California Business - Volume 3, Issue 1 - Northern California - 12

FEATURE

OUTSIDE THE BOX
What to do with a big
idea that doesn't fit
your company's core
competency

E

xecutives often ask innovators such
as Krisztina "Z" Holly to help them
think outside the box. But that's
not really the issue, she says.
"The problem isn't thinking outside the
box," says Holly, entrepreneur-in-residence
for the City of Los Angeles Mayor's Office.
"Thinking outside the box is overrated,
because if ideas are too far outside the
box, they're not really that useful. The
problem is, how do you encourage ideas to
be considered fully, then pick which ones
to pursue, and then execute them?"
The challenge is in understanding
which big ideas a company is capable of
executing. Determining whether your
company has the skills and resources necessary to undertake a new project can be
the difference between a fizzling idea and
a sizzling launch.
"A thousand people today have that
same idea," says Timothy M. Stearns,
Ph.D., founder and executive director of
the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at California State University,
Fresno. "The only thing that distinguishes
you from the other 999 is you've got to be
able to act on it and move forward on it."

Evaluate	capacity
While market research is critical to justify ideas, internal capabilities are just as
crucial. While evaluating validity in the
marketplace, you also need to examine
your ability to deliver on the idea.
12 * California Business

California Business - Volume 3, Issue 1 - Northern California

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of California Business - Volume 3, Issue 1 - Northern California