Innovating Personas

There is an exerpt from Tom Kelley's book, "The Ten Faces of Innovation", in the October 2005 edition of Fast Company magazine http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/99/faces-of-innovation.html. The article (and the book) brings home a point that often is lost in business today: the key role that people play. According to the author, "Innovation is all about people." Kelley goes on to describe 10 "personas" that he encourages his clients to adopt as part of their internal teamwork. These personas help break the logjams that often stifle innovation and also serve to keep the "Devil's Advocate" in his or her place.

An important premise in Kelley's work: people matter. If you're going to have a workplace that fosters contribution and innovation, remember, you have to create an environment of empowerment where people feel heard and find meaning in what they're doing. And, more often than not, meaning can be found by enabling colleagues to feel that they are contributing to the organization and to the organization's mission.