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here “global knowledge” was once essential for leaders, a 2012 IBM Global CEO Study cited “creativity” and “opportunity-seeking” among the top leadership qualities for the future. This is one of many signals that the business world is evolving away from the information age, where leftbrain technical skills, knowledge and expertise were king. In A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future, Daniel Pink, author and former speech writer to Al Gore, asserts that global conditions – abundance, Asian outsourcing and automation – are setting the stage for a brand new era: the “conceptual age”. In the conceptual age, rightbrain skills involving simultaneous metaphorical, aesthetic, contextual and synthetic processing will be key. Given the velocity of change and the complexity that results from this, leaders need to think beyond just knowledge or expertise. The best employees of the future will excel at creative problem-solving and different ways of thinking – synthesizing seemingly diverse things together for better solutions, using metaphors to explain fresh ideas for which no context might yet exist. In spite of this, the modern worker is finding it increasingly difficult to find the time and mental space for “big-picture thinking”. Would it shock you to know that managers in large-scale organizations spend 40% of their time writing reports and 30 to 60% of it in “co-ordination meetings”? The very structures we created to grow businesses too often hold leaders back from reaching their potential. Look under the hood of your own company: do you see long-term vision or layers of red tape? When we, as humans, are overwhelmed with processes and procedures, there’s no room for big ideas or innovation. Ideally, processes are meant to standardize and simplify the essential tasks that keep businesses running smoothly. They also provide a tangible measurement of progress and productivity, giving people a sense of efficiency and accountability. But processes can also nurture a climate of complexity that reinforces the status quo instead of encouraging innovation. How can people be expected to innovate when they are up to their necks in reports, policies and meetings? If you want to be innovative, innovation cannot be your starting point. First you have to stop, eliminate and simplify. At futurethink, we use a bold tool called Kill a Stupid Rule to identify what rules, processes and procedures should be eliminated to make room for more productive tasks. This innovation tool has been helpful to our clients to clear red tape and make more space for creative thinking.
cathartic for teams unaccustomed to being honest about what’s on their minds. Not many people feel comfortable going to their superiors and saying: ‘You know that system you rely on? We hate it.’ But a tool like Kill a Stupid Rule creates a framework to question the status quo in a safe environment. Managers can also use this exercise as a great way to start shaking their teams out of complacency. Start by bringing employees together and break them down into two- or three-person teams. Kill a Stupid Rule works best when people from different departments and seniority levels are brought in together. The more diverse, the better – from the marketing department to the legal department, and from the interns to the function heads. Encouraging crossdepartment collaboration helps break down silos and enables employees to interact with people they do not usually collaborate with. Provide each team with blank sticky notes and markers for them to write their ideas on. Have the leader ask everyone this question: ‘If you could kill or change all the stupid rules that get in the way of better serving our customers or just doing your job, what would they be and how would you do it?’ Usually this question sets the room on fire – eyes light up, employees start talking, the whole group is engaged. If they stare back at you in stunned silence, you might want to add: ‘You have 10 minutes! Go!’ After 10 minutes, people will likely ask for more time – not because they’re stumped, but because there are so many stupid rules. Do not interrupt their catharsis. After all, how often do you see your employees so engaged? Do remind them, however, that government regulations are “red rules” – illegal to change – but everything else is a “green rule” and, thus, fair game. When the pairs finish listing stupid rules, ask each person to take a single sticky note and write the one rule he or she hates the most. Meanwhile, create a 2x2 grid (below) on a whiteboard or flipchart.
The best employees of the future will excel at creative problem-solving
Kill a Stupid Rule Kill a Stupid Rule can be an eye-opening exercise for managers who have no idea that some of their operating procedures can be irritating or cumbersome and it is
Dialogue | Dec 2013/Feb 2014
Kill a Stupid Rule 2 x 2 grid
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