Article: Why Goals Lower Creativity
Twenty years ago, The Boston Globe published an article on how traditional forms of motivation diminish creativity. For the most part, this is consistent with the goal-free philosophy. Organizational goals are extrinsic forms of motivation that often degrade performance rather than enhance it. Here are some excerpts from the article: Psychologists have been finding that rewards […]
Quotes in CIO Magazine
Today I was quoted in CIO magazine’s article entitled, “The Role of IT in Innovation: Friend or Foe?” (click the title to read the article)
How to Leverage the Pain vs. Gain Mentality
In an earlier blog entry, I discuss the power of language. I want to explore this a bit further today. Here’s my variation of the “Asian disease problem” mentioned in that earlier blog entry: Which would you prefer? OPTION 1: A guaranteed gain of $75,000? OPTION 2: An 80% chance of gaining $100,000 with a […]
How Everyone Can Be Best…NOT
Today I received a research study on business trends. Trend #2 was “Innovation.” They said… “Only 50 percent of the executives surveyed believe their organizations are ‘top in class’ in innovation. This number shows that there is room for organizations to grow in their approach and position on innovation.” Huh? That’s like saying, “Because only […]
Use Campaign Driven Innovation
If you have creative people in your organization (and trust me, you do), then you may find yourself with TOO MANY solutions. This is why suggestion boxes (physical or online) do not work. Therefore you need to move from suggestion boxes (give us your solution to everything) to a campaign-driven approach (we want your best […]
Goal-Free Living in Jugglezine.com
Today’s article titled “The Happiness Factor” includes some goal-free quotes and statistics. jugglezine.com
A Little Goal-Free Humor
Well, actually it is “goal-less” humor. In the movie “Dodgeball,” there is a funny conversation between Kate Veatch (played by Christine Taylor) and Peter La Fleur (played by Vince Vaughn): Kate: I’m curious, is it strictly apathy? Or do you really not have a goal in life? Peter: I found that if you have a […]
What our clients are saying
In this section you can view a dozen letters from satisfied clients… “When Stephen steps on the stage, he’s like a bolt of lightning.” — Traci Fenton, CEO, WorldBlu Inc. “I give Stephen Shapiro my highest recommendation as a speaker on the topic of innovation. I would strongly recommend him to any organization.” — Julie […]
Innovation as a Weapon
To say the global economic environment is undergoing the most rapid change in the history of business is to state the obvious. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year, you know all about the market blow following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the dot-bomb phenomenon and the collapse of Enron. […]
Unleash Your Inner Innovator
Here’s a question for all upwardly mobile employees: Do you want to be a contender in today’s workplace? Sure you do! Problem is, you’ve got lots of competition, all vying for a few scarce jobs and promotions. And the marketplace is in such a state of flux that you don’t know from one moment to […]