David Gilmour’s Conditions for Innovation

Posted on | November 30, 2009 | 1 Comment

Transparency: If people see what others do it generates support and peer pressure.
Greenhousing: Innovative ideas often start out as fragile little shoots that need nurturing.
Benefit focus: Keep asking what it is you’re trying to achieve – don’t just tick boxes.
Diversity: Of people, background, experience and outlook. Avoid groups of people who all think the same.
Risk-taking: Recognise risks, watch out for politics, listen to people at the sharp end.
Avoid deficiency models: Telling people they need to be there rather than here does not work.
Mistakes: It has to be all right to say, ‘That didn’t work – let’s try something else.’
Long-term planning: Can’t be done for innovation. Sensible next step is best that can be done. Then look closely at what happens and take another step.

Merlin John’s Innovators series is developing very nicely indeed, with articles to date on Ewan McIntosh, Paul Kelley, Margaret Vass, Carol Allen, Jaye Richards and John Davitt. The latest is a great piece on David Gilmour, East Lothian’s techno-boffin (sorry, David!).

David’s best quote is one that he borrows from elsewhere:

….innovation is attacked in the same way that white blood cells attack germs….

Merlin brings real journalistic values to the series (indeed, to the whole of his quite brilliant news site) by using experienced writers and journalists. Douglas Blane wrote the pieces on David, Margaret and Ewan, Jack Kenny wrote the piece on Paul, Bill Hicks wrote the piece on John, Sally McKeown wrote the piece on Carol, and Merlin himself penned the piece on Jaye.

It’s also good to be able to bring one point in Douglas Blane’s piece on David bang up to date: Don Ledingham is no longer the Acting Director of Education in East Lothian. He was appointed permanently to the post just a week or so ago. So, congratulations to Don – well worth the pint it cost me on Friday past!