Some of us share ideas freely, not caring who uses them or for what purpose. Some of us are more guarded, protecting our ideas and strategically selecting those that we share ideas with. Many of us share in some situations but not others – and with some people and not others.
Join the debate: How do you decide when, where, and with whom an idea is worth sharing??
Help inspire cutting-edge innovation research: When are you most likely to share your new ideas with others? Why? Please share your thoughts in the comments, or privately email me at caneel [[at]] g mail. I will credit very helpful responses when I eventually publish this research. Thanks!
UPDATE: Are there any situations where you have ever wondered if you ought to save an idea for sharing later – or maybe even never? To give some background I am designing a laboratory experiment about idea sharing. I am trying to figure out which conditions I should create to encourage idea withholding vs idea sharing. Thinking back into different organizations you’ve worked in / collaborations you’ve considered, what were deciding factors for you or your colleagues in terms of deciding whether or not to share new ideas?
This is largely driven by ‘with whom’ for me. There are close confidantes at work with whom even a half-baked idea leads to a series of rapid builds and ‘yes ands’ that bake it further. Often the earlier the better for this type of feedback. I can develop ideas through dialog much better than through quiet contemplation. The feedback immediately triggers ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘maybe’ responses in my head and a few cycles of this ratchets up the idea. it gets clearer, stronger. But, there are some moments/audiences for whom ideas need to be ready for prime time. Sharing too early can actually diminish confidence in idea amongst an audience that wants something more whole. This is often the case with clients who are paying consultants for more baked POVs. So there are issues of status involved. High status moments require fully baked ideas. No status moments don’t. There’s also issues of reciprocity. some people give great feedback on ideas because they have been on the receiving end. There’s an implicit contract. Others seem to think it’s all one-way (I have stopped sharing with them). And others just blithely steal. Which I am still naive enough to be appalled by. I could go on . . .
Everyone should share his ideas, whatever they are about, innovative ideas can come from anyone and no idea should be lost because his “owner” don’t know what to do with it or don’t tell it to the right persons.
Thanks for your thoughts, Ideaznow! Couldn’t agree more – innovative ideas can come from anyone. The challenge in designing an organization for creativity is figuring out how and when people feel able to share them.
Steve, thank you so much for your thoughtful comments – you’ve provided lots of good, specific hypotheses to work with here. I agree that not sharing is the crux of the question. You have clearly thought through idea sharing as a strategic device for coaching and consulting, and I think that is not talked about enough. There are lots of motivations for sharing and not sharing and this is a really useful list. Thank you for reading and for getting engaged. (Nice blog btw!)
I find the question of when one would not share ideas much more interesting. There are lots of occasions. What I’m wondering is why more of your followers did not chime in. It is ironic that their reasons for not sharing their ideas here were the very things you were looking for.
Some reasons I might not share would include the following: 1. If I thought the idea or solution might embarrass someone or put their job at risk. 2. If I thought the audience did not have the consciousness to grasp the idea. That might range from spiritual issues to psychology to interdisciplinary studies. 3. If there was some reasonable risk of others feeling jealous, stupid or hostile. 4. If people were too well invested in the current dysfunctional solution. 5. If the others lacked the domain knowledge to understand the point. 6. If I’ve been offered a good deal of money for the idea, under the agreement of non-disclosure. 7. If revealing the idea would betray a personal trust. 8. If the idea might deliver terrible results if executed in a less the perfect way. Done perfectly it would be great, but done poorly it would be disastrous. 9. If the idea would detract from the productive flow of a meeting. 10. If others needed more time to play out the drama before they could see what was already apparent to me. 11. If I saw the situation as eventually self correcting, and by allowing it to unfold naturally, others would get to take credit. 12. If I was too intimidated to speak up, for reasons ranging from being the new guy and not understanding the politics to being in the presence of a beautiful woman. 13. If the idea is a little too obvious to me, I might ask questions to better understand the system and see what I was missing. When coaching someone, the more obvious an answer seems to be, the less likely I am to volunteer it. I want to know what is in the way of the client seeing it. 14. If I wanted to empower others to better trust their own insights and ideas. 15. If I wanted to let them come to the the insight quickly, I might ask a series of innocent and gentle Socratic questions to point them in the right direction, allowing them to claim the win. 16. It might not occur to me that they don’t already know the idea. 17. The idea might be too young, fragile and ill-formed to risk exposing it to those who might spit on it. I might wait until it matures and grows wings before revealing it.
Those are the more benevolent reasons. There are probably an equal number of malevolent reasons, even if I don’t normally think of them: 1. Fear that someone else will steal and take credit for my idea. 2. Wanting someone to crash and burn because it will make me look good. 3. Deciding this company is not worth this great idea, since they didn’t pay me well enough for the last one. 4. I may not want people to know how smart I am and lose my competitive advantage. 5. I may be afraid of having my idea challenged and vetted.
As for the lesser question: When are you most likely to share your new ideas with others? When I’m in the presence of smart, kind, open-minded, creative and supportive people. And when there is an interesting problem on the table, one that aligns with my interests. And when they pay me well for them, not necessarily with money. Or when I’m testing out the quality of my audience. I am always looking for articulate and passionate people to discuss big ideas with.
Caneel:
The one and only condition where I would not want to share an idea is in a study or procedure that required keeping some information from a subject. That would be in the interest of creating a laboratory or field study as natural as possible. However, once the measures or the procedure concluded, it would be incumbent upon me to debrief the subject. So it would be only a short-term withholding of information or idea.
In terms of communicating or sharing hunches, ideas, findings from research I did, observations of the work of others, etc. I see no reason not to share ideas, my thoughts, or beliefs.
For some reason that’s the way it is for me. I guess it stems from my firm belief in free and open systems and my wish to move forward our understanding of a confusing and uncertain world even if it comes at my own expense, fame, or fortune. I trust I’m not alone in these convictions.
Thanks for your thoughts, Richard. I wonder however, if there are any situations where you have ever wondered if you ought save an idea for sharing later – or maybe even never? in principle I see where you’re coming from but it’s practice trying to understand. (To give some background I am designing a laboratory test about idea sharing. I am trying to figure out which conditions I should create to encourage idea withholding vs idea sharing.) Thinking back into different organizations you’ve worked in and collaborations you’ve considered, what were deciding factors for you or your colleagues in terms of deciding whether or not to share new ideas?
I see no reason not to share ideas. I hold this view under all conditions. Why? If they are wrong, they need to be corrected as quickly as possible. If they are right, let others build upon them for they are surely not the last word. If they are not clear or ambiguous, others will clarify them. And if they are tentative hypotheses, let others test them so that they can be further refined.
Richard Katzev
http://www.marksinthemargin.com