Project Glider design and development

Teamwork/Glider

With increased competition and globalization, increasing numbers of companies are recognizing that they need to continually keep one step ahead of the other products and services in the marketplace. Innovation and creativity are very important to this end goal. That is why teamwork and cross-functional groups are becoming more common in organizations as well. In my team project to make a glider, I saw many different aspects of creativity. These went hand-in-hand with types of leadership that are important to promote innovation. Both are needed for companies to be successful.

There are many activities that promote teamwork such as raw egg drops and designing and building a glider, which I did along with my group at the team-building session. Each of the teams was given a similar materials and quantity of balsa wood and paper. The glider could not be any heavier than 50 gm and had to fly at least 15 metres. The team whose glider went the furthest from the launching point to the ground was the winner. Each team had three tries. The most interesting aspect was that each of the team's gliders looked very different. Although most people have a concept of what a glider looks like in their mind, these teams put the typical idea out of their mind and came up with something new and different.

Even though building the glider was the required end result, it was the means that was so important. After the teams were done with their three attempts and the winner announced, we discussed the different techniques that went into making the finished product. Of course it was helpful if someone had a technical background, but we found there were many more aspects of finishing first than this mechanical capability.

Creativity and leadership were very important. If everyone had designed the same type of glider, no one would have excelled over the others. All the teams would have been equal or about equal in the contest. It was a gamble to try something new, but a worthwhile gamble if it meant winning. This demonstrates two of the most important aspects of creativity -- the ability to think out of the box and to take a risk.

Thinking "inside the box" means following is always done and following the status quo with little or no progress. Some people in the teams were "inside the box" thinkers. These people think that each problem has only one best solution. It is a waste of time to brainstorm and think about other answers. The time should be spent on making the end result, not the creative thinking. Because of this, these individuals put down other ideas. They say something is "too risky," "takes too long make," or "that will never work." They stop innovation before it can begin.

This person does not have strong leadership skills. He would tell his employees that something must be done "by the book" and not let them offer any ideas on how to improve a process or make changes to a service.

Instead, "thinking out of the box" means opening up one's mind to see things differently and to brainstorm with other people to bring out each other's ideas. It also means letting go of your own "in the box" thoughts and accepting other people's ideas or combining them with yours. People who think out of the box are also taking risks. They are trying something that is new, so they do not know the end results.

One of the women on my team was a real out of the box person. She was thinking of some very different ways to make the glider. Her comments made others think more creatively, and we had a great discussion on what was the best way to make our glider. We did not exactly follow her ideas, but took the best parts of her ideas and joined them with the best parts of other ideas on the team.

Her leadership skills for innovation were very strong. She would be the type of leader who would give direction, but gladly accept anyone who had a valid and valuable suggestion on how to make positive changes. She would also have teams working together on projects and weekly meetings to share ideas.

Creativity can only occur in an organization that promotes creativity. There has to be an environment that makes it easy for employees to offer ideas and listen to and be open to other people's ideas. This makes people want to come up with new thoughts and comment on how things are presently being done.

As seen, creativity also means listening to other people's ideas and being open to them. It also is important to give a good reason for why you do or do not like idea. Just saying, "That's great," or "That won't work" does not promote innovation. It is necessary to say, "That's great, because the wings will be stronger on the glider," or "That won't work, because the wings are too weak to support the body." Feedback is a necessary part of creativity.

Feedback is also an important aspect of leadership. Too often, employees only get feedback from their supervisors when they have done something wrong. Also, in many cases, the supervisor does not explain what was done wrong or how to do it differently the next time. Good leaders need to say, "When you made that sales call, you forgot to mention our other products that are available. Please remember that next time." Positive feedback, which does not come very often in working situations, can be so helpful to promoting new ideas. "Robert, I see you are not happy with the way we are scheduling meetings. Let's discuss what you don't think is working and see if we can come up with a new way together."

The well-known business expert Peter Drucker once said, "Because its purpose is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two -- and only these two -- basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are "costs." In a Forbes.com article, Jack Trout comments how Drucker's statement is being ignored by some companies. Some of the very largest brands are losing market share or have even disappeared and no longer made. He says companies such as AT&T, General Motors and Sears are "shells of what they once were."

Trout says that one of the main reasons for this is that companies are not taking advantage of new technology and thinking out of the box on how it can help come up with a successful product idea: "There is onrushing technology that can make you either obsolete or quickly threatened....You have to be willing to attack yourself with a better idea and not let your competitor do it for you" (Forbes.com)