Among the subliminal messages the Monday Note is willing to send to the media executives, one is about tactics to boost creativity in their depressed ranks. This is why Google’s experience is interesting to watch. In Business Week, CEO Eric Schmidt gives some clues:
- Don’t mess up with the 20% thing: at Google, engineers are encouraged to spend 20% of their time for projects outside their assigned duties. Schmidt says, they can actually invoke those required 20% whatever the deadline pressure are, their superior must bend to it.
- Track your innovation processes. Use the right tools to measure progress. Add layers of prototyping and testing.
- Listen to people. You don’t “manage” innovation, Schmidt says, and it comes from unexpected places.
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