Infusing Innovative Thinking Into Six Sigma!

Did any of you read the article by Don Peppers on Six Sigma? Peppers did a great job bringing to light the lack of innovation tools in the Six Sigma process. The Six Sigma process was designed to plan, predict, document, adjust, and improve the current work process. For this purpose, Six Sigma is a great tool and meets all of the companies objectives. If the company is looking to be more innovative, then the company should be looking for a tool that promotes innovation like Lateral Thinking or any other innovation tool. I think that comparing Six Sigma process improvement to Innovation is like comparing "oranges and apples." They both may be fruits but their taste, look, and purpose are completely different.

If your company is looking to implement the Six Sigma process, I would recommend that the objectives be clearly identified and communicated company-wide so that the company does not try to accomplish innovation objectives with a process improvement tool. Here's a thought, may be 3M was not looking for innovation in Six Sigma but process improvement?

By de Bono Consulting

America's Secret Weapon

Bill Gates recently published America's Secret Weapon an amazing article about innovation and how America needs to invest more into research and development. In a comment to Gate's article, someone wrote that we need an individual with the vision, alignment, and execution of innovation. I think that we need to train the leaders of this country some tools that will help build and execute a game plan in order to remain the top innovative country in the world. Thousands of companies and governments have turned to Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking to push their people to think outside the box. I know these innovative tool will produce the innovative ideas this country needs to remain at the top.

By de Bono Consulting

Brainstorming Tools that Improve Creativity!

Business leaders today have taken an amazing brainstorming tool phase "Think outside the box" and turned it into a buzzword for their creativity. Lateral Thinking was the original brainstorming tool that used this phrase to train our clients to think unconventional or from a different perspective. How can Lateral Thinking improve the company's creativity?

Lateral Thinking will provide a generic process that forces each participant to think of new ways to improve the process. For example, a company is always looking to improve its current distribution systems, product development process, accounting systems, and assembly line processes. By using Lateral Thinking, a company will reduce the number of brainstorming sessions and begin executing their new ideas.

By de Bono Consulting

What Makes the Lateral Thinking Different Than Other Idea Generators?

The difference maker that Lateral Thinking brings to a company is revolutionary. Lateral Thinking changes a companies ideas generators from a slow and difficult process to a fast, productive, and fun process. The competitive advantage the Lateral Thinking gives a company is multiple ideas in a matter of few minutes towards any situation, problem, or process. Below is a fun example of Lateral Thinking Results done in our office.

Problem in the space exploration world: How to land a rocket in order to recycle it?

Current process: Land the rocket the same way it took off.

Lateral Thinking process:

1. Land it like an F-15 lands on an aircraft carrier. 
2. Have a plane catch it in the mid air and assist the landing. 
3. Land it the same way it took off.

This was a 30 second Lateral Thinking session which could change and revolutionize the way rockets land. Lateral Thinking forces the teams thoughts outside of the current ways of doing things and look for more innovative solutions that are beyond this world. This is why our clients see Lateral Thinking as their competitive advantage in today's marketplace.

By de Bono Consulting

Where Good Ideas Come From?

What's the best way to collect these Good Ideas based on our hunches? In addition, how many Good Ideas are lost in the coffee shop?

We use Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking as a tool to collect our Good Ideas or Solutions to our problems. After all, Good Ideas are solutions to our problems. So the next time you have a hunch try our tools to turn that hunch into a Good Idea!

By de Bono Consulting

Upcoming Six Hats Workshops

Public service announcement: we have a few seats left at our upcoming Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking workshops in Chicago, July 15-16:

• Six Thinking Hats (July 15): $999
• Lateral Thinking (July 16): $999
• Six Hats + Lateral: $1599

Other upcoming programs include:

• Philadelphia, August 12-13
• Washington DC, October 7-8
• San Diego, November 4-5

These public programs are also a good opportunity to attend trainer certification in Six Thinking Hats or Lateral Thinking. See our trainer certification page for additional details, or give us a call at 515.278.1292.

