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Creating the Creative Climate - Part 9

A few other development devices worth considering: member­ships in job or industry-related organizations; company social activities outside the plant; participation in outside study courses, with time off to do so. All of these have the advantage of exposing workers to other people with other problems, methods, ideas, and thinking patterns to help build an "idea background" the worker can utilize in solving the problems you give him.

A frequently overlooked tool, even in companies that have made some attempts to get more ideas from the general working force, is an organized and complete plan for two-way communi­cations: a simple, orderly procedure for getting ideas from the workers to the people who need those ideas and, just as impor­tantly, a continuous, all-inclusive system for keeping workers informed of problems that need solving and the rewards for solving those problems. An executive or company that follows that archaic policy of "Tell 'em nothing!" can only expect pay­ment in kind so far as worker interest is concerned.

Actually, channels of communication from the "bottom" to the "top" are probably already set in your company, and if you want to use them for carrying ideas, it is only necessary to make sure they are not clogged or booby-trapped by unsympathetic super­visors, foremen, or junior executives. The channels for communi­cating problems downward are probably in existence also: house organs, pay envelope enclosures, bulletin boards, meetings, super­visors, and training programs. These can be utilized for imple­menting a creative program, providing the "technicians" manning the communication network understand what is being sought. Probably the only general guide necessary on this is that creativity thrives best on informality. The atmosphere for communicating ideas and for publicizing the need for them should be friendly in both directions.

The type of information to be communicated downward is something else again. It is not enough to present a cold, bald prob­lem and expect such a presentation to stimulate ideas (although it occasionally has for some companies—probably proof that any communication is better than none!). With the problem state­ment should go enough background to enable the average worker to understand it; the limitations, if any, on solutions; some sug­gestions to get thinking started, i.e., the kinds of ideas that are already under consideration and where they seem to fall short. A pitfall to watch for is that your initial suggestions do not re­strict or hamper fresh thinking.

If the problem is being presented on an individual contact basis, some elementary psychology will often prove fruitful. The execu­tive who ends up his problem indoctrination with "What would you do if you were in my shoes, Bill?" can usually expect a better reception than if he stopped with "That's the problem—take care of it!"

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