It has been a long time since I assembled the posts on this blog about creativity (See my post of Oct. 29, 2006: creativity with 11 references.). The topic is too important for comments about it to lie dispersed and unappreciated so let’s see what has been said since then.…
An article in Asian-Counsel, e-edition, Vol. 7, July/Aug. at 18, gives advice to in-house attorneys who encounter a legal question or task that is unfamiliar to them. The three choices are cleverly summarized: “Such in-house counsel generally have three options available to them: finding someone else to do the work…
The technique of creating sets of realistic conditions, called scenarios, and thinking through their implications can significantly help managers prepare for the future. I have written previously about scenario applications (See my post of March 25, 2005: case studies of risks; Dec. 9, 2005: scenario planning for law departments; Dec.…
In his book, David Warsh, The Idea of Economic Complexity (Penguin Books, 1984) set me to thinking about omnipresent words managers in legal departments toss off that, curiously, lack clear definitions. Four of those vital but vague words include complexity, risk, quality, and value. Like “wicked problems” (See my post…
Maybe because so many readers of this blog are silent, their circumstances and ideas mute to me, I appreciate ideas for how to let people safely express themselves (See my post of Feb. 18, 2009: ten suggestions for how to hear from everyone in a group; and Feb. 1, 2006:…
In my quest to create the OED (Online Explanations and Definitions) for legal department managers, I have made a decent start. This blog has defined upwards of 90 terms. I have compiled them, for anyone who emails me and asks for a copy. Meanwhile, here are 11 more that recently…
Here is a mashup of ideas: cash rewards for cost saving ideas and a tournament to honor good ideas. MIT Sloan Mgt. Rev., Vol. 50, Summer 2009 at 17, reviews a book about innovation tournaments. The book explains a method to encourage lots of ideas for how to reduce costs…
If an in-house lawyer asks a law firm for assistance, an important measure of that firm’s contribution should not be the degree of novelty of its solution. More telling measures are outcome and cost. Creativity, doing something new, is over-rated (See my post of Oct. 29, 2006: creativity with 11…
MIT Sloan Mgt. Rev., Vol. 50, Summer 2009 at 30-31, gives an example of Toyota Motor Corp.’s method to achieve operational learning. Called the A3, because it fits on one sheet of paper of that size, it typically has a sequence of boxes arrayed in a template. Inside the boxes…
The more that people are centrally connected to their peers, the more they tend to overestimate the degree to which their judgments are in agreement. Social scientists call this the “false consensus effect.” So, for example, lawyers who report directly to the general counsel and who spend time together in…