Situation: A company is creating new capabilities which require engineers to think beyond the limits of current capacity. Some are hesitant to take on these tasks, which are critical to the company’s maintaining its competitive edge. How do you create the tools or capacities to make these technical leaps? How do you delegate challenging tasks?
Advice from the CEOs:
- Encourage the engineers to expand their conceptual “boxes”. Encourage them to
- Utilize web-based searches of existing research on technical boundaries;
- Explore their own creative capabilities – encourage them to connect to science UseNets for solutions to technical challenges;
- As solutions are developed using outside resources, have engineers document progress so that intellectual property rights can be preserved. Line up legal resources to assist.
- Encourage them to use their unconscious processes to enhance the “Eureka” factor. Allow them to work on multiple related tasks that can spark creative solutions within the team.
- Consider this challenge as part of the process – acknowledge the “point of despair” that is often encountered with new technical challenges. Encourage them to use their creative capabilities to move beyond their perceived limitations.
- Understand that this will involve the use of scarce resources and that mistakes will be made in the learning process.
- Be patient and treat these as the cost of progress.
- Other options to consider:
- Investigate resources at nearby universities. Faculty and students appreciate the opportunity to be involved in cutting-edge projects. Protect the company by signing intellectual property agreements with the individuals and institutions.
- Invest in and expand the library of cutting-edge resources for engineers to use as tools to develop solutions.
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