core competencies? If the answer is yes, you are ready to fly. If not, let us go buy the ticket! When you are ready, we will be waiting for you!
"Greetings, captain! Your seat in the cockpit awaits."
Approval from the big bosses from the very beginning is crucial before you start weaving in creativity. At the outset, the consultant should meet the big boss, get his or her directions, clarify and acknowledge expectations. Define the objectives with the top brass before proceeding. Now, with a nod from the big boss, by being involved in the project and securing financial support for the journey, we are ready to take flight.
"We'd like to invite VIP passengers to our executive lounge."
Be sure to get everyone on the top-management team, the vice presidents and directors, involved. One way to ensure their support is for the creative consultant to present a compelling workshop well before implementing anything. Let them discover the benefits and see the big picture of the entire process. Encourage their input. Assess the creative climate at all levels in the organisation and point out where open climates can be preserved and enhanced, and closed ones can be improved. Also, ask them to nominate people at every level to be part of the Creative Flight Crew.
"Calling all crew to come to a creative briefing."
Let us work with our "Creative Flight Crew", or the creative task force. Have them design the system from within, that will work best to encourage creativity and be there every step of the way, nurturing them until final implementation. Reward them right from project's launch, all the way through to the end of the cycle.
"Attention passengers, this is the boarding call, including for all the senior passengers."
While the creative task force is formulating the system, the leaders should be trained on the art of creative leadership. Introduce three characteristics of creative leaders into their hearts and minds: learn how to be a creative coach, inspire subordinates to flex their creative muscles, and blend seniors' skills and experiences with these new ideas.
"We are so sorry that the flight has been delayed, as traffic on the runway is congested. All passengers please stay put."
We have run out of space. The creative flight plan will be continued in this space, a week from next Friday. During the past two weeks, if you have been interested in assessing the creative climate in your organisation, please send an SMS to 089 5009 289, or e-mail to info@375c.com, complementary to The Nation's members only. See you again, same time, same place.
Note: The above flight plan comes from research on creative organisational development worldwide and from my experience as a consultant in Thailand.

Creativity Yours,The Nation

คันไม้คันมือ และมีโอกาสได้เขียนบทความลงในเดอะเนชั่น ติดตามอ่านกันได้ทุกวันศุกร์เว้นศุกร์นะครับ

ปฐมฤกษ์ไปแล้ว 25 July,2008

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/07/25/business/business_30078910.php


CREATIVELY YOURS
The 3-by-4 concept and how you can participate
Published on July 25, 2008
Would you vote for L1M1, L1M2, L1M3, L1M4, L2M1, L2M3, blah… blah… blah… up to L3M4? Welcome to the new column. Let me suggest a style. First, since life is already difficult, why make it more so. Therefore, this article should be easy to read. Second, because formality is not conducive to creativity, let us be informal.
Finally, since interaction fosters creativity, let us try and make this column participative.
So, shall we start being participative right from the beginning?
There are 12 chunks of content about creative organisation development (COD). Would it not be great if the next article is exactly about what you are interested in? Let me take you through the chunks and we will vote to decide the chunk that most interests you.
Those 12 chunks are 3 by 4.
In this case, "3" means the levels of COD. There are three levels that need training and coaching on creativity. Those are staff level, leader level and the management level. At the first level, the staff needs to know how to think creatively. Leaders need to know how to be the kind of boss who can get creativity from subordinates and blend those ideas with their experience. And, people at the management level need to know how to create systems that take those creative ideas into the implementation stage.
So now, you can vote for L1, L2 or L3 (L means "Level").
Four (in this case) stands for the 4 Ms of creativity development. The first M is "mindset", getting insights that can be applied to business. The second one is "mood", which opens up our creative minds and working environment. The third is "mechanics", channelising the creative mind into creative thinking and work process. Last (but not least), "momentum", which denotes making creativity sustainable in the long run.
Which M are you interested in?
Now, we have a code of Ls and Ms that can be used for voting.
As an example, if the highest vote is for L3M4, the next column will be about how management (L3: management level) would create a system that will create momentum (M4: momentum) for new ideas in the organisation, make them sustainable for years, instead of letting them die out in a couple of weeks or months.
Your participation is easy. Simply sms the code for the chunk of content you are interested in to (089) 500 9289, or e-mail the code to a.sarun@375c.com.
Let us be part of what the next article will be about.