Everyone is wired with a different "Style of Innovation"
Through many years of research and real-life experiences, Dr. Min Basadur has found that almost everyone wants to innovate, and everyone is wired with a different ‘Style of Innovation’. He also found that the key to team innovation came from harnessing the power of ‘cognitive diversity’. He has studied and developed a methodology to understand how the contribution of different styles and ways of thinking leads to more effective innovation from teams.
He also found that an organization’s approach to problem-solving often does not allow for maximum input from the maximum number of team players and group dynamics often get in the way (as discussed in our previous blogs).
Min has proven that the correlation between the process of seeking out problems and solving them through implementation requires timely engagement, collaboration, and involvement within a team. Those teams with diverse Innovation Styles are the most successful innovators and change makers. Based on different styles and strengths, players should take on different and more significant roles at different stages of the Innovation process.
Since leaving Procter & Gamble over 30 years ago, Dr. Basadur, through much research, developed an Innovation Style assessment instrument to measure distinct individual innovation styles, with proven validity from over 150,000 completions to-date. He advanced the development of this instrument significantly through his work with the Ford Motor Company. He found that productive and successful teams possessed a diverse mix of styles across the team and capitalized on each individual’s strengths. This enables companies to tap into the full range of thinking and resources from their teams and allows tasks to be tackled in the most creative, analytical, and innovative way, from problem finding right through to implementation.
The first thing the Basadur Profile does, is recognize that different people have different styles and capabilities. Depending on the individual, one person’s approach to problem-solving and innovative thinking will be different to someone else’s. Some people’s strengths lie in initiating new projects and opportunities, and actively seeking out problems that need solving. Others are at their best when defining and understanding new initiatives and taking responsibility for them. For other people, it’s all about the practical side of things – producing concrete solutions and turning previously abstract ideas into workable reality. Meanwhile, others enjoy seeing a job through, finishing things off and taking action to make things happen.
Find out what is your Basadur Innovation Style by completing your own