The Blind 'I' of DMAIC

Shameless plug: there's still time to register for our free, one-hour webinar, The Blind 'I' of DMAIC. This webinar explores the connection between innovation and process improvement. Our Master Trainer has decades of experience applying Edward de Bono's thinking tools, Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking, to Lean Sigma programs at blue chip companies.

In his experience, most process improvement initiatives are extremely good at DMAC - in other words, at defining the situation, measuring variables, analyzing the data, and controlling the new solution. Where they fail is the "I" - the improvement. Most Lean Sigma programs spend very little time thinking about how to improve the status quo process - instead, they implement the first solution that springs to mind.

This webinar will teach process improvement professionals how to apply Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking to DMAIC programs to radically improve the quality and efficacy of operational improvements.

The Blind 'I' of DMAIC is Thursday, August 16, at 11:00 Central. Register today for this free process improvement innovation webinar.

Innovation Week April 4-8, 2011

Make 2011 the year you invest in innovation training to help boost your organization's productivity and profits. Join us at the de Bono Consulting corporate headquarters in Des Moines for the following training seminars.

April 4: Lateral Thinking
Deliberate, systematic process that sparks creative thinking
7 Lateral Thinking tools lead to innovation in process, product, and problem solving.

April 5: Six Thinking Hats
Organize and maximize individual and team thinking
Learn how to enhance meeting effectiveness by methodically channeling group attention in six key directions. Six Thinking Hats is our most popular course and will quickly become an indispensable organizational tool!

April 4-5: Course in Creativity
Combines and integrates Lateral Thinking & Six Thinking Hats
Learn powerful methods that will enable you to lead effective meetings, rigorously evaluate ideas, manage risks, maximize opportunities, and drive innovation.

April 5-8: Focus on Facilitation
Learn Advanced Facilitator Tools & Become an Accredited de Bono Facilitator
Focus on Facilitation is the optimal application course for leading group innovation.

Visit our de Bono Events Calendar or call 866.621.3366.

The Need For Innovation Skill Development

Once a month MSEL (Master of Science in Executive Leadership) at the University of San Diego provides a forum to the community featuring exceptional guest speakers presenting information on a variety of relevant and stimulating topics. Barbara Stennes, de Bono Consulting's CEO, has more than 15 years of experience working with teams motivated to increase results through innovation. Barbara will present "The Need For Innovation Skill Development" at MSEL's event on November 9.

Barbara will provide tips on how to identify barriers to innovation and provide an interactive overview on thinking skills such as: Six Thinking Hats, Lateral Thinking, Power of Perception, and more.

MSEL PRESENTS Barbara Stennes:
Tuesday, November 9, 2010: 8:00 am –9:00 am
Check‐in and breakfast begin at 7:15 am
University of San Diego
Mother Rosalie Hall Room 102
www.sandiego.edu/msel

Event Details: The Need For Innovation Skill Development
Register Online by Friday, Nov 5: Register Online

Innovation Week: Get Certified in Lateral Thinking & Six Thinking Hats

We've received a lot of requests recently from trainers who'd like to certify in more than one of the de Bono Thinking Systems without having to travel to multiple certification events. To meet this need, we've put together an intensive week-long event, November 1-5, which will provide the learning and credentials required to train your employees in our 2 most popular programs, Lateral Thinking and Six Thinking Hats.

This new certification event combines core content from de Bono tools, methods, and frameworks to foster a comprehensive understanding of how the thinking systems work together and separately.

Click to learn how you can certify in Lateral Thinking & Six Thinking Hats November 1-5 in Des Moines, or call 866.621.3366 for more information.

Bonus: Attendees will also learn the Focus on Facilitation tools at no additional charge!

Starbucks Sponsors Betacup Contest to Redesign Coffee Cup

As Fast Company reported online last Tuesday, 58 billion paper coffee cups are thrown away unrecycled, every year.

Starbucks would like to serve all of its coffee in re-useable or recyclable cups by 2015, so they're sponsoring a Betacup contest, which kicks off April 1.

They'll award $10,000 to the winner and $10,000 will be split among the next best five. Now is the time to use your lateral thinking skills!

Read more about the contest, view the Betacup video, and submit your idea between April 1 and June 15 to help reduce landfill waste.

The Revolution of Creativity - Lateral Thinking Immersion Class

Executives, entrepreneurs, educators, consultants, and others will gather in Boston, June 21-24, for the Creative Problem Solving Institute's annual conference The Revolution of Creativity.

Participants will choose from keynote presentations, 90-minute breakouts, and elective classes focusing on innovation and creativity.

When registering, sign up for the Lateral Thinking for Innovative Leaders Immersion Class. This interactive class, developed by Dr. Edward de Bono, provides a disciplined approach to innovation, idea generation, and concept development.

Register for the Revolution of Creativity

Bring Lateral Thinking Training to Your Organization

Is Creative Culture Linked to Play?

Babis Mainemelis, a professor of organizational behavior at London Business School, has been researching the connection between office playtime and creativity. In his view, play is not a specific set of activities, but rather a mindset of flexibility, curiosity, and exploration. Furthermore, Prof. Mainemelis identifies two different types of play: play as engagement and play as diversion.

Diversion play means playing while at work, but not with work. Examples might include office ping-pong matches or lunchtime soccer games. This type of play allows workers to take a mental break, which helps foster the incubation of new ideas. It also breaks down hierarchical barriers by throwing together colleagues from different departments and different rungs on the corporate ladder.

Engagement play means playing with the work itself. He describes it as a true transformation of the work. It boosts the creative process and allows employees to reframe activities, explore different ideas, and experiment with variables or processes that typically go unnoticed. For example, he cites professional animators who, in searching for new ideas, fantasize about things like “What if zebras were green?” and “What if sharks flew through space?” This is, incidentally, strikingly similar to one of the Lateral Thinking techniques.

Prof. Mainemelis goes on to discuss ways in which managers can foment play, as well as the risks of not letting workers play.

The podcast lasts about nine minutes; you can listen to it here: Is Creative Culture Linked to Play?

Edward de Bono on Innovation

Edward de Bono discusses the importance of training employees in lateral thinking to give them a systematic approach to innovative thinking.

Check out the article on the de Bono Consulting website:
http://www.debonoconsulting.com/Edward-de-Bono-Innovation-Must-Go-Beyond-Lip-Service.asp

A Lesson in Lateral Thinking

Edward de Bono provides wonderful examples throughout his presentations that demonstrate the power of lateral thinking.

Today we posted one of Dr. de Bono's "Lessons in Lateral Thinking" on the de Bono Consulting website.

Read the Lesson in Lateral Thinking and then come back to our blog to share your own stories of lateral thinking.

Edward de Bono Innovation Training in Chicago

Have you always wanted to attend a Six Thinking Hats or other Edward de Bono training seminar?

Spots are filling quickly for the events in Chicago next month.

If you'd like to register for one or more of these innovative thinking skills seminars, the de Bono Consulting website, www.deBonoConsulting.com, offers online registration. Or call 800.278.1292.

No matter which course you choose, you’ll learn new skills you can apply immediately to help drive innovation, improve communication, and increase efficiency and problem solving at your organization.

Six Thinking Hats
Maximize Your Thinking
September 8
September 8-11 (train-the-trainer certification)

Lateral Thinking
Produce Innovation on Demand
September 9-10
September 9-12 (train-the-trainer certification)

Course in Creativity
Essential Skills to Drive Innovation: Six Thinking Hats AND Lateral Thinking
September 8-10

Focus on Facilitation
Organize, Manage, & Lead Group Innovation
September 8-11

I hope to see you in Chicago!

Barbara Stennes
Lifetime Certified de Bono Master Trainer